Rabbi Benjamin's Buttons by Alice B. McGinty

by Alice B. McGinty

Rabbi Benjamin loves his congregation, and they love him. That's why on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, the Rabbi's congregation presents him with a special holiday vest with four silver buttons and decorated with designs symbolizing the major holidays celebrated throughout the year. Rabbi Benjamin loves it! He also loves all the holiday treats that his families proudly fill him with-including delicious, crispy latkes; scrumptious matzoh-ball soup; irresistible apple torte; and honey cake.As the year passes, Rabbi Benjamin's beautiful vest stretches tighter and tighter across his belly, and one by one the shiny silver buttons pop!-pop!-pop! off. When summer comes, Rabbi helps his congregation with their gardening, with the hiding of Chanukah presents, with the apple picking, and the fishing. Will all this hard work help Rabbi fit into his beautiful vest when Rosh Hashanah rolls around again?

Genres: Picture Books, Religion, Jewish, Childrens, Holiday, Food, Family

Hardcover

First published February 1, 2013

About the author

Alice Blumenthal McGinty is an American writer of children's books.
McGinty was born in 1963 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She attended Indiana University and the University of Illinois. McGinty is Jewish. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Reviews

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rabbi Benjamin's loving congregation give him a special holiday vest for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish new year). He celebrates the Jewish holidays throughout the year with the members of his congregation. But each holiday involves a lot of delicious food, and Rabbi Benjamin's vest grows tighter and tighter. As a result, he decides to exercise more by helping the members of his congregation with active chores like gardening and fishing.

This picture book is a wonderful introduction to the Jewish holidays and customary celebrations. Back matter includes a glossary and a brief explanation of the four major Jewish holidays with a traditional recipe for each one. The watercolor illustrations contain a lot of earth tones and yellows which signify the love between Rabbi Benjamin and his congregation.

[Naomi · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is pure fat shaming vitriol. The plot revolves around the rabbi outgrowing his vest, popping the buttons, being embarrassed and ashamed of that fact, and then working out to lose weight. Each Jewish holiday is presented as nothing more than an opportunity to guilt each other into eating traditional foods, portraying the religion in a very poor light indeed. Not only that, but it doesn't accomplish the apparent educational goal of the book, which is to present an overview of the Jewish calendar. One major Jewish holiday, Shavuot, is skipped over entirely!

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the fall, the congregation gave Rabbi Benjamin a vest in honor of the new year. It was yellow with four bright silver buttons down the front and it was a perfect fit. Rabbi Benjamin wore his vest to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, which also involved a lot of food. Each family offered their own special food for the holiday, and Rabbi Benjamin’s vest was a lot tighter by the end. During Sukkot, Rabbi visited each of the families and again had lots of food and his vest grew even tighter. Until on the last day of Sukkot, one of the silver buttons popped right off his vest. Chanukah came and Rabbi Benjamin ate lots of latke, and he lost a second silver button. Spring came along with Passover, and the rabbi lost the last two buttons that had tried to stretch across his growing belly. He was very upset about how he had ruined his special vest. So he changed a few things. He got out and moved more along with his congregation. And when he tried on the vest for Rosh Hashanah, it was far too big to wear. But don’t worry, Rabbi Benjamin had a loving congregation ready to help him again.

This book has a wonderful radiance about it. The heart of the book is really the love felt between the congregation and Rabbi Benjamin. He is unfailingly kind and giving as are they, perhaps a bit too giving when it comes to the food! At the same time, the story is a smart and very enjoyable way for readers to learn about the various Jewish holidays throughout the year and the traditions associated with them. The book has an index of the holidays at the end, including recipes for each holiday. There is also a glossary of Jewish words.

Reinhardt’s illustrations also capture the loving community on the page. Rabbi Benjamin almost glows on each page, not only due to his shining yellow vest but also with his popping and vibrant personality. The diverse ethnicities of the congregation is also appreciated.

A cheery look at Jewish holidays and the bounty of friendship and community, this book will be appreciated by people of all faiths. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

[Carol Mccoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was featured on a webinar I was watching about children's storytimes. It is a great way to introduce children to the Jewish holidays in a fun story form. The rabbi is given a new vest as a gift from his congregation. Then, as he celebrates all theJewish holidays throughout the year with different families, in which traditional holiday foods are mentioned, his girth expands and buttons start popping off!

In the back of the book is a list of all the Jewish holidays and an explanation of why they are celebrated. There are also some yummy recipes included.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

McGinty, Alice B. Rabbi Benjamin's Buttons, illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt. PICTURE BOOK. Charlesbridge, 2014. $17.95. Content: G.

Rabbi Benjamin is thrilled when his congregation gives him a brand new vest to wear for holiday celebrations. But as he hops from one festivity to another -- and eats his way through each -- his once-perfect vest starts to lose buttons. What's a now-portly rabbi to do?

This story is adorable, with a fun ending and eye-catching illustrations. Unfortunately, it is not as accessible outside of non-Jewish communities as I would like; while religious diversity is appreciated, the sheer amount of Jewish terminology risks alienating those unfamiliar with the traditions mentioned in the book. In addition, the text is wordy and thus the plot feels as if it's moving slowly. That said, I'd love to see this one reissued in a more-streamlined, more-accessible format.

Pre-K, EL (K-3) -- OPTIONAL. Reviewed by Sydney G., K-6 Library Media Specialist
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...

[Amy Lafleur Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rabbi Benjamin is thrilled with the buttoned down vest that his community members give him. He loves it so much that he wears it to every holiday celebration. The problem is that the food is so good at each that the vest gets a little tighter each time and the buttons start to fall off. This story includes Jewish holidays, including Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Chanukah, and Passover. There's a brief description of each holiday as well as recipes for the good food from each. Really funny and enjoyable read.

[Shari (Shira) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this book in the library. I wonder if Alice McGInty is Jewish...While Alice got lots of things right, holiday traditions and foods, there were a couple of things that were oh so wrong. The biggest being the Rabbi’s vest. It looked remarkably like a Christmas sweater. Instead of snowmen and reindeer, there were symbols of Jewish holidays.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about a rabbi who loved his congregation. They made him a vest to wear st rhe holidays. When he would eat with all the members, he started gaining weight, and the buttons popped off. He worked hard all summer yo lose the weight so he could wear the vest again. That is when they brought him a new one. This story is about the power of love and friendship.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story that shows the different holidays as well as how you can lead a healthy lifestyle while supporting your friends and neighbors.

[Ron Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story. Super wordy for a kids picture book though.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how this book explains a little about many of the big Jewish holidays and gives recipes on how to make special foods for each.

[Becky Galambos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely little book I picked up at the Jewish Community center book sale.

[Manda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet story! Loved it!

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rabbi Benjamin is beloved by his congregation such that they gift him with a beautiful vest for him to wear to various Jewish celebrations throughout the calendar year. With each feast the vest becomes tighter and tighter until buttons start popping off right and left. Throughout the summer, Rabbi Benjamin toils and sweats and is happy to find that his favorite vest fits again, but is saddened to find that without its shiny silver buttons, it sags. Luckily, his community comes together with another perfect gift.

Back matter includes a brief description of the following four Jewish holidays: Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Chanukah, and Passover complete with recipes for each feast. Also included is a glossary of terms.

Text reads like a folk/fairytale and the main character is certainly lovely. Not too much action, but good extension activities for sure. PreK-2+.

[Maya Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice B. McGinty writes a silly children's book that will grab the attention of any children. Rabbi Benjamin's tells a story about a cheerful rabbi that loves all the Jewish traditions especially the ones that have food. His congregation gives him a gift of a hoilday vest that later has no buttons. They pictures and words will have your whole class laughing at the stuffed rabbi. Being apart of the Jewish community, McGinty uses her Jewish roots to create a wonderful children's book filled with Jewish customs and celebrations. She has recipes and a glossary so children can learn about the words in this fiction full of love. She uses appropriate languages that will engage but inform students about the Jewish community. I highly recommend this book for a read aloud. Children will definitely love this book. Great story!!

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story about the dangers of eating too much luscious home-cooked food during the holidays. It's a humorous way to explain more about the various holiday celebrations in the Jewish faith and the comical and colorful illustrations, created using watercolor and ink, are lively and entertaining. They really help complement the narrative. I highly recommend this book for teaching more about Jewish celebrations.

[Abby Ratliff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit that I am jewish and it can be quite difficult to find a good children's book about our heritage. This book was so much fun for me to read that I am going to buy it. It's useful to learn about others cultures and would definitely use this in a lesson to talk about differences. It has great new words for children to learn. And recipes!

Genre: picture book

[Harla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book! It is a great walk through Jewish holidays with a story about this Rabbi's vest. He outgrows this vest as he eats too much at each holiday until he pops some of the buttons. What happens after that makes the story special and a nice multicultural read. Highly recommend we buy this one for our library!

[Meghan Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great way to spread awareness of different cultures. It can be used to discuss the reason of way the jewish people celebrate their different holidays. Also at the end of the book there are the recipes of everything that Rabbi Benjamin ate in the book. You could use the recipes in this book to try some different foods from the Jewish culture.

[NYC Reads 365 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honey Cake and Strudel and Crispy Potato Latkes: these are a few of Rabbi Benjamin's favorite things. His congregation shows their love for him by preparing all these delicacies for him at each holiday. And with each meal, his vest stretches a little until, Oy-yoy-yoy.... But then he has an idea. Recipes for the aforementioned Jewish holiday dishes are included in the back of the book.

[Yapha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fun picture book follows the cycle of the Jewish holidays through the year, starting with Rosh Hashanah. Rabbi Benjamin's congregation gives him a gorgeous holiday vest, but as he joins them for holiday meals, he pops one button after another. Includes recipes and brief holiday explanations. A nice addition to your Jewish holiday books.

[Debby Baumgartner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rabbi Benjamin is dearly loved by his congregation. They present him with a holiday vest to wear during the yearly holidays but he eats too much of the good food prepared by his congregation and now it does not fit.

[Benji Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it!

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little long. I appreciate how several holidays are mentioned and that the Rabbi does active things to lose the weight again. Includes recipes in the back.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Through the wearing of the rabbi's holiday vest, readers learn about various Jewish holidays and traditions. Recipes included in the back.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

a cute story about a rabbi whose special vest keeps popping buttons because he is eating too much during the celebrations. Too long for storytime but a good recommendation.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the few Jewish themed books I've seen that features multi-racial families/Jews of Color. I really appreciated that.

[Sara Neuhauser]

Multiculture literature, 2014. Adorable story about a rabbi and his love for his congregation. Tells of the main celebrations in the Jewish religion, along with the food eaten at each. Good to show the different holidays people celebrate.