Goodnight Bubbala by Sheryl Haft, illustrated by Jill Weber. PICTURE
BOOK. Penguin Young Readers Group, 2019. $18. 9780525554776
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL
(K-3)- OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW
“In the small blue room there was a bubbala (small child) and a little shmatta (blanket) and then, oh vey!(an exclamation of dismay) came the whole mishpacha (extended family).” After a grand celebration involving books, toys and latkes, it is time for saying goodnight. “Goodnight kneidel (a dumpling) and a shmear (bit of cream cheese) on a bagel. Then goodnight to the dreidel, blocks and cooking pot. And finally goodnight to Bubbala who is finally fast asleep snuggling his favorite stuffed animal.
Goodnight Bubbala is a parody of the classic storybook Goodnight Moon. Most words are written in English but some Yiddish words are intermixed to connect two cultures together. Yiddish phrases such as, Oy! What a schlep!” often involve the hands and even the heart and soul. The story is written as a celebration of life, family, and the Yiddish language of many generations. The end of Goodnight Bubbala provides a Yiddish-to-English glossary. The very last page provides a Latke recipe by Ina Garten. My ratings of Optional buying and Low audience is strictly due to the fact that there is a specific target audience for this wonderful book. Goodnight Bubbala could be used in a unit on cultures and celebrations. The illustrations are beautifully executed.
Reviewer: SL
No comments:
Post a Comment