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Herschel and the Hanukkah Goblins |
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| Author: |
Eric A. Kimmel |
 Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0823411311 |
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Book Review
What are the poor villagers to do? The holiday-hating, hill-dwelling hobgoblins are bound and determined to ruin yet another Hanukkah for them. Every year the beasties snuff out the menorah candles, destroy the dreidels, and pitch the potato latkes on the floor. But these wicked wet blankets never counted on someone as clever as Hershel of Ostropol showing up. Using his wits and a few props--pickles, eggs, and a dreidel (a square-shaped top with Hebrew letters on each side)--Hershel manages to outwit all the creepy critters and break the spell. This fabulously creative adaptation of the ancient Hanukkah story in which the Syrians forbade the Jews to worship as they wanted, keeps the spirit of the original while adding a spine-tingling twist. Warmth and humor prevail, even in the midst of hopeless-looking circumstances.... |
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Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock |
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| Author: |
Retold by Eric A. Kimmel |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0823407985 |
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From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4 Anansi the Spider happens upon an unusual stone that magically puts him to sleep for an hour. The master trickster decides to use the rock to get the food stores from the rest of the local residents. Each animal is taken in turn to the strange moss-covered rock, says the magic phrase, and promptly falls asleep to have its food pilfered by Anansi. All the while, however, Little Bush Deer silently watches. Ultimately, it is small and shy Deer who outwits Anansi and returns the food to its rightful owners. Although no specific source is given, Kimmel has retold a West African tale (said to be known in Caribbean culture). The text is rhythmic, nicely building suspense to the inevitable conclusion. Stevens' complementary, colorful illustrations add detail, humor, and movement to the text. Here, Anansi... |
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The Hero Beowulf |
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| Author: |
Eric A. Kimmel |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0374306710 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6–A great green monster, cool Viking gear, and powerful, concise language mark this book, which should be called Beowulf 1A, since it tells only half of Part One of the poem. Straightening out the epic's chronology, Kimmel begins with Beowulf's youthful exploits as a troll- and serpent-slayer (but not as a marathon swimmer, a boast he defends in the poem). Then the telling moves "across the sea" (a map would be helpful) to Heorot, where Grendel is wreaking havoc. Beowulf disarms to fight fairly with the monster, and after a fierce struggle literally dis-arms him. Grendel sinks, dying, into the muck, and the Danes rejoice: end of tale. Manic mothers are all too common, and maybe too scary: Grendel's Mom's scene is cut, and the dragon that Beowulf dies killing, 50 years later, is not even a... |
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The Gingerbread Man |
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| Author: |
Retold by Eric A. Kimmel |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0823411370 |
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Book Review
Run, run, as fast as you can and catch this version of the gingerbread man! Eric A. Kimmel is an education professor who has become one of the most respected retellers of traditional folk tales in the United States. In addition to The Gingerbread Man, his successes include the series of Anansi folk tales and Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, a Caldecott Honor Book. In this wonderful new take on the never-stale gingerbread man story, the cookie in question (with three peppermint buttons) gets eaten by the wily fox, which is sometimes upsetting to younger preschoolers. Happily, the last page shows a new cookie sheet lined with gingerbread men (and women), and the clever rhyme suggests that the gingerbread man bounces back from his unfortunate plight. "For gingerbread men return, it's said, / When someone... |
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Blackbeard's Last Fight |
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| Author: |
Eric A. Kimmel |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0374307806 |
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| Availability: |
Usually ships within 24 hours. |
From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4 It is 1718, and Blackbeard, recently pardoned by the governor of North Carolina, has settled in Ocracoke Inlet. Virginia's governor calls upon Lieutenant Robert Maynard of the Royal Navy to lead a group of mercenaries to execute the notorious buccaneer in a preemptive attack. Cabin boy Jeremy Hobbs listens to dreadful rumors about the pirate, but also hears surprisingly good reports about his generosity and charisma. As Jeremy bears witness to the battle, he contemplates the right and wrong of the action, the larger picture, and the mystery of the man who is Blackbeard. Basing his account on sources noted in an afterword, Kimmel retells this story with plenty of action and detail. His Blackbeard is not a sanitized caricature, and there are brandished cutlasses, smoking muskets, and dead bodies in... |
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Anansi and the Talking Melon |
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| Author: |
Retold by Eric A. Kimmel |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0823411672 |
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From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-Another of Kimmel's retellings of the fabled African spider and his escapades, joining Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock (1990) and Anansi Goes Fishing (1992, both Holiday). In this tale, lazy Anansi eats his way into Elephant's melon but is then too bloated to crawl out. The always sneaky spider decides it is a perfect opportunity to play a trick and so convinces the animal that he owns a talking melon. Elephant can't wait to share his discovery with King Monkey. Along the way he is joined by Hippo, Warthog, Ostrich, Rhino, and Turtle. King Monkey, skeptical at first, becomes irate when the melon insults him. Of course, the resulting mayhem only adds to Anansi's delight. The same elements that made Kimmel's earlier books popular are in evidence here. The snappy narration is well suited... |
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Don Quixote and the Windmills |
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| Author: |
Eric A. Kimmel |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0374318255 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
From Booklist
Gr. 2-4, younger for reading aloud. Cervantes' famous character gets new life in this adaptation, which zeroes in on the incident for which Don Quixote is perhaps best known--the one in which he tilts at windmills. The story begins as Senor Quexada goes mad, burying himself in the past and re-creating himself as Don Quixote, "a renowned knight." To that end, he puts on a suit of rusty armor, chooses a fat farmer as his squire and sweet Dulcinea as the object of his courtly love, and sets off. Spotting windmills in the distance, Don Quixote sees the structures as giants and refuses to be dissuaded about the objects' real nature. The telling here is staid, leaving the art to express most of the excitement. And it does. Veteran artist Fisher, known for his solid, impressive renderings, brings a suppleness to the artwork that... |
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Anansi Goes Fishing |
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| Author: |
Eric A. Kimmel |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0823410226 |
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| Availability: |
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From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-- In a companion volume to Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock (Holiday, 1990), Kimmel and Stevens team up again to extend the humor of a trickster tale from Africa. Anansi joins Turtle on a fishing excursion, intending to con him out of all the fish. Anansi's stubborn selfishness proves to be his undoing day after day until, at last, he realizes the folly of his ways because he has been tricked into doing all the work and is still hungry. Kimmel has adapted Joyce Cooper Arkhurst's sparer version found in The Adventures of Spider , (Little, 1964; o.p.) transforming the fisherman into a turtle and judiciously exercising his storyteller's prerogative to add humorous details and lively dialogue that follows a repetitive pattern. Although the ending has been changed substantially from the... |
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A Horn for Louis |
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| Author: |
Eric A. Kimmel |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0375832521 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4–Adapted from an unpublished memoir, this beginning chapter book is an account of Armstrongs youthful acquisition of his first true horn. It also offers a snapshot of New Orleanss Brick Row at the turn of the 20th century that reveals the hardship yet intimate connection of its residents. Streets and neighborhoods come to life with the sights and sounds of the citys multiethnic communities. Young Louis lived in a rooming house with his mother and sister and dreamed of a bedroom of his own, with a real bed instead of quilts on the floor, and he helped to support the family. His musical gifts became apparent early on to those on the streets as he revealed a talent beyond the capabilities of a seven-year-old playing a tin horn without a mouthpiece. Kimmels skilled narrative accentuates the... |
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Anansi and the Magic Stick |
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| Author: |
Eric A. Kimmel |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0823417638 |
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From Publishers Weekly
In Anansi and the Magic Stick by Eric A. Kimmel, illus. by Janet Stevens, the arachnid goes too far. Anansi steals the napping Hyena's magic housekeeping stick to water his garden. Unattended, the water floods the town. Stevens's comic creatures with their surprised expressions add kid appeal. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-That mischievous spider Anansi is up to his old tricks in this story by Eric A. Kimmel. When the lazy Anansi discovers that Hyena's trick to keeping his home so spotless without any work is a magic stick, Anansi steals the stick with disastrous results. He begins by having the magic stick clean his yard while ignoring the fact that... |
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Chanukkah Guest |
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| Author: |
Eric A. Kimmel |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0823409783 |
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From School Library Journal
Old Bubba Brayna, 97, still makes the best potato latkes in the village. So each year at Chanukkah, her friends and the rabbi come through the snow to share her cooking and hospitality. The first to arrive this year, however, is a grumpy old bear aroused from his cave by the delicious smells of cooking. The nearly blind Bubba mistakes him for the rabbi, welcomes him in and lets him keep his fur coat on against the chill. She carries on with enough chatter for two as the bear growls through the blessing, eats a huge platter of latkes, and bestows a lick on Old Bubba in thanks. When the rabbi and the villagers arrive, they and Bubba figure out who she has been entertaining, have a good laugh, and retire to the kitchen where Bubba begins to cook all over again. Brown and rose tones predominate in Carmi's... |
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A Horn for Louis |
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| Author: |
Eric A. Kimmel |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0375932526 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4–Adapted from an unpublished memoir, this beginning chapter book is an account of Armstrongs youthful acquisition of his first true horn. It also offers a snapshot of New Orleanss Brick Row at the turn of the 20th century that reveals the hardship yet intimate connection of its residents. Streets and neighborhoods come to life with the sights and sounds of the citys multiethnic communities. Young Louis lived in a rooming house with his mother and sister and dreamed of a bedroom of his own, with a real bed instead of quilts on the floor, and he helped to support the family. His musical gifts became apparent early on to those on the streets as he revealed a talent beyond the capabilities of a seven-year-old playing a tin horn without a mouthpiece. Kimmels skilled narrative accentuates the... |
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Zigazak! |
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| Author: |
Eric A. Kimmel |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0385326521 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
Book Review
Is Hanukkah really all about dancing dreidels and high-flying latkes? Maybe not, but Eric Kimmel and Jon Goodell have put these devilish phenomena to good use in a lighthearted story that teaches Hanukkah traditions--from kazatzkas to gelt--along with a wise, timeless moral. The tale's decidedly unscary antagonists are a couple of bumbling devils determined to cause Hanukkah-night mischief in the village of Brisk. Goodell's clearly having fun as he sends five dreidels into a tight little jig, launches latkes around Hannah Leah's kitchen, and sets off some menorah pyrotechnics in Menachem Mendel's home. But Brisk's frightened villagers need not worry: they've got a clever rabbi who's not only unafraid of the devils' antics--he enjoys them! When dreidels sprout legs and dance on his table, "he laughed and clapped his... |
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Sword of the Samurai: Adventure Stories from Japan |
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| Author: |
Eric A. Kimmel |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0064421317 |
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| Availability: |
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From Publishers Weekly
Kimmel's (Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins) finely honed collection of 11 samurai stories skillfully introduces the knights who reigned in Japan for more than 1200 years, and demonstrates their enduring legacy. Beginning with a witty tall tale of a warrior's beheading and unlikely survival, Kimmel quickly establishes his strength as a storyteller. He poses as a kind of sensei (samurai teacher) here, subtly weaving in details of the spiritual practices and beliefs of the samurai Bushido (code of conduct). While many of the tales focus on duels of honor, others show an unexpected willingness on the part of the samurai to laugh at themselves; the most esteemed characters possess humility and respect for their master and themselves. In perhaps the most cogent tale, "The Ronin and the Tea Master," a tea master learns... |
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Zigazak! |
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| Author: |
Eric A. Kimmel |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
038590004X |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 3-4 days. |
Book Review
Is Hanukkah really all about dancing dreidels and high-flying latkes? Maybe not, but Eric Kimmel and Jon Goodell have put these devilish phenomena to good use in a lighthearted story that teaches Hanukkah traditions--from kazatzkas to gelt--along with a wise, timeless moral. The tale's decidedly unscary antagonists are a couple of bumbling devils determined to cause Hanukkah-night mischief in the village of Brisk. Goodell's clearly having fun as he sends five dreidels into a tight little jig, launches latkes around Hannah Leah's kitchen, and sets off some menorah pyrotechnics in Menachem Mendel's home. But Brisk's frightened villagers need not worry: they've got a clever rabbi who's not only unafraid of the devils' antics--he enjoys them! When dreidels sprout legs and dance on his table, "he laughed and clapped his... |
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I Took My Frog to the Library |
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| Author: |
Eric A. Kimmel |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
014050916X |
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| Availability: |
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From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-- Havoc reigns when Bridgett's animal friends accompany her to the library. Her frog frightens the librarian, her hen lays an egg in the card catalog, her python sheds her skin all over everyone, and her hyena laughs at all the wrong places during storytime. It's not until her big, very big, elephant wrecks the place that the long-suffering librarian finally tells her to leave her animals at home. Back at home, all are content to have elephant read aloud to them. Read with enough verbal flair, Kimmel's ludicrous situations will make an acceptable filler for preschool and primary story times, but storytellers will really want to "ham it up." The straightforward text begs for humor and elaborations in both the oral interpretation and the illustrations. Unfortunately, Sims' simple, full-color... |
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Wonders and Miracles |
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| Author: |
Eric A. Kimmel |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0439071755 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
Book Review
Between the covers of this elegant volume dwells a thorough and thoroughly engrossing compilation of stories, songs, recipes, artwork, prayers, and commentary on the beloved Jewish holiday, Passover. Eric A. Kimmel, acclaimed author of more than 60 titles for children, including the Caldecott Honor Book Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, outdoes himself in this mother of all Passover books, going well beyond the typical retelling of the Passover story. Using the seder, the ceremonial Passover meal, as a starting point, Kimmel walks readers through every step of the holiday, using ancient and modern stories and illustrations to explain the legends and history behind the rituals. He includes contributions from writers such as Nina Jaffe, Debbie Friedman, and Rabbi David Schaps (a.k.a. Grandma Tirzah), and stunning artwork that... |
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Three Samurai Cats: A Story from Japan |
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| Author: |
Retold by Eric A. Kimmel |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0823418774 |
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| Availability: |
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From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3-Here's an adaptation of an adaptation of a story Zen masters used to illustrate how unconventional approaches to problems can be disarmingly effective. When a daimyo's castle is besieged by an enormous, ferocious rat, the lord beseeches the abbot of a nearby monastery to send a samurai cat to drive the beast away. The first and second samurai to confront him are overwhelmed by the rodent's martial-arts skills, but the third, a tattered, disreputable-looking old feline, allows the rat's greed to work against him and emerges triumphant. Kimmel's telling is reasonably successful and the message to "Draw strength from stillness. Learn to act without acting. And never underestimate a samurai cat-" is conveyed without any element of preachiness. Gerstein's lively cartoon illustrations are at... |
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