FYI It's the Cow in the Kitchen Sent from my iPhone
> On May 8, 2015, at 12:21 PM, Haviva Peters <[email protected]> wrote: > > The Wise Shoemaker of Studena by Syd Lieberman is the story of a wise Jewish > shoemaker in Hungary who is invited to the wedding of the richest merchant in > Budapest but is turned away because of his clothes. > The Hungry Coat by Demi tells a similar story that takes place in Turkey. > (This is not a Jewish story.) > > Hope this helps. > > > > Haviva Donin Peters > Librarian > Ramaz Lower School > 125 East 85th Street > New York, NY 10028 > (212) 774-8000 ext. 5938 > [email protected] > > > > > > > > From: Hasafran [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Rose Myers > Sent: Friday, May 08, 2015 11:28 AM > To: Eileen Polk; [email protected] > Subject: Re: [ha-Safran] Multicultural stories > > OOH! I know this! > > I do a lot of programs with many versions of the same basic story. > Here are some of them: > Note that the first set includes a bibliography of retellings of Could > Anything Be Worse?, my favorite version of the story because the pictures > show the family preparing for Shabbat---which is a > spiritual/psychological/perceptual change, but not a physical/actual/real one. > > > Mind over Matter / Nothing Happens > > The outward situation of the characters is the same at the beginning as at > the end, yet something has happened to make this a satisfying story. > > · Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina > > A peddler, unable to sell the caps he carries on his head, naps against a > tree. When he wakes up, he discovers that monkeys in the tree have taken all > but one of his caps. Yelling at them does no good; but when he throws his cap > down, they imitate him and he retrieves his caps and returns to town. Nothing > happens: his goal was to sell caps and he does not. > Note that there are other stories and images about monkeys and peddlers: The > Cloisters, part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, has a > beaker (the Monkey Cup). The Cleveland Museum of Art has the Peddler > Goblet(link does not work). > > > · Could Anything Be Worse? by Marilyn Hirsh > > When a man complains to his rabbi that his house is too noisy and crowded, > the rabbi keeps telling him to invite in more animals and people until, at > last, when the rabbi tells him to have them all leave the man thanks the > rabbi for making his house so quiet and roomy. Nothing happens: the man's > house is just as noisy and crowded at the end as it was at the beginning. > > > > Mind over Matter Bibliography > > There are many versions of this story. Always Room for One More and Rainy > Morning celebrate the growing number of guests. > > Could Anything Be Worse? A Yiddish tale retold and illustrated by Marilyn > Hirsh, Holiday House, New York, 1974 [Pequot Library] > It Could Always Be Worse: A Yiddish folk tale retold and with pictures by > Margot Zemach, A Sunburst Book/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, © 1976, Sixth > printing 1997. [A Caldecott Honor Book] [Dinosaur's Paw] > Terrible, Terrible: A Folktale Retold by Robin Bernstein, Pictures by Shauna > Mooney Kawasaki, Kar-Ben Copies, Inc., Rockville, MD, © 1998 [Summary: In > this contemporary retelling of the classic Jewish folktale, a rabbi advises a > blended family how to deal with their overcrowded house.] [Rabbi is a woman; > the family decides to keep their pets indoors instead of in the yard.] > "It Could Always Be Worse," A Treasury of Jewish Folklore: Stories, > Traditions, Legends, Humor, Wisdom and Folk Songs of the Jewish People Edited > by Nathan Ausubel, Crown Publishers, New York, © 1948, 1957 > Such a Noise!: A Jewish Folktale Retold by Aliana Brodmann, Illustrations by > Hans Poppel, Translated by Aliana Brodmann and David Fillingham, A Cranky > Nell Book, Kane/Miller Book Publishers, Brooklyn, New York, © 1989 [Fairfield > Public Library, Main Branch, J398 B] [Translation of: Ein wunderlicher Rat; > Summary: Unable to stand his overcrowded and noisy home any longer, a poor > man goes to the Rabbi for advice.] [one page is out of order; Rabbi and > farmer lack headcoverings; pictures too frantic for my taste] > A Big Quiet House: A Yiddish Folktale from Eastern Europe retold by Heather > Forest, Illustrated by Susan Greenstein, August House Little Folk, Little > Rock, Arkansas, © 1996 [Pequot Library, J398.2 For ENF] [Summary: Unable to > stand his overcrowded and noisy home any longer, a man goes to the wise old > woman who lives nearby for advice.] [interesting About the Story at end] > It's Too Noisy! By Joanna Cole, illustrated by Kate Duke, Thomas Y. Crowell, > New York, © 1989. [Fairfield Public Library, Fairfield Woods Branch, J398 C] > [Summary: Unable to stand his noisy and overcrowded home any longer, a farmer > goes to the Wise Man for advice.] [the farmer has pigs] > Too Much Noise by Ann McGovern, illustrated by Simms Taback, Houghton Mifflin > Company, Boston, © 1967 [Trumbull Library, E2 McGov] [rhyming cumulative > story; cute; man lives alone] > No Room: an old story retold by Rose Dobbs, illustrated by Fritz Eichenberg, > David McKay Company, Inc., New York, © 1944 [Stratford Library, J398D632N] > [from jacket: “No Room is the story of a selfish old peasant and how he was > cured of his selfishness….in these days of crowded housing its deep wisdom > will be greatly appreciated….— Childhood Education] > A Cow in the House by Mabel Watts, Illustrations by Katherine Evans, Follett > Publishing Company, Chicago, © 1956 [Stratford Library, J398.2W349C] > Always Room for One More by Sorche Nic Leodhas, Illustrated by Nonny > Hogrogian, Henry Holt and Company, New York, © 1965 [Fairfield Public > Library, Main Branch, PB PIC] [the Caldecott Medal] [Scottish folk song of > man invites passersby into his small, crowded house until it bursts at the > seams from all the merrymaking, the guests then build him a bigger house; > music and meaning of Scottish terms included] > Rainy Morning by Daniel Pinkwater, Illustrated by Jill Pinkwater, Atheneum > Books for Young Readers, New York, © 1998 [Pequot Library, J Pin] [Summary: > On a rainy morning, Mr. and Mrs. Submarine invite a cat, dog, coyote, > wildebeest, Ludwig van Beethoven, the United States Marine Band, and others > into their home to share their breakfast of tea and corn muffins.] [The > others are a small European circus; they all stay until the sun comes out; > usual Pinkwater wonderfulness] > The Cow in the House retold by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Emily Bolam, > Viking, New York, 1997 [Westport Public Library, J398.2 Zi] [a Viking > Easy-to-Read book, level 1] [Summary: Bothered by his noisy house, a man goes > to a wise man for advice.] [Nice repetition; man brings in animals one at a > time in spite of his better judgement; wise man is bald and has a gray beard; > the LCC data includes “[1.Jews—Folklore. 2. Folklore.]” although there is > nothing obviously Jewish about the story.]] > Cows in the House by Beverly Lewis, illustrated by Chi Chung. [I just came > across this book, which some list as Thai folklore, adapted by a woman that > Wikipedia discribes as a Christian fiction novelist and children's author.] > ================================================================================================== > > Elijah Stories > > Elijah in Jewish folklore is a stranger who comes to town, effects changes, > and leaves. Usually he helps someone, usually worthy, achieve something that > would not have happened otherwise. However, the character is universal: > traditional westerns, with the hero riding off into the sunset, and many > television series, with the main character traveling to a different place or > planet every episode, are examples. For more information, see a paper I wrote > on this topic. > > · The Magician by Uri Shulevitz > > A poor magician causes all the fixings of a Seder to appear out of nowhere > for a poor couple > > · The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning > > A mysterious stranger helps a town, is not compensated accordingly, and walks > off into the sunset with the town's children. > The Sweet Hereafter (at least the movie) was based on this. Donna Jo Napoli > also wrote a new version of this story, Breath. > > · Stone Soup by Marcia Brown. > > There are many versions of this story: Jon J Muth's Stone Soup, Marilyn > Hirsh's Potato Pancakes All Around, Aubrey Davis' Bone Button Borscht, Tony > Bonning's Fox Tale Soup. In this case, the stranger's primary interest is his > own satisfaction; creating a sense of community and bringing joy to others is > of little consequence to him. Except when the authors turn the story on its > head; then, the wanderer's goal is to bring happiness to many places. > > · An Angel for Solomon Singer by Cynthia Rylant > > A young waiter helps an elderly man, who has moved to an SRO hotel in New > York City, to feel at home. The waiter's name is Angel. > > · "They Can't Take That away from Me" by George and Ira Gershwin > > Not exactly a picture book, but it is short. An important person comes into > someone's life and leaves. In the movie, two people, who don't admit how much > they care for each other, separate; but the song could be about the death of > a loved one. I like the building up of insignificant details ("The way you > hold your knife") that add up to "the way you changed my life." > > · Shane by William Schaefer > > A mythic cowboy rides into town, saves people, and rides off into the sunset. > Read the book to see how mythic. Pale Rider is similar, but I did not like it > as much (because there's an engineer who's a baddie and I find that hard to > believe (hey, I'm married to one)). > > > Some movie suggestions by others > Chocolat with Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp (2000) > The Bishop's Wife: Cary Grant is the helpful stranger (1947) > Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure: George Carlin saves Keanu Reeves and Alex > Winter (1988) > ======================================================================================= > > > Diminishing Returns > > Some stories have a long chain of events or things that diminish in some way. > These stories can be related to cumulative tales or full circle stories. > · Bit by Bit by Steve Sanfield > > A coat wears out. > > · Something from Nothing by Phoebe Gilman > > A coat wears out. > > > · Joseph had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback > > A coat wears out, with the music of the original song at the end. And it won > a Caldecott Award. > > > · I Had a Little Overcoat (Hob Ich Mir a Mantl) [Yiddish folksong > transcribed in Taback's book] > > A coat wears out. OK, these four stories have differences---the items that > are made as the bits of the coat wear out are different. But what stays the > same is the ending: what is left when everything else has gone away is the > story of everything going away. Memory can survive events and things. But > only if it is shared and handed down/along to others. Which is why the next > story is relevant and important. > > > · Hasidic tale about the Baal Shem Tov and succeeding generations > > Told in the preface to The Gates of the Forest by Elie Wiesel book and 9 1/2 > Mystics by Herbert Weiner (p.69) > At first, a rabbi saves his people by going into the forest, lighting a fire, > and saying a prayer. Over the generations, how to do each of these three > actions is forgotten, until all that is left is the telling of the events. > But in each generation it is enough. > > > · Mathematical concept of recursion (unless this is really > cumulative). > > For example, factorials: n! is defined to be n x (n-1)!, where (n-1)! = n x > (n-2)!, and so on until you get down to 1! > > ================================================================================================== > > > > Full Circle > > Some stories have a long chain of events or things that end up back where > they started from. These stories can be related to cumulative tales or > diminishing return tales. My "Nothing Happens" page of stories can also be > seen as circle stories. If a story is a journey story that is a round trip, > then it is a circle story. > > · "There's a Hole in the Bucket" (song) > > To fix a hole in a bucket, a long chain of things need to be available, > including a bucket without a hole. > > · La Ronde directed by Max Ophuls (movie) > > French film about people who form various couples. > > The Stonecutter: A Japanese Folk Tale by Gerald McDermott > A Japanese folktale about a stonecutter who keeps getting his wish to be > powerful until he is the mountain he was originally chipping away at. > The Stonecutter Who Wanted to be Rich by Getzl > Like the The Stonecutter story above, but this time the stonecutter gets to > return to his original self. Ends with a quote from Pirke Avot, "Who is rich? > He who is satisfied with his lot." > > Abraham's Search for God by Jacqueline Jules > Abraham wonders which entity is the most powerful and finally realizes that > it must be G-d, who created all the aspects of nature, while the stonecutter > (see above) wants that power for himself. Colorful illustrations. > The order is idols < moon < sun < clouds < thunder < rainbow < sun < moon ==> > something greater than everything else. > > The Mouse's Wedding: A fable retold by Ruth Belov Gross > Another retelling about what is most powerful in this case in terms of who to > marry. > > The Magic Fish by Freya Littledale > One of many versions of "The Fisherman and His Wife." The wife asks for so > much that she ends up with nothing; this makes the fisherman happy. > > ================================================================================ > > > > There and Back Again > > A man dreams that he will find a treasure under a bridge in a far off town. > When he gets there, a guard laughs and says that if he (the guard) believed > in dreams, he would travel to a small village and dig in a place that the man > recognizes as his home. The man returns, digs and finds the treasure. > This was used as a parable by Rabbi Nachman of Brestov to explain that one > may need to travel to discover what he has always had within himself. > The story is also connected to a man who donated money to a church in England > centuries before Rabbi Nachman lived. > Many Quest and Journey stories are similar; e.g., The Wizard of Oz ("There's > no place like home"), The Hobbit (the rest of the title is Or There and Back > Again). > Notice that in these particular stories, the man returns home empty-handed; > what he has gained is knowledge. Or, perhaps the journey is the treasure. > See the Nothing Happens page here for more stories like this. > · The Treasure by Uri Shulevitz > > A man goes on a journey to find a treasure, only to discover it under his > home. Do we need a teacher to discover our own worth? > > · Captain Jiri and Rabbi Isaac by Marilyn Hirsh > > Two guardian angels mix up their tasks and tell the wrong person where to > find treasure. Usually the guard who tells the poor man about his own dream > gets no reward. Although in Shulevitz's The Treasure, he is sent a jewel. In > this story, Captain Jiri and Rabbi Isaac maintain their friendship and help > each other's followers. > > · The Pedlar of Swaffham by Kevin Crossley-Holland > > A man dreams, travels to London, talks to a guard, returns home, digs more > than once, becomes very rich and donates money to restore part of his local > church in Swaffham, Norfolk, which has two pews with carvings that seem to > memorialize him. The church is real; the story seems to be about a real > person, although maybe the story itself is described as a legend (as in "not > factual"). > > > > Rose > Stories are how we make sense of the world. > > > From: Eileen Polk <[email protected]> > To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, May 6, 2015 4:57 PM > Subject: Re: [ha-Safran] Multicultural stories > > Hello Friends, > > I have been asked to assist a teacher of multicultural literacy at a local > college by reading to her students two versions of the same children’s story, > one Jewish and one something else. I have been looking through my sources, > but am having trouble finding something, so I am turning to you. Does anyone > have any suggestions? Any help will be greatly appreciated. > > Thank you, > > Eileen Polk, Librarian > Prentis Memorial Library > Temple Beth El > Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301 > > __ > Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author > and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) > ================================== > Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: > [email protected] > To join Ha-Safran, update or change your subscription, etc. - click here: > https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran > Questions, problems, complaints, compliments send to: [email protected] > Ha-Safran Archives: > Current: > http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.service.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html > Earlier Listserver: > http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html > AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org > -- > Hasafran mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran > > > __ > Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author > and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) > ================================== > Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: > [email protected] > To join Ha-Safran, update or change your subscription, etc. - click here: > https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran > Questions, problems, complaints, compliments send to: [email protected] > Ha-Safran Archives: > Current: > http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.service.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html > Earlier Listserver: > http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html > AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org > -- > Hasafran mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran
__ Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) ================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: [email protected] To join Ha-Safran, update or change your subscription, etc. - click here: https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran Questions, problems, complaints, compliments send to: [email protected] Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.service.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html Earlier Listserver: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org -- Hasafran mailing list [email protected] https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran
