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When Zaydeh Danced on Eldridge Street

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When Zaydeh Danced on Eldridge Street

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Hardcover
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Overview

When Zaydeh Danced on Eldridge Street is Elsa Okon Rael's beautiful story of family relations and the celebrations that can often ensue.

While staying with her grandparents in New York City in the mid-1930s, eight-year-old Zeesie joins in the celebration of Simchat Torah and sees a different side of her stern grandfather.

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About the Author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689804519
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	09/01/1997
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	670L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Marjorie Priceman, illustrator of many acclaimed picture books, has won Caldecott Honors for her illustrations in Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin! by Lloyd Moss and Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the Frist Hot-Air Balloon Ride, which she also wrote. She lives in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

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Editorial Reviews

The Lower East Side of 1930s New York City again crackles with life as Zeesie, star of What Zeesie Saw on Delancey Street, features in another colorfully chronicled family story. When her mother goes to the hospital to give birth, Zeesie is brought to her grandparents Bubbeh Ruchel and Zaydeh Avrum. Spending time with her stern, gruff Zaydeh always makes Zeesie uneasy, but during this visit she accompanies her grandfather to his synagogue for Simchas Torah (a holiday explained in the text). In the celebration she discovers his softer side and learns something of the great significance of the Torah as well. Rael skillfully intertwines elements of Jewish religion and culture and believable family dynamics to create a slice-of-life-type portrait that will enthrall young readers. Her liberal use of Hebrew and Yiddish words clearly evokes the bygone era and will also spur exploration of the book's short glossary. Priceman captures the sacredness and beauty of religious symbolism without abandoning her playful, deceptively casual style. Her gouaches depict ornate Torah scrolls, the synagogue's rich wood interior and dazzling stained-glass windows as Zeesie gambols within. While renderings of rooftop pigeons, wrought iron fire escapes and a variety of brownstone buildings provide a big city air, neither Priceman nor Rael lets the reader lose sight of the warm, intimate bonds at the heart of the story. Ages 5-9. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

K-Gr 3The Lower East Side of Manhattan in the 1930s is the setting for this charming Jewish holiday tale. Zeesie, first introduced in What Zeesie Saw on Delancey Street (S & S, 1996), is staying with her grandparents while Mama and Papa wait at the hospital for the new baby to arrive. Accompanying her stern Zaydeh (grandpa) to synagogue for the Simchas Torah celebration, the child is astonished at his delight when she questions him about the unfamiliar holiday, and she watches with disbelief as he dances with the Torah. Later, when Papa comes to take her home, she realizes what a truly magical evening it has been. In addition to the simple explanation of the holiday that she has incorporated into the story, Rael provides an endnote about the Lower East Side and the special synagogue that Zeesie visited, as well as a glossary of Yiddish and Hebrew words and two traditional recipes. Priceman's full-page folk-style illustrations are painted in warm and earthy autumnal tones to suit the holiday season, with Zeesie, in her barn-red dress, clearly visible on each page. The customs and joy of the celebrants are evident even to readers who have never personally experienced them. Simchas Torah stories are scarce; this one provides both a cultural lesson and a glimpse at Jewish family life in another era.Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH

School Library Journal

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