Re: 2 books for children

[Susan Lerner <meydele...>]

I meant to share these 2 books with the list sooner, but ...well, you know... 
Anyway, khanike isn't over yet.  For those looking for picture books with 
musical themes for 4-9 year olds, I recommend The Kugel Valley Klezmer Band by 
Joan Betty Stuchner, illustrated by Richard Rowe published by Crocodile Books 
USA, isbn 1-56656-430-1, and Come Let Us Be Joyful! The Story of Hava Nagila by 
Fran Manushkin, illustrated by Rosalind Charney Kaye,  published by UAHC Press, 
isbn 8074-0731-3.   Both are hardbacks.

The Kugel Valley Klezmer Band, set in Canada, is about Shira, the daughter of 
the clarinetist in the 3-member klezmer band, who dreams of being a violinist.  
No surprise - with the encouragement of Isaac, the fiddler and the will to 
listen and practice, practice, practice, she confounds her parents' skepticism 
("No girl has ever played in a klezmer band") and saves the day at the big 
khanike party when Isaac is too sick to play.   Good illustrations.  A nice 
book for the children of klezmer players or any kids who are musical.  Nice to 
see a book about klezmers which also illustrates the folk method of learning to 
play an instrument (watch and listen all the time and then practice, practice 
in secret on your own).  

Come Let Us Be Joyful! is the story of how a 12 year old student, Moshe 
Nathanson, and his teacher, A.Z. Idelsohn, collaborated on turning a niggun 
from Sadigora into the song "Hava Nagila."  Obviously, this book comes down on 
the side of Nathanson in the "who wrote the words, Nathanson or Idelsohn" 
controversy.  But no matter, it is a charming Zionist book which nicely shows 
the way the "folk process" adopts a composed (or partially composed) song as 
its own.

Shira Lerner