K'Tonton's Yom Kippur Kitten - Hardcover

Weilerstein, Sadie Rose

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0827605412 ISBN 13: 9780827605411

Publisher: Jewish Pubn Society, 1995

Synopsis

After allowing a small kitten to take the blame for something he did, K'tonton, a thumb-sized young boy, feels guilty when he goes to services at the synagogue on Yom Kippur

About this title

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 2?It is Yom Kippur, when Jewish children are expected to fast half a day. Thumbsized K'tonton insists on fasting all day, but when he sees a stray kitten lapping up milk he gets very hungry and tastes some honey in a cup on the counter. It spills, and he blames the kitten, violating the spirit of the holiday. When he sees that he has caused the innocent creature to go hungry, he feels guilty, owns up to his mother, and asks the kitten's forgiveness. This is the fourth story from Weilerstein's original collection (JPS, 1930) to be published as a picture book. Dividing the collection into individual titles was a good idea, because too many moral teachings at any one time could drive a child crazy. Some of the transliterated Hebrew words are explained within the text, and "pitiful" has been substituted for "plaintive," but otherwise the text remains true to the original. The major change is the addition of Boddy's contemporary black-and-white illustrations. They are quite effective, but the mother is made to look like a grotesque hausfrau. Many Jewish grandparents and parents remember K'tonton's stories with fondness and will be happy that their children can experience them as well.?Marcia W. Posner, Holocaust Memorial and Educational Center of Nassau County, Glen Cove, NY
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Ages 5^-7. K'tonton, the Jewish Tom Thumblike child who made his first appearance some 40 years ago, gets a new picture-book face in this illustrated retelling of a story that appeared in Weilerstein's Best of K'tonton (1980). The story, in which K'tonton lets a stray kitten take the blame for causing some mischief in his mother's kitchen, is a pleasant, undisguised reminder of the purpose of the holiday of Yom Kippur: to repent for misdeeds. As he participates in the holiday service with his father, K'tonton realizes he must make amends. Slick, white paper gives the book a simple elegance and forms a rich background for the sweet, nicely executed black-and-white sketches. Special terms (tallit, Musaf, etc.) in the story give the narrative flavor; for the children who need them explained in more detail, there's a glossary. Stephanie Zvirin

About this edition

• Publisher: Jewish Pubn Society
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0827605412
• ISBN 13: 9780827605411
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 36
• Illustrator: Boddy Joe