A Watermelon in the Sukkah

by Sylvia A. Rouss, Shannan Rouse, Ann Iosa (Illustrator)

A class of preschool students wonders how to hang a watermelon in the sukkah.

Genres: Jewish, Picture Books, Holiday, Childrens, School

24 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2013

Reviews

[Kathryn]

This is really fun! Students bring their favorite fruits to hang in the sukkah (bananas, apples, oranges... small fruits) but Michael's favorite fruit is a WATERMELON! How will they manage to hang such a heavy fruit in from the sukkah? I appreciate the creativity and ingenuity of the children, try try again, and that Michael doesn't give up. But, what about when he wants to hang his second-favorite fruit...? The ending made me smile :-) This is published by Kar-Ben Publishing, which specializes in Jewish children's books, and the target audience is children who already know about Sukkot but there is a very brief blurb in the back for audiences unfamiliar with the holiday and its tradition of the sukkah. Neither the writing style nor the illustrations were really "wow" for me, hence the three stars, but I do absolutely recommend for those looking for a book on the subject.

[Abigail]

All of the students in Miss Sharon's class bring in their favorite fruits in order to decorate the Sukkah - a temporary outdoor structure built by Jews to celebrate the festival of Sukkot, which commemorates their wandering in the desert after fleeing Egypt - in this engaging holiday story. Unfortunately, Michael's favorite - a watermelon - proves rather difficult to hang. Will he and his classmates find a way around this difficulty...?

Fortunately for everyone, since Michael's second-favorite fruit proves even more cumbersome (a pumpkin!), the answer is a resounding yes. I appreciated A Watermelon in the Sukkah, which pairs a simple story about children working together to find a solution to a problem, with colorful, cartoon-style artwork. Published by the Kar-Ben imprint of the Lerner Publishing Group, which specializes in Jewish children's books, this title is really intended more for children who already know what Sukkot is, rather than as an introduction to the holiday for those who don't. Recommended to anyone looking for entertaining, lighthearted Sukkot stories for the picture-book set.

[Hannah Feeney]

Nice story. It was was comical. Might be cool to learn about this Jewish holiday in the classroom and why it's celebrated before or after reading this book. I enjoyed reading this cute story and learning a little about the holiday.

[Sarah]

Adorable and so fun - my three year olds thought it was hilarious and understood all of it. If I had more time before Sukkot (and a watermelon 😄), I’d totally do an experiment to see if we could recreate it.

[Joseph]

Nothing too profound, but a cute little story with equally cute art. I jokingly said that Michael's second favorite fruit was a pumpkin and was pleasantly surprised when that was the ending gag.

[Sherry Scheline]

Cute little story and gateways in to many discussions. Pumpkins 🎃 fruits or vegetables?

[Aliza Gans]

I have read this to my little brothers and cousins. Cute book

[Mrs Mommy Booknerd http://mrsmommybooknerd.blogspot.com]

There is a problem when a student brings a watermelon, his favorite fruit, into class for decorating the Sukkah. The teacher comes up with a creative way to deal with the problem. A great story, informative and creative! 4 stars

[Sarah]

Ari LOVED this book!!