Way Too Many Latkes: A Hanukkah in Chelm

by Linda Glaser, Aleksandar Zolotic (Illustrator)

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:	9781512420920
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/2017
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.50(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.40(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

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

"With Chanukah approaching, Faigel suddenly forgets the recipes for latkes. What can she do? Who can she ask? So, her husband, Shmuel, decides to ask the wisest man in the small fictional Eastern European village of Chelm – the rabbi. First, he asks how many potatoes, then how many eggs, then onions. Faigel always made tiny batches of latkes, but following the rabbi’s advice, she made a huge batch. Find out what happens to all the latkes" - Cleveland Jewish News

From the Publisher

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