A Gift for Mama

by Esther Hautzig, Donna Diamond (Illustrator)

Sick and tired of making presents for various holidays and occasions, Sara decides that for this Mother's Day she will do something different.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Fiction, Parenting, 2nd Grade, Chapter Books, Juvenile

64 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Esther Rudomin was born in Wilno, Poland (present-day Vilnius, Lithuania). Her childhood was interrupted by the beginning of WWII and the conquest in 1941 of eastern Poland by Soviet troops.

Her family was uprooted and deported to Rubtsovsk, Siberia, where Esther spent the next five years in harsh exile. Her award winning novel The Endless Steppe is an autobiographical account of those years in Siberia.

After the war, she and her family moved back to Poland when she was 15. Hautzig reportedly wrote The Endless Steppe at the prompting of presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson, to whom she had written after reading his articles about his visit to Rubtsovsk.

Hautzig helped to discover and eventually publish the master's thesis in mathematics written by her uncle, Ela-Chaim Cunzer, at the University of Wilno in 1937.

Rudomin met Walter Hautzig, a concert pianist, while en route to America on a student visa in 1947. They married in 1950, and had two children, Deborah, a children's author, and David. She died on November 1, 2009, aged 79.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: Sara was sick and tired of making presents. And Mother's Day was coming. For birthdays and for Hanukkah, for anniversaries and for Mother's Day, Sara always had to make a gift. Mama said that the best presents were handmade presents.

Premise/plot: Sara, our heroine, has determined that she will BUY her mother a present this year. This won't be easy. She doesn't have an allowance. She doesn't have money saved up. She has nothing but her determination--her grit--to find a way to make it happen. She knows exactly what she wants to buy her mother--a pair of slippers that her mother has admired from a store's window display. She knows exactly how much they cost--nine zlotys. How resourceful can one girl be?

My thoughts: The setting of this one is very understated. I believe it is set in Poland in the 1930s. It stars a Jewish family in a Jewish community. The focus isn't on HISTORY or DANGER or THREATS. The focus is on family--immediate and extended. The focus is on relationships. I love seeing how close Sara is to her aunt, Margola. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED seeing their bond. And Sara also has a close relationship with her grandmother. This is without a doubt a character-driven story. And it packs a lot of emotion and intensity into its pages.

For better or worse, the Mama of the family--whom Sara LOVES--seems to have some big issues, unresolved issues from her past. And she's far from perfect. But just because she's far from perfect--in our eyes--doesn't make her any less loved by Sara or any of the rest of her family.

I could relate to Sara--her stubbornness, her sensitivity, her wearing her heart on her sleeve, her feeling emotions so deeply and intensely. Sara is the exact opposite of her mother in so many ways. But love connects them even if communicating by words--even actions--doesn't. I think that you could say they speak different love languages.

I'm not sure what I would have thought about this one as a child, but I could relate to it as an adult.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lizzie liked this and gave it three stars. I had to knock another star off as a compromise. I liked most of the book, but the end ruined it for me. Mama is a total brat! Sara's family always insist that she give homemade gifts, but this year, Sara decides she wants to give her mother a store bought gift. She's actually quite thoughtful about the gift. It's a pair of slippers that perfectly matches Mama's new robe, that Mama says she won't wear until she gets new slippers. Since Sara doesn't have spending money of her own, she devises a plan to mend clothing for her aunt's university friends to earn the needed money for the slippers. It takes her many long hours to earn it. When Mama receives the gift, she becomes sullen, and doesn't put them on, basically rejecting the gift that Sara worked hard to earn and so thoughtfully picked out. What a horrible example of how to graciously accept a gift that may not be exactly what you were hoping for. It isn't until the university students come over to show off the mending work that Sara did that Mama finally accepts the gift. This story actually ticked me off! The hard work and thoughtfulness of Sarah is a great story and lesson, but Mama... ugh! Ruined it.

[Alexandra Beckett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking for The Endless Steppe in my online library catalog but they only had this book by the same author. It was an enjoyable book about a Jewish girl from Vilna, Poland (Lithuania, today) who has traditionally made presents for her mother. However, she feels grown enough to buy a present for Mama so she finds a way to earn enough money to buy Mama a pair of fancy black slippers. Mama at first doesn't seem to like her gift but once she realizes how much work went into earning the money to get them for her, it becomes apparent that she's extremely grateful for them. The lesson was that it wasn't the pair of shoes but the amount of effort Sara put into earning the money to get them for her. This book offered a good opportunity to explain why homemade gifts are often more appreciated than store-bought gifts for the fact they are made with much more time and love.

This book was also good cultural exposure. Her family was Jewish so there were references in the book about preparing for the Sabbath. We enjoyed locating the setting on our world map and discussing why it's no longer in Poland.

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this because it takes place in Vilna, Poland and I didn't realize I didn't have lunch duty.

I liked the one part where she talks about how her father is the one who, like her, cries when sad or happy, while her mother gets quiet when she's sad.

The work she puts into her mending tasks was encouraging to see. She seemed kind of spoiled and lazy at first. But the ending falls flat. A few more details about life in Poland would have made this more interesting.

[Anna Murdock · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this with Lydia, I didnt think it was anything special.

[Deke Moulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

At 56 pages this was a quick read. Found at a book sale- and for an ALA notable book in 1991 it’s a nice sliver of life of prewar Jewish life in Poland.

[Mirel · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book,

[Holly Valinotti · Rating 1 out of 5]

My 7-year old brought this home from school, and I read it. I don't know if I missed some life-lesson, but the little girl is adamant one year that she wants to BUY her mother a present, like the adults do, rather than making something like she usually does. She works her butt off to earn the money to buy her mother some slippers, but when her mother opens them, she is clearly disappointed, says "thank you," and puts them aside - doesn't even put them on! She isn't happy until she discovers that her daughter worked her fingers to the bone to earn the money. How else did she think her daughter got nine "zlotys?" What a beyotch. It made her daughter happy to buy her the slippers, but she was so ungrateful - this book disturbed and saddened me.

[Amy Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of my geography pre-reading to get ready for our homeschool year. This would be for Poland, Europe, or when learning about the Jewish Sabbath. I could assign this to my younger children for reading next year, but it's not a must. I'll have to see what else I have. I loved the idea of the little girl working hard to earn money for her mother, but the ending is a little annoying. Why doesn't her mother praise her little girl? You don't know why her mom is quiet and seems to reject the little girl's gift. Then she, again without much praise, goes and puts on the shoes. By the author of Endless Steppe, which was a very good book. Easy read, would take less than a week for the kids.

[Rain Misoa · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite childhood reads!

To read my full review, click here.

[Pamela Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book about a young Jewish girl who wants to purchase a gift for her Mama this Mother's day.

[Jeniann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet little story about giving gifts to others and what makes them meaningful.