Way Too Many Latkes: A Hanukkah in Chelm

by Linda Glaser

Overview

Faigel makes the best Hanukkah latkes in Chelm, but somehow, this year she's forgotten how to make them! She sends her husband, Shmuel, to ask the rabbi for help. And in Chelm, the village of fools—oy vey!—this becomes a recipe for disaster!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781512420937
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/2017
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.10(d)
Lexile:	AD470L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Aleksandar Zolotic is an award-winning illustrator who lives in Serbia with his family. In addition to illustrating children's books, he has worked on comic books and video games.

Editorial Reviews

Sometimes it feels like there are too many Hanukkah books, but this delightful tale of the foolish town of Chelm should find a place in most holiday collections. In Chelm, where few things make sense, it is agreed that Faigel is the best maker of potato pancakes. Perfectly crafted, they are a town delicacy, and rationed to one per person. Then comes a fateful year when Faigel forgets the latke recipe. She knows that the pancakes require potatoes, eggs, and onions, but has forgotten the proportions! Her husband, Shmuel, brings home enormous amounts of ingredients, but Faigel cannot remember how many potatoes to use or how many eggs. Shmuel, of course, goes to the wise rabbi who, while not a cook, knows that more is always better and suggests that Faigel put in all of the makings for one huge batch of latkes. Of course, Faigel and Shmuel cannot eat the enormous batch of crisp, delicious pancakes and the rabbi suggests they share with the community, the most special lesson of this Hanukkah tale. There is a nice repetition of text that gives the tale a storytelling rhythm that will work well with young listeners. The digitally mastered illustrations are comical and animated in a cartoonish and charming way. There is, however, a mistake in the illustrations that attentive readers will catch. The menorah on the shelf is a seven-branch menorah, not a Hanukkiah with eight branches. It’s a mistake that might go unnoticed, except that at the end of the book it is set up for the first night of Hanukkah with a shamash and a single lighted candle. Also, who eats latkes without sour cream or apple sauce? Look past the errors, because this is a delightful story of sharing in the manner of Stone Soup. Reviewer: Lois Rubin Gross; Ages 3 to 8.

Children's Literature - Lois Rubin Gross

09/04/2017
Faigel makes the most delicious latkes in her village—but only in tiny batches. Those lucky enough to taste one of them “dream about it for the rest of the year.” Then Faigel forgets her famous recipe, and because she lives in Chelm, the legendary village of fools, the solution is far from simple—and deeply silly. With nonsensical advice from her rabbi (“Use all the eggs you’ve got”) and acquiescence by her literal-minded husband, Faigel ends up making enough latkes to feed the entire town. Latke makers and their young assistants should easily identify with the muscles and tears involved as Faigel preps mountains of potatoes and onions. Glaser leavens the story with lots of performance-ready, Yiddish-punctuated dialogue (“The rabbi?” Faigel gripes. “What does he know about making latkes? Bupkes!”), and Zolotic’s characters have a vivid presence and energy reminiscent of animated films. Ages 3–8. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

10/01/2017
K-Gr 2—Faigel, the best latke maker in the town of Chelm, has forgotten her recipe on the first night of Hanukkah, so her husband Shmuel goes to ask the wise rabbi for help. The rabbi is so hungry that he tells Shmuel Faigel should use everything—all the potatoes, all the eggs, all the onions—to make her perfect golden latkes. The predictable result is way too many latkes and not enough mouths to eat them, until the whole village is invited "to bring one mouth each. On Hanukkah, that's what mouths are for." In spite of a rather thin plot, the use of folkloric phrasing and humorous patter moves the story along, with a few typical Chelmish misunderstandings thrown in for good measure. Digital cartoon illustrations depict an Old World scene with big-eyed expressive characters. VERDICT This story has enough humor and appeal to find a place on most holiday shelves.—Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library

School Library Journal