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Here Come the Purim Players!
A look at the Jewish celebration of Purim as a group of players in Prague act out the saga of Queen Esther's courage in attempting to save her people
- GenresPicture Books
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1984
11 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Cohen
72 books39 followersBarbara Cohen (1932-1992) was the author of several acclaimed picture books and novels for young readers, including The Carp in the Bathtub, Yussel's Prayer: A Yom Kippur Story, Thank You, Jackie Robinson, and King of the Seventh Grade.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 22, 2019
It's Purim, and that means a Purim Play! Led by Reb Yisroel on his black horse, Mottel and Moishe the clowns, and a boisterous group of yeshiva students, the Jewish residents Old Prague parade through the city, on their way to Reb Zalman's house. Here, the ancient story of Esther, who used her position as queen and consort to the Persian King Ahasuerus to save her people from destruction, is reenacted, with plenty of audience participation, and much feasting afterward...
Barbara Cohen is the co-author of one of my favorite works of historical fiction for young readers, the marvelous Seven Daughters and Seven Sons , based upon an Iraqi folktale, so I was eager to see what she would do with this Purim tale. I was not disappointed. Here Come the Purim Players! manages to present the Purim story in an entertaining way, combining it with a historical tale set in old (late medieval? early modern?) Prague. I enjoyed the audience interjections, and the overall sense of fun, although I was struck by the fact that a young man played the part of Esther. I guess, like their Christian counterparts, the Jews of this period considered acting an unsuitable activity for a woman...?
Although it was originally published in 1984, and illustrated by Beverly Brodsky, I read the 1998 reprint, with artwork by Shoshana Mekibel. I can't say that I was completely blown away by these illustrations, but they were pleasant enough. All in all, an appealing title, recommended to anyone looking for good storybooks for Purim!
Barbara Cohen is the co-author of one of my favorite works of historical fiction for young readers, the marvelous Seven Daughters and Seven Sons , based upon an Iraqi folktale, so I was eager to see what she would do with this Purim tale. I was not disappointed. Here Come the Purim Players! manages to present the Purim story in an entertaining way, combining it with a historical tale set in old (late medieval? early modern?) Prague. I enjoyed the audience interjections, and the overall sense of fun, although I was struck by the fact that a young man played the part of Esther. I guess, like their Christian counterparts, the Jews of this period considered acting an unsuitable activity for a woman...?
Although it was originally published in 1984, and illustrated by Beverly Brodsky, I read the 1998 reprint, with artwork by Shoshana Mekibel. I can't say that I was completely blown away by these illustrations, but they were pleasant enough. All in all, an appealing title, recommended to anyone looking for good storybooks for Purim!
March 3, 2011
This story is an great example of how family tales can be turned into a book and can help students write in a different way. In the book, Queen Esther saves all the Jews from death by exposing an evil scheme created by the King's adviser. This book should be used with children in grades third through fifth.
April 20, 2012
A mummers group come and perform a Purim play - the story of Esther - on Purim day. Barbara Cohen's story captures the spirit of the holiday of Purim nicely and is complemented with the beautiful watercolor illustrations by Beverly Brodsky.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews