Shlemiel Crooks

"In the middle of the night on a Thursday, two crooks?onions should grow in their navels?drove their horse and wagon to the saloon of Reb Elias Olschwanger, at the corner of 14th and Carr streets in St. Louis. This didn't happen yesterday. It was 1919." So begins a modern folktale based on the Yiddish community of the author's great-grandparents in the early 20th century. In original and engaging storytelling, Shlemiel Crooks introduces young readers to the history of Passover, as Pharaoh and a town of Jewish immigrants play tug-of-war with wine made from grapes left over from the Exodus from Egypt. Punctuated by colorful Yiddish expressions, the customs and language of a Jewish community of another time come alive. In a review, Booklist noted: "Shtetl humor and magic realism come to St. Louis in 1919 in this wry Pesach story. The best thing here is Olswanger's Yiddish storyteller's voice, particularly the hilarious curses she weaves into the story. Great for reading aloud." Shlemiel Crooks is a Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Young Reader's Category from the Association of Jewish Libraries and a PJ Library Book.

COVER: Paperback

CONDITION: Pre-Loved

TYPE OF BOOK: Story book

SUB-TYPE: Collection of stories

ISBN: 9781588382368

LANGUAGE: English

SUGGESTED AGE LEVEL: 6-8 years

AUTHOR'S NAME: Anna Olswanger & Paula Goodman Koz

NO OF PAGES: 36

PUBLISHER NAME: Published June 1st 2009 by NewSouth Books (first published May 1st 2005)