In the Land of Happy Tears

July 1, 2018

Gr 4-6-In this collection, Stromberg introduces readers to a selection of little-known Yiddish tales. Unfortunately, it is uneven. The stories range from animal stories to folklore to everyday tales. There are stories of poor, virtuous sons making good, great rabbis teaching lessons, little boys being sent off to school, and even a slightly horrific tale of a boy who torments animals until he dreams that he is the tormented. While the best of the stories are well-written and gripping, many of them are vignettes, and the audience is unclear. Some stories have youthful appeal, but others seem more like curiosities intended for scholars or adults interested in Yiddish literature. An excellent introduction, clearly intended for adults, gives a sense of the history of the language of Yiddish and its literature. Several stories suffer in translation with confusing transitions or simply subpar writing. VERDICT This is primarily for adults and storytellers in search of Yiddish tales who are willing to weed through the collection. Jewish libraries and libraries with extensive multicultural folklore and short story collections may find this a worthwhile addition.-Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT

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July 15, 2018
Eighteen tales, never before translated from Yiddish, present the ordinary and the miraculous from an Eastern European Jewish world long gone.Squirrel families, human families, the moon, kings, witches, and sorcerers all inhabit these tales set in small towns, palaces, and natural places through all four seasons. Divided into sections thematically--Bravery, Rebellion, Justice, and Wonder--the stories vary in mood but never in the message of the importance of living with a "good and beautiful heart." Squirrels grow up, little boys leave home to go to school, a greedy paper kite learns a valuable lesson, and the prophet Elijah rewards a good deed. The evil eye makes an appearance, and the moon longs for a friend. Chants of anti-war demonstrations to come uncannily appear when a little boy convinces a ruler to stop fighting, "that too much blood had been spilled--and that there could finally be an end to war." The stories, seamlessly translated by a sizable team, are all a few pages in length and lend themselves to reading aloud and discussion. Readers both young and old will enjoy the introduction, which traces the Yiddish language and reveals that Shrek by William Steig, a favorite children's story, translates as "Terrible."Yiddishkeit that is entertaining, meaningful, and very much still relevant. (introduction, glossary of untranslatable words, about the authors, about the translators) (Short stories. 9-12)

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