More than anything, Rivka wants to celebrate Thanksgiving. She has learned all about the holiday in school and knows her family has a lot to be thankful for in America. But Rivka's parents are Jewish immigrants from Poland, and they wonder what Pilgrims and Indians have to do with them. Is Thanksgiving really a holiday for Jews?
Rivka's grandmother, Bubbeh, decides to take over: She will bring Rivka to see the Rabbi Yoshe Preminger -- and whatever the Rabbi concludes, Rivka will have to live with. Rivka knows that Thanksgiving is a holiday for all Americans, from all backgrounds and religions. But how can she convince the esteemed Rabbi Preminger?
Elsa Okon Rael and Maryann Kovalski bring the bustling Lower East Side to life in this heartwarming story. Set in the 1910s, Rivka's First Thanksgiving is about respecting old traditions while embracing new ones, about giving thanks and celebrating freedom in America. Perhaps most important, Rivka's story teaches us that even the wisest adults have something to learn from children.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Why should Thanksgiving be important for the Jews?:
Rivka's First Thanksgiving explains in moving detail why Jews have special reasons to be thankful for the freedom and safety we have found in the U.S. Parents and teachers should review the Yiddish vocabulary (found in a glossary in the back) before reading to children. I recommend this book for classroom reading and discussions at home, with an ideal audience of 4th through 6th graders. Younger children will have difficulty with the wordy text and the mentions of disturbing events (like pogroms) from... more info
Meet the Illustrator!:
Hear an interview with Rivka's First Thanksgiving illustrator Maryann Kovalski on The Book of Life podcast's Thanksgiving Special episode (November 2007) at www.bookoflifepodcast.com!
Children are Hungry to understand American traditions:
The recent political atmosphere makes this book even more profoundly important. Children see the need and are starving to understand each other's cultures. I read it to my 11-yr and 13-yr. Puerto Rican - American born niece & nephew a couple of days before Thanksgiving, wondering if they'd be too old & too sophisticated to enjoy it, (they are Harry Potter fans.) This book both empowered them and satisfied their need to more fully understand how children from a different culture (Jewish) relate to... more info
An enchanting book!:
Elsa Rael's book fills a truly needed place in American-Jewish children's literature and children's literature on the whole. The story of a clear headed and plunky little girl who mounts up steep wood tenement steps to confront first one austere little rabbi in his book-filled room to a whole roomful of them to explain why Jews should celebrate Christmas is wonderful! The Lower East Side is everyone's heritage, and Ms. Rael and her magical illustrator bring it to life. You see the world of the 1930's... more info
