A Little Tale Of Purim
The Jewish holiday of Purim falls this year on March 20-21, 2019. A lovely way of thinking about Purim is through this children's book, "Esther's Gragger: A Toyshop Tale of Purim" written by Martha Seif Simpson and illustrated by D. Yael Bernard. Simpson and Bernard collaborated on a similar children's book a few years ago about the holiday of Hanukkah, "The Dreidel that Wouldn't Spin", which I have read and reviewed on this site. The book is suitable for small children ages five and up.
As did the earlier book, "Esther's Gragger" looks for meaning in a minor Jewish holiday that is frequently given over to presents or, in Purim's case, to a party and raucous celebrating. The story is set in a toyshop in nameless village with a considerable Jewish population. (The children in the story wear modern clothes). An elderly man, apparently the same person in both books, owns a small toyshop and is a primary character. In both the Hanukkah and the Purim book, he is visited by a somewhat mysterious peddler who, in this book sells him some beautifully colored graggers to sell for Purim. A gragger is a noisemaker that is used when the name of Haman, the villain of the Purim story, is mentioned during the celebration in the synagogue.
In the story, a young boy wants to buy a gragger for his sister, Esther. The heroine of the Purim story, also named Esther, is depicted on the gragger. He asks the shopkeeper to put the gragger on hold for a few hours until he can return with the money. The shopkeeper reluctantly agrees. In the meantime, a bigger boy comes into the store and wants to buy the gragger, but the shopkeeper keeps his promise and refuses. The boy turns out to be a bad bully. He corners Esther and her brother leaving the store and tries to wrest away the gragger. Esther bravely refuses, with the aid of the redoubtable shopkeeper and the brother. The shopkeeper sees and shares the meaning of the incident with Esther and with the reader: "Costumes are pretty and festivals are fun, but we must never be afraid to take a stand against cruelty."
The tale is beautifully told, with well-depicted characters, particularly the shopkeeper and the peddler, and lovely illustrations of the shop, the town, the people, and the toys. It is a delight in every way. After the story, there are short explanations of the Purim holiday and its customs, including the gragger.
This book is published by Wisdom Tales, which publishes books with spiritual themes from around the world for children. Wisdom Tales kindly sent me this book to review. This book will be of interest to Jewish families as well as to families from other religions and traditions who want to encourage an ecumenical spirit in their children.
Robin Friedman
