Meet the Hamantaschen

by Alan Silberberg, Alan Silberberg (Illustrator)

Overview

You've met the latkes, you've met the matzah...now it's time to meet the hamantaschen in this zany Purim story!

There's a problem with Purim!

The Purim play is about to start, but the megillah is missing! Without the scroll that recounts the Purim story, how can the show go on? Never fear: three determined hamantaschen—

DETECTIVES!

Right. Three determined DETECTIVES are on the case. With the help of a mysterious stranger and a few disguises, the detectives uncover the facts so the true story of Purim can be told.

In this companion to Meet the Latkes and Meet the Matzah, holiday mistellings have never been so fun.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593351574
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	02/08/2022
Pages:	36
Sales rank:	1,028,141
Product dimensions:	9.88(w) x 10.81(h) x 0.34(d)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Alan Silberberg (www.silberbooks.com) is an award-winning author, cartoonist, and children's TV creator who has worked with Nickelodeon and Disney. He's the author and illustrator of three previous middle grade novels, including Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze, which won the Sid Fleischman Humor Award and is currently in development to become an animated TV series. Meet the Latkes was Alan's debut picture book, followed by Meet the Matzah.

Editorial Reviews

PRAISE FOR MEET THE HAMANTASCHEN:
 
"A fun and foodie-friendly parody that illuminates the origin of the Purim festival for young readers."—Kirkus Reviews
 
"A creative picture book that uses humor to teach children about Purim and its lessons of courage."—School Library Journal


PRAISE FOR MEET THE MATZAH:

"Wonderfully stupid...genuinely moving."—Kirkus Reviews


PRAISE FOR MEET THE LATKES:

"A full-blown kooky comedy unpacking an ancient Talmudic tale."—The New York Times Book Review

"Readers who like their humor broad and goofy will lap this up, and Silberberg...makes it extra tasty with sprawling and genially messy cartooning that looks like it was created by someone hopped up on chocolate gelt."—Publishers Weekly


PRAISE FOR ALAN SILBERBERG'S PREVIOUS BOOKS:

"Silberberg details the daily events with Wimpy Kid-like drawings and quick-witted humor that will keep the pages turning."—School Library Journal

"A read with one goal on its mind: entertainment."—Booklist

From the Publisher

12/01/2021

PreS-Gr 1—Silberberg offers a humorous picture book celebrating the Jewish holiday of Purim in this companion to Meet the Latkes and Meet the Matzah. Three hamantaschen detectives and a shadowy stranger must unveil what happened to the megillah, the scroll that is read during the Purim festivity. Using disguises and following clues, the detectives embrace solving the mystery, interrogating the lively characters representing Queen Esther, Vashti, King Ahasuerus, Haman, and Mordecai. Digital illustrations are in pastel colors of green, pink, purple, and brown. The narrative, presented in panels and full-spread illustrations, moves the plot forward in speech bubbles and text, using repetition that could engage children during story time. The text also employs vocabulary words that enhance the reading of this book. The back matter includes a glossary of relevant terms. VERDICT A creative picture book that uses humor to teach children about Purim and its lessons of courage.—Kathia Ibacache, Univ. of Colorado Boulder

School Library Journal

2021-12-03
Silberberg returns with another comedic Jewish holiday story in this whodunit spoof.

The story opens in a detective agency run by a trio of anthropomorphic Hamantaschen, the triangular pastries traditionally eaten during the Jewish holiday of Purim. They receive a phone call from a mysterious stranger who presents them with a Purim problem: The megillah (a scroll bearing the biblical narrative known as the book of Esther) is missing, and without it the story of Purim cannot be told. Numerous questions and “false facts” lead the detectives to interview all of the suspects, who are also anthropomorphic Jewish foods and happen to be characters in the annual Purim play. There is the banished Queen Vashti, King Ahasuerus, the heroine Queen Esther, her uncle Mordecai, and, of course, the evil Haman. The three clueless detectives learn much about the Jewish holiday from the play characters en route to the amusing ending when the mystery is finally solved. This hilarious rib of the crime noir drama adds a few contemporary twists to the legend of Purim (for example, Esther has a modern-day diary that is quickly discounted as not being the real book of Esther) but manages to relay the key, traditional elements. Children will get a kick out of the illustrations which incorporate speech bubbles, comic book–style sound effects, and an abundance of wacky details. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A fun and foodie-friendly parody that illuminates the origin of the Purim festival for young readers. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews