Karen Fisman

I am a non-Jewish grandparent of Jewish grandchildren. Like Nonna in this story, I have tried to understand and support the traditions that my grandchildren are being raised in. It was wonderful for me and my family to see our own experience reflected in this story. In addition, the story is a delight, with some details about the Hanukkah celebration included very nicely. The illustrations are lovely as well. We particularly loved the pictures of the two menorahs, but I can't go into more detail about these without spoiling the story. I highly recommend this book for children, parents and grandparents of interfaith families.… (mere)

I am always looking for a way to flesh out our studies with some fun, so I eagerly grabbed the opportunity to share Karen Fisman's "Problems in Purimville" with my children when we began studying the Purim holiday. We had read and enjoyed her previous book, "Latkaland", so it wasn't a stretch to guess that we would like this adventure too.

The heroes of the story are Jacob and Sarah. They are getting ready to enjoy the celebration of Purim when they begin to notice that things are starting to go seriously wrong. Food that should be delicious, isn't. And costumes that were picked out with care, have been transformed into some unattractive garb. And it soon becomes apparent that Sarah and Jacob are going to have search out the source of this trouble and stop it.

THE SKINNY:::
A well written story, Purimville is going to appeal to children from Preschool on up to about age 8 or 9. It's a colorful, entertaining adventure that sneaks in some teaching too. I love how Karen Fisman explains the history of Purim and outlines what children should expect. This is particular useful for very young children who might be 'surprised' by the noise from the rattles and the costumes.

My children and I enjoyed this book. I read it aloud for the most part, although they also took turns reading pages here and there. It works very well as a read aloud, although I will tell you that there is enough text here that it could be a multi-night affair, depending on how fast you read, and how much time you set aside for stories in the evening.

The artwork is colorful and cheerful and the bad-guys are scary enough to be fun, without being too scary.

Purimville is a continuation of the adventures of Jacob and Sarah from Latkaland, but you needn't have to read the one to enjoy the other.

Pam T~
mom/blogger… (mere)