The Mountain Jews and the Mirror

by Ruchama King Feuerman Narrated by Book Buddy Digital Media

Overview

Yosef and Estrella have spent their whole lives in Morocco's Atlas Mountains. When they move to the city, they face a strange, unfamiliar world. Will their love survive the surprises of their new home? A funny and charming folktale-like story of mistaken identities.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

08/10/2015
Although this story is set in Morocco, it feels as though it’s been transplanted from Chelm, the legendary village of fools from Jewish folklore. Yosef and Estrella are beautiful newlyweds who have moved from their remote village in the Atlas Mountains to Casablanca in search of opportunity. But when well-meaning relatives install a large mirrored wardrobe in their apartment, the result is nothing but tsuris: alone and seeing their reflections for the first time, Yosef and Estrella both become convinced that the other has taken another, more gorgeous beloved. Adult author Feurerman, in her children’s book debut, and artists Kosec and Calderon never quite figure out how to make the couple’s vulnerability and naiveté endearing; readers may find themselves thinking that anyone who lives in those mountains should be made of tougher stuff (a notable exception is one scene where Estrella musters outrage at Yosef’s supposed infidelity). Even so, the illustrations bring alive the bustle of Casablanca’s narrow streets, and the couple’s expressive eyes almost dare the audience not to feel at least a smidgen of empathy. Ages 5–9. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

"This original folk story reads like a Sephardic Chelm-like tale set in Morocco . . . The lesson can be one of many, including that sometimes we shouldn't be so quick to judge the person staring back at us in the mirror!" — Jewish Book Council

School Library Journal

02/01/2016
K-Gr 2—Newlyweds Estrella and Yosef journey from their remote village in the Atlas Mountains to the big city of Casablanca. Relatives help them to set up a small apartment and give Yosef a job selling carpets in the family's shop. After he leaves for his first day of work, Estrella walks to the market. When she returns to her new apartment, she is shocked to see a strange, beautiful woman inside. She runs screaming out of the house, distraught that her husband has taken another wife. Neighbors instruct her to go to the rabbi for advice. When Yosef returns home from work and enters the apartment, he is surprised to see a handsome man standing in the middle of the room. Assuming that his wife has found another husband, he, too, rushes to the rabbi for advice. Dumfounded by these two reports, the rabbi goes to the apartment to see for himself. When he opens the door, he sees another rabbi standing in the apartment. Finally, the neighbors figure out what is going on. While Estrella and Yosef were out, Estrella's cousins had brought a wardrobe with a mirror to the apartment as a gift for the couple. Having never seen a mirror, Estrella, Yosef, and even the rabbi mistake their own reflections for someone else. Once everything is cleared up, the young couple live happily ever after. Stylized acrylic illustrations in browns and jewel tones depict the exotic setting, clothing, and architecture of 19th- or early 20th-century Morocco. Readers may delight in the fact that they are able to solve the mystery before the rabbi. However, the slight story fails to provide readers with any historical context or insight into the Jewish community of Casablanca. VERDICT An additional purchase.—Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL

Kirkus Reviews

2015-07-22
Newly married Yosef and Estrella move from a small Moroccan mountain village to Casablanca so that Yosef can earn a living. Life in the big city is diametrically different from life in the Atlas Mountains. Relatives provide work for him, living quarters, furnishings, including a mirrored wardrobe. This last causes great anxiety for the bridal pair. Each sees other, handsomer, more beautiful, mate-stealing intruders in the mirror's misread reflection—new spouses far superior to innocent "mountain Jews." The rabbi is summoned, but he, also an innocent, sees the reflection of an unknown old man, full of wisdom. Who are these other people? This is the central mystery and moral of the tale. Though shaped like a folk tale, the story appears to be an original one, but it begs questions. What are mountain Jews? Are they like the Chelmites? Why does a mirror baffle them so? Illustrations add to the confusion, as features swing between flat shapes and careful shadings. Is the kindly, elfish-looking rabbi really the same person as the stoic, dour reflection in the following double-page spread—and the goofy rabbi caricature in the final one? Though the illustrations are populated by characters dressed in timeless North African cloaks and gowns, they go no further to establish a specific time or setting. As a folklorish tale—almost an extended anecdote—the brief telling leaves many questions for readers, and neither the dark, heavy illustrations nor the text provides answers. (Picture book. 4-8)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171826567
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/01/2017
Series:	Kar-Ben Favorites
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

Read an Excerpt

The Mountain Jews and the Mirror

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By Ruchama King Feuerman, Polona Kosec, Marcela Calderon

Kar-Ben Publishing

Copyright © 2015 Ruchama King Feuerman
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4677-3896-5

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CHAPTER 1

In a faraway village in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, Estrella and Yosef got married. Mazal bueno! All the mountain Jews threw them a big party.

But the new young couple worried. How would they feed and support themselves? Yosef made money selling nuts and raising sheep, but it wasn't enough for the two of them.

Then good news came. Estrella's uncle wrote to her parents, "Send the young couple to Casablanca. Yosef will work in my carpet shop. They can rent a small apartment close by."

Estrella and Yosef clasped their hands. An answer to their prayers! But then Estrella's face clouded. "How can we leave our village? We know nothing about the big city."

"Don't worry," said Yosef as they packed their few belongings.

When Estrella and Yosef arrived, they stared in amazement. Two whole rooms just for them! So much furniture! Smooth, shiny floors, not like the dirt floors in their village.

Soon, Yosef said goodbye to his wife and left for his new job at the carpet shop. Estrella walked to the market to buy vegetables.

She gazed at the other women walking past with their baskets, as the vendors called out, "Watermelon, cheap! Sweet tomatoes!"

"These women are so beautiful," thought Estrella with a pang. "Much more beautiful than I am.

While Estrella shopped, her cousins were lugging a wardrobe, step by step, up to the new couple's apartment. How heavy it was! It was the finest they could find. They placed it opposite the door, where it could be seen and admired by anyone who entered.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from The Mountain Jews and the Mirror by Ruchama King Feuerman, Polona Kosec, Marcela Calderon. Copyright © 2015 Ruchama King Feuerman. Excerpted by permission of Kar-Ben Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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