Big Sam: A Rosh Hashanah Tall Tale - Hardcover

Kimmel, Eric

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1681155257 ISBN 13: 9781681155258

Publisher: Apples & Honey Press, 2017

Synopsis

2018 Sydney Taylor Notable Picture Book

"This book is nothing but pure fun from beginning to end, with a gentle environmental lesson thrown in". – Jewish Book Council

How does Big Sam make a GIANT-sized challah for Rosh Hashanah?

He digs an enormous hole in the ground to use as a mixing bowl. (It's still there today — we call it the Grand Canyon.

He adds mountains of flour, thousands of eggs, and other good things.

He whittles a massive California redwood tree into a mixing spoon. He flattens the hills of West Texas as he kneads the dough. And he bakes it inside Mount Saint Helens.

But when it's time to celebrate the holiday, the eagles call out, "Not so fast, Big Sam!" Rosh Hashanah is about fixing the world, and Big Sam has some MAJOR cleaning up to do.

About this title

About the Author

Eric A. Kimmel is the author of more than a hundred books for children, including the classic Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins. He is the only author to have won the National Jewish Book Award five times for The Chanukkah Guest, The Mysterious Guests, Wonders & Miracles, The Golem s Latkes, and Hanukkah Bear. The Association of Jewish Libraries has awarded him the Sydney Taylor Award for Lifetime Achievement. He lives in Portland, Oregon.


Jim Starr graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a BFA in Illustration. He illustrates for numerous editorial, advertising, and corporate clients; his most recognizable image is the mill in the Pepperidge Farm logo. His work has appeared in Print magazine, the Society of Illustrators Annual Exhibition, and the Washington DC Illustrators Club Exhibition. This is his first picture book.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 3—Big Sam is baking an enormous round challah for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The huge hole he digs to make a mixing bowl becomes the Grand Canyon, and he carves a giant spoon from a redwood tree, stomps down the hills of West Texas as he kneads the dough, and lets it rise near the geysers of the Yellowstone River. After baking the bread on a lava bed inside Mount St. Helens, Big Sam is about to enjoy the fruits of his labor when two bald eagles remind him that he has some cleaning up to do. Apologizing, Big Sam also plants trees and flowers in the Grand Canyon, fills the Texas prairie with wildflowers, and clears away boulders blocking the Colorado River. Then, Big Sam shares his challah, along with apples and honey, with his friends Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, Slue Foot Sue, John Henry, and Annie Christmas. The painterly illustrations warmly depict the American West, and an appended author's note explains the origins of giants such as Samson, Og, and Goliath in Jewish legends. Additional information about the Jewish value of "tikkun olam," or mending the world, is also included. VERDICT This welcome addition to the Jewish holiday bookshelf will pair nicely with Sylvia B. Epstein's How the Rosh Hashanah Challah Became Round and Jacqueline Jules's The Hardest Word: A Yom Kippur Story.—Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL

Edition details

• Publisher: Apples & Honey Press
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1681155257
• ISBN 13: 9781681155258
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Starr Jim
• Number of pages: 32