Kishka for Koppel
by
Aubrey Davis and Sheldon Cohen
children's fiction
fairy tale, fantasy, ages 2-7
In a Yiddith variation of the "Three Wishes" tale, Koppel and his wife, Yetta, are poor people who get by with collecting junk and fixing it up or reselling it. One day Koppel finds a wish-granting meat grinder. What will Koppel and Yetta wish for? The first thing the hungry couple wish for is some kishka. For those of you who did NOT grow up near Cleveland listening to "Who Stole the Keeshka? This is the song I have been humming ever since seeing the title of this book:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au_jJmsfdMs
Keeshka or kishka is Polish sausage. Jews would not use pork, however, to make this, but beef, lamb, or some other meat.
Anyway, if you think that asking for kishka is funny, just wait and see what happens next! This is a silly tale, but warm-hearted.
I would recommend this for libraries serving a population heavy in Eastern European or Jewish immigrants.
