| A Sack Full of Feathers by Debby Waldman & Cindy Revell |
A SACK FULL OF FEATHERS by Debby Waldman & Cindy Revell
Release Date: 9/30/07
Publisher: Orca Books
Pages: 32
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
Yankel Liebovich has a very bad habit. Since his father owns the
village store in Olkinik, he hears all kinds of stories every day.
Unfortunately, Yankel doesn't usually hang around to hear the
end of the tale. No, what Yankel hears are things that he knows
the other school children will find funny, interesting, or
horrifying--and those are the stories that Yankel tells daily.
He likes to brag about the fight between two women who were
arguing over a piece of fabric at the store. "She's mean!" the
other children comment. He likes to tell about how the baker used
salt instead of sugar in his baked goods. "I'll never eat there
again!" the other children say. For Yankel, finding a good story to
share is more important than anything else; more important,
perhaps, than the truth.
When the Rabbi sends Yankel on a mission to leave a feather at
every home in the village, he does so without many questions.
But when the Rabbi sends him back to those same homes, again,
to retrieve that same feather, Yankel realizes the impossibility of
his task. So, too, is it impossible to take back the stories that he
likes to spread around Olkinik.
This is a great folktale that tells a very important lesson, although
it might be one that is hard for younger children to understand at
first. Once they truly grasp what gossip is, though, and how it can
harm other people, they will learn, just like Yankel, that the only
stories you should tell are your own.
Release Date: 9/30/07
Publisher: Orca Books
Pages: 32
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
Yankel Liebovich has a very bad habit. Since his father owns the
village store in Olkinik, he hears all kinds of stories every day.
Unfortunately, Yankel doesn't usually hang around to hear the
end of the tale. No, what Yankel hears are things that he knows
the other school children will find funny, interesting, or
horrifying--and those are the stories that Yankel tells daily.
He likes to brag about the fight between two women who were
arguing over a piece of fabric at the store. "She's mean!" the
other children comment. He likes to tell about how the baker used
salt instead of sugar in his baked goods. "I'll never eat there
again!" the other children say. For Yankel, finding a good story to
share is more important than anything else; more important,
perhaps, than the truth.
When the Rabbi sends Yankel on a mission to leave a feather at
every home in the village, he does so without many questions.
But when the Rabbi sends him back to those same homes, again,
to retrieve that same feather, Yankel realizes the impossibility of
his task. So, too, is it impossible to take back the stories that he
likes to spread around Olkinik.
This is a great folktale that tells a very important lesson, although
it might be one that is hard for younger children to understand at
first. Once they truly grasp what gossip is, though, and how it can
harm other people, they will learn, just like Yankel, that the only
stories you should tell are your own.