Beautiful Yetta's Hanukkah Kitten

September 15, 2014
Yetta, the Pinkwaters’ inimitable Yiddish-speaking, Brooklyn-dwelling chicken, is back in her second picture book, this time playing figurative mother hen and adoption agency for a stray kitten that she finds lost in a snowdrift. Yetta’s Spanish-speaking wild parrots friends/nest mates are dubious at first: “Es un gato!” they exclaim. “Es iz a kind!” Yetta insists. “Lomir es geb esn” (“It is a baby! Let’s feed it”). But they quickly come around and help Yetta find a good home during Hanukkah (“when the humans are in a good mood”) for the kitty—who in turn reveals it can teach the parrots a thing or two about latkes. Jill Pinkwater’s bright, freestyle drawings are as bighearted and chatty as the multilingual, multispecies text. Ages 3–7. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

September 1, 2014
Winter holiday joy and felicidad! Yetta the chicken had previously found a home in Brooklyn with wild green parrots (Beautiful Yetta, 2010). She nurtures them, loves them and tells them stories. But now winter has arrived, bringing bagels and pizza crusts for food and a warm home atop a streetlight. Suddenly one night there is a noise, barely audible. Yetta finds a tiny mewing kitten and enfolds it in her wings for warmth. The parrots are not happy about a cat in their midst, but Yetta implores them to help. What to do? Yetta has the answer. Bring her to an old grandmother in the neighborhood who happily takes her in, in exchange for latkes-potato pancakes. Yes, it is Hanukkah, and latkes are the plat du jour. As they did in this book's predecessor, the Pinkwaters have crafted a tale of friendship and caring, this time with a festive holiday touch. The narrative is peppered with speech bubbles that translate and transliterate Yetta's Yiddish and the parrots' Spanish phrases. The illustrations, in markers, brush pens, and pen and ink against a white background, are colorful and softly textured. A Hanukkah gift for readers and eaters. (Hebrew alphabet) (Picture book. 3-7)

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October 1, 2014

K-Gr 2-First introduced in Beautiful Yetta, the Yiddish Chicken (2010), the hen is still living in Brooklyn, the honorary mother to a flock of wild, Spanish-speaking parrots. One winter night, Yetta's maternal instinct kicks in again when she discovers a kitten in a snowdrift. "A ketseleh! A little cat!" says Yetta. "Helf mir mit ir. Help me take care of it," she says to the parrots, but they don't know what cats eat or where to take it. Besides, aren't they dangerous? Then they remember that it's Hanukkah, "cuando los humanos estan de buen humor! When the humans are in a good mood!" They take the kitten to an old grandmother who says to Yetta, "Redstu Yidish, hinel? You speak Yiddish, chicken?" and then feeds them all latkes. Not much more happens, but that's hardly the point. Aside from the obvious nod to a mingling of languages and cultures, this is a book that begs to be read aloud, if for no other reason than the humor that emerges from a recitation of the multilingual transliterations. Large, brightly colored illustrations in marker and ink set against a white background have a comic quality that complements the minimal text. With almost no information about the actual holiday, this is not a book for Hanukkah novices, but for those looking for something fun to read during the festivities (think reader's theater.) It should have everyone saying "A frayleken Chanukah! Un feliz Hanukkah! A Happy Hanukkah!"-Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2014
Grades K-3 In this follow-up to Beautiful Yetta: The Yiddish Chicken (2010), our slaughterhouse escapee now lives in the wilds of Brooklyn, entertaining her parrot friends with tales of the old days as a free-range chicken. Then one cold Hanukkah night, the birds discover a tiny kitten ( a ketseleh ) in the snow. They shelter the foundling until Yetta decides they should ask Grandmother to take it in, since humans are always in a good mood at Hanukkah. Grandmother is happy to obligeand share a plate of latkes with all the animals. Much of this sunny story's charm derives from Daniel Pinkwater's signature wry humor and the multilingual presentation. Jill Pinkwater's mixed-media illustrations, meanwhile, feature brightly colored characters set off against mostly white backgrounds. Offbeat holiday fare, for sure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)