What do you think?
Rate this book
Folktales of the World
The Hungry Clothes and Other Jewish Folktales
The stories we hear in childhood—usually from parents and grandparents, teachers and caregivers—teach us the values, faith, culture, and traditions of those we love most. They nourish our sense of wonder and curiosity about the world. That’s what this brand-new series aims to achieve, and it is our hope that children and their families will explore these wonderful tales together. Each book, filled with evocative artwork and a cast of unforgettable characters, will bring a little magic into a child’s world.
The first volume, The Hungry Clothes & Other Jewish Folktales, presents a diverse selection of Ashkenazi and Sephardic fairytales, legends, parables, fables, tall tales, trickster and fool tales, and supernatural and mystical stories. They include The Pots of Honey, which teaches the importance of both justice and forgiveness; The Boy Who Prayed with the Alphabet, about an unlearned boy who finds a unique way to express his love for God; and The Wise Daughter Who Solves Riddles, one of the most beloved stories in the Jewish tradition.
The first volume, The Hungry Clothes & Other Jewish Folktales, presents a diverse selection of Ashkenazi and Sephardic fairytales, legends, parables, fables, tall tales, trickster and fool tales, and supernatural and mystical stories. They include The Pots of Honey, which teaches the importance of both justice and forgiveness; The Boy Who Prayed with the Alphabet, about an unlearned boy who finds a unique way to express his love for God; and The Wise Daughter Who Solves Riddles, one of the most beloved stories in the Jewish tradition.
- GenresFolk TalesChildrens
96 pages, Hardcover
First published March 4, 2008
66 people want to read
About the author
Peninnah Schram
25 books2 followersPeninnah Schram, internationally known storyteller, teacher, author, and recording artist, is Professor of Speech and Drama at Stern College of Yeshiva University. She travels across the US and other countries as a featured presenter at storytelling festivals, conferences, and as Performing Artist-in-Residence.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 1, 2020
The inaugural book in a promising new series of folktale collections from Sterling publishers, this wonderful collection of twenty-two Jewish folktales is a joy to read: well-written and beautifully produced. Collected and presented by Penninah Schram, a storyteller with a long history of involvement in NYC storytelling programs, these tales are taken from a wide range of sources, including the Talmud, medieval rabbinic collections, Hasidic tales, and the folkloric traditions of the Ashkenazim and Sephardim. Ample source notes are to be found in the rear of the book (as is a glossary), alerting the reader to worldwide variants, and providing an opportunity for further reading and research. Some of the treasures contained herein include:
Honi the Circle Maker, in which the importance of environmental stewardship, and trees, is emphasized...
The Pots of Honey, which exemplifies the Jewish understanding of both justice and forgiveness, and which contains a wonderful "wise woman" character...
The Right Lessons, in which the famed Talmudic scholar, Rabbi Joshua, relates some of the lessons he has taught others, and some that he has learned...
The Figs, in which the reader learns the importance of doing good for its own sake...
The Pomegranate Seed, in which a clever cobbler teaches the Sultan and his advisors that all men are capable of making a mistake, be they great or humble...
The Flour and the Wind, in which a charitable woman named Rebekah learns that everything happens for a reason, even those things that at first appear to be misfortunes...
The Half Blanket, in which a man comes to understand that respecting his father and acting properly is as much to his own benefit, as it is to others...
This Too Shall Pass, in which the wise King Solomon learns an important lesson when he sends his friend on a "fool's errand"...
The Wooden Sword, in which a humble man's faith in God, and his own clever ingenuity, earn him a place as the king's esteemed advisor...
An Esrog As Big As a Horse, in which a poor man named Yehiel is rewarded for his self-sacrifice and kindness...
Learning Wisdom by Observation, in which a caged bird, aided by a coded message, finds a way to escape his luxurious prison...
The Wise Daughter Who Solves Riddles, in which a wise young woman helps her father, and wins the love and respect of the king...
Remember, in which a king takes great pains to always remember his humble origins...
A Detour Through Helm, (sometimes spelled "Chelm") which features those beloved "wise fools" and their unique understanding of the world around them...
The Boy Who Prayed With the Alphabet, in which an iliterate young man teaches the entire congregation an important lesson about prayer...
A Trickster Teaches a Lesson, in which Hershele the trickster teaches a miserly merchant named Yankel a lesson about generosity...
The Hungry Clothes, in which Hershele the trickster once again appears, and teaches a wealthy man to be compassionate...
Who Is the Laziest, in which a king holds a contest to find his laziest subject...
How Much Is a Smell Worth?, in which a baker attempts to charge a poor young boy for smelling his goods...
King Solomon and the Owl, in which the wise king learns an important lesson about beauty, and how it is perceived...
Using Your Head In a Tight Situation, in which a clever young man fools a highwayman...
And finally, The Scratched Diamond, which teaches that imperfections can be turned to things of beauty...
As the author notes in her introduction, folktales provide a wonderful teaching opportunity, allowing the teller to pass on important values and traditions. These engaging stories are firmly rooted in the Jewish tradition(s), but also have much to teach readers of other communities. The beautiful illustrations by Italian artist Gianni De Conno, moreover, provide the perfect counterpart to the text. I highly recommend this brilliant collection, which is far, far superior to Ann Jungman's recent release, The Prince Who Thought He Was a Rooster and other Jewish Stories . If you are only able to purchase one collection of Jewish tales this year (assuming you intend to purchase any), make this the one.
Honi the Circle Maker, in which the importance of environmental stewardship, and trees, is emphasized...
The Pots of Honey, which exemplifies the Jewish understanding of both justice and forgiveness, and which contains a wonderful "wise woman" character...
The Right Lessons, in which the famed Talmudic scholar, Rabbi Joshua, relates some of the lessons he has taught others, and some that he has learned...
The Figs, in which the reader learns the importance of doing good for its own sake...
The Pomegranate Seed, in which a clever cobbler teaches the Sultan and his advisors that all men are capable of making a mistake, be they great or humble...
The Flour and the Wind, in which a charitable woman named Rebekah learns that everything happens for a reason, even those things that at first appear to be misfortunes...
The Half Blanket, in which a man comes to understand that respecting his father and acting properly is as much to his own benefit, as it is to others...
This Too Shall Pass, in which the wise King Solomon learns an important lesson when he sends his friend on a "fool's errand"...
The Wooden Sword, in which a humble man's faith in God, and his own clever ingenuity, earn him a place as the king's esteemed advisor...
An Esrog As Big As a Horse, in which a poor man named Yehiel is rewarded for his self-sacrifice and kindness...
Learning Wisdom by Observation, in which a caged bird, aided by a coded message, finds a way to escape his luxurious prison...
The Wise Daughter Who Solves Riddles, in which a wise young woman helps her father, and wins the love and respect of the king...
Remember, in which a king takes great pains to always remember his humble origins...
A Detour Through Helm, (sometimes spelled "Chelm") which features those beloved "wise fools" and their unique understanding of the world around them...
The Boy Who Prayed With the Alphabet, in which an iliterate young man teaches the entire congregation an important lesson about prayer...
A Trickster Teaches a Lesson, in which Hershele the trickster teaches a miserly merchant named Yankel a lesson about generosity...
The Hungry Clothes, in which Hershele the trickster once again appears, and teaches a wealthy man to be compassionate...
Who Is the Laziest, in which a king holds a contest to find his laziest subject...
How Much Is a Smell Worth?, in which a baker attempts to charge a poor young boy for smelling his goods...
King Solomon and the Owl, in which the wise king learns an important lesson about beauty, and how it is perceived...
Using Your Head In a Tight Situation, in which a clever young man fools a highwayman...
And finally, The Scratched Diamond, which teaches that imperfections can be turned to things of beauty...
As the author notes in her introduction, folktales provide a wonderful teaching opportunity, allowing the teller to pass on important values and traditions. These engaging stories are firmly rooted in the Jewish tradition(s), but also have much to teach readers of other communities. The beautiful illustrations by Italian artist Gianni De Conno, moreover, provide the perfect counterpart to the text. I highly recommend this brilliant collection, which is far, far superior to Ann Jungman's recent release, The Prince Who Thought He Was a Rooster and other Jewish Stories . If you are only able to purchase one collection of Jewish tales this year (assuming you intend to purchase any), make this the one.
April 12, 2010
For informative brief descriptions of each tale, please see Abigail’s review.
At the beginning of every folktale there’s a brief blurb with some background information relating to Jewish history, tradition, and the “moral” of the tale. I relished these little summaries because I was not familiar with many of the tales and I welcomed knowing a bit about each tale I was about to read.
I really enjoyed most of the included folktales. I chose to read only one or only a few at a time rather than reading them one right after another with no other books in-between, and I think I appreciated each tale more reading them in this way. Every tale is the perfect length for a read aloud story for children belonging to a wide age range, and they are all basically parables and all are good for eliciting discussion.
I appreciated the included illustrations although, if I’d seen them out of context, I would not have found them particularly aesthetically pleasing. There are pretty multi-colored tale/chapter titles and page borders. There’s a wonderful glossary, and I was gratified to see that I knew many of the words, but not all of them. The sources listed were just as fascinating as the notes that start each tale. This book is worth reading cover to cover.
This is a lovely book and would make a thoughtful gift.
At the beginning of every folktale there’s a brief blurb with some background information relating to Jewish history, tradition, and the “moral” of the tale. I relished these little summaries because I was not familiar with many of the tales and I welcomed knowing a bit about each tale I was about to read.
I really enjoyed most of the included folktales. I chose to read only one or only a few at a time rather than reading them one right after another with no other books in-between, and I think I appreciated each tale more reading them in this way. Every tale is the perfect length for a read aloud story for children belonging to a wide age range, and they are all basically parables and all are good for eliciting discussion.
I appreciated the included illustrations although, if I’d seen them out of context, I would not have found them particularly aesthetically pleasing. There are pretty multi-colored tale/chapter titles and page borders. There’s a wonderful glossary, and I was gratified to see that I knew many of the words, but not all of them. The sources listed were just as fascinating as the notes that start each tale. This book is worth reading cover to cover.
This is a lovely book and would make a thoughtful gift.
October 30, 2018
Precious life lessons abound in this gem of a book. An added bonus was reading it in Spanish, albeit with lots of help from google translate ;)
April 11, 2016
This is a great collection. have already read three of them aloud to my class. tales are told really well with lots to discuss!! Peninah Schram has done it again!!
December 28, 2019
Wonderfully retold by Peninnah Schram and beautifully illustrated by Gianni De Conno. I would have given it 5 stars except for ther sermonizing introductory paragraph to meach selection. Let the story speak for itself.
October 25, 2020
Un libro muy cortito con diferentes cuentos, cada uno de ellos con una enseñanza.
Read
May 1, 2021Entretenido
July 6, 2008
This is a great anthology of Jewish folk tales. The illustrations are soft and beautiful and the tales are quite good. I think the stories in this book are the perfect length for children to enjoy without becoming bored (four pages max. with illustrations). There are also short paragraphs at the beginning of each story explaining the importance of each tale to Jewish tradition.
Read
February 1, 2011A collection of Jewish folktales almost all of which i have heard in my lifetime but without the Jewish part attached. Some of the stories, like most old folktales, are preposterous. But some of them are clever and perfect if you want to read for 4 minutes before bed.
September 7, 2013
wonderful collection
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews