Kishka for Koppel

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.

Girl Who Loved Wild Horses

Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
by
Paul Goble
Caldecott Medal Winner, 1979
children's fiction, folklore/mythology
ages 3-7

The author uses thin, precise, vivid lines to draw this mystical story set in the American plains and desert. He captures the movement of the wind, the water, and the horses.
The story is of a girl who loves horses so much (and whom horses love), that when the horses of a Native American village stampede, they take her with them and protect her as one of their own.
This book begs to be read out loud around a campfire in the summer or in front of a hearth in the winter.
This is a treat for readers who are into horses, but still a good read for those who are not into horses.

Boy Who Drew Cats

Boy Who Drew Cats
by David Johnson
narrated by William Hurt
music by Mark Isham
Rabbit Ears Radio Children's Classics from around the World
Cassette plus poster with all the words from the story on the back so patrons can read along.
Children's folk tale.

There is a frail boy who loves to draw cats. His family is poor and he is sent out to be an apprentice. He does try to pay attention to one master after another, but keeps failing due to his obsession with cats. What will become of the little boy? The poster and illustrations are lovely in the Japanese tradition and the story is based on a legend about a famous artist. When the cassette breaks and the library has to discard it, I wouldn't mind inheriting this poster of a boy drawing cats. Since my library has owned it since 1991 there is probably not much more life left in this audiobook.

I listened to this with a 5 and a 6 year old. It was too long for them to stay interested through the whole story (29:20 minutes long), but I enjoyed it. The music and the narration were well timed and side two of the tape had pleasant music without the narration. Some of the story was rather gruesome for a 5 year old. I am guessing that this would be a good story for ages 8 or 9 and up. One reason is that it 4 nice pictures on the poster, but it isn't really a book + cassette like some of the other kits that our library owns. If I had it to do over again I would check out the book with the cassette and the poster, since, presumably, the book would have more pictures.