The Feather Merchants and Other Tales of the Fools of Chelm

Avrom and Reuven try to steal the moon, and Raisela proves that seven and seven make eleven, in a collection of tales of Chelm, a legendary town of fools

Grade 3-6-- From the delightfully brief and flavorful foreword ("Enjoy! We'll talk later") to the very moving afterword, this collection of 13 tales of the people of Chelm begs to be read aloud. The lively pace captures the antics of these lovable fools who go on with their lives believing they are wise indeed. Among the several traditional selections--including a variety of versions of how the Chelmites all ended up in one town--are those that appear neither in Let's Steal the Moon (Shapolsky, 1987) by Serwer-Bernstein nor Singer's The Fools of Chelm and Their History (Farrar, 1973). Throughout, both children and adults will appreciate the ironic humor of how these townspeople solve problems with their own hilarious, indisputable sense of logic. Black-and-white illustrations have the look of rough woodcuts, and convey the atmosphere of the Eastern European setting. Excellent material for storytellers. . . so. . . enjoy. --Micki S. Nevett, Temple Beth Emeth Lib . , Albany, NY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The author of The Adventures of High John the Conqueror (1989) turns to his Jewish heritage for an entertaining collection of nonsense stories, organized into a sort of history of Chelm and an introduction to its foolish residents. Sanfield weaves tales of varying length into a continuous narrative, divided into sections centered on people or local institutions. He begins with a cordial invitation (``ENJOY! We'll talk later'') and ends with an ``Afterword'' about the stories' personal meaning for him and his bittersweet visit to Eastern Europe to research them. Written in an informally discursive style, the stories themselves vary from anecdote to fully realized folktale, all melded into a satisfying whole. Magaril, a Russian illustrator whose work will be new to Americans, uses pen drawings in a bold, sophisticated, woodcut-like style that preserves the folkloric feel. A satisfying accompaniment to I. B. Singer's fine stories about Chelm. Glossary; excellent bibliography. (Folklore. 8+) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.