;Adults can be very strange crea-
! leave some children with the idea
tures. A number of them believe, for
that creepy demons really do exist,
example, that it's really fun to scare
and that they are hiding every-
the wits out of children, like writing
where, just looking to frighten us.
!books about wicked creatures that
Bottom line: You would be devilishly
I don't exist. The Demons' Mistake is
foolish_to waste your money on this.
I a case in point.
This book is the story of a group
The Market Wedding by Cary
of mischievous demons whose lives
Fagan, with illustrations by Regolo
begin in Chelm.
Ricci (Tundra Books,
One night, they
19.99).
decide to go to a
party .held at the
Adapted from Abra-
home of the Pup-
ham Cahan's classic
: kips. Here, they
story "A Ghetto
learn about
Wedding," this
Charles, formerly
book tells the story
Chaim, who has
of a young couple
moved to America
and how they find
where "the streets
real happiness.
really are paved
That brief descrip-
with gold ... And
tion may sound like
the buildings are
a cliche, but this
made of silver
book is anything
land shine in the
but. In fact, if won-
!sun ... Everyone eats five meals a
derfully illustrated (by a native of
day, as much food as they want.
Italy) and freshly told.
1 Everyone drives a motorcar. And
As the book begins, Morris the fish
!there are parties every day, all day
seller meets Minnie the hat seller.
and all night."
Morris is calling out about his deli-
The demons decide this is for
cious his fish when Minnie begins to
them, and they manage to sneak
advertise her wares. Morris gets
into a crate being shipped to the
confused and announces: "Fresh
United States. Alas! No one
hats!" while Minnie encourages
claims the crate, and for 50 years
passersby to view, "The latest fish!
'the little fellows just sit there with
Straight from Paris!"
:nothing to do.
Soon, they are engaged, and
Then they get out. At first, they're
Morris cannot wait to give Minnie
!bewildered by this new country. But
the kind of grand life she deserves.
soon enough they manage to find
All she wants is "a nice little wed-
another demon that has been living
ding with our friends." Morris has
in the United States for some time
something else in mind.
and promises, "There are plenty of
Morris hatches a scheme to host
things for demons to do here. There
an elaborate wedding. This way,
is plenty of fun to be had. Come
when our friends realize what a
on. Just follow me." So they get into
magnificent wedding we're putting
computers and change the colors of
on, they will naturally feel obliged to
traffic lights and otherwise make
buy us only the finest gifts. Tables, sil-
havoc wherever possible.
verware, teacups, lamps, a coffee
Mark Podwal is a truly gifted
percolator — they'll give us only the
I artist; his drawings are charming
best. Our home will be like a Holly-
land creepy and clever, all at once.
wood mansion."
But what is the point of this book?
I won't ruin the story by telling you
1 It's not funny. It's not entertaining. It's
exactly what happens, but you can
1 not informative. Worst of all, it will
be sure it doesn't turn out exactly the

way Morris plans.
you would want to actually own and
There is a happy ending, though,
read again and again?
and its neither maudlin nor pre-
Nothing, really.
dictable. Instead, it's quite dear. Mor-
The family loved living in Poland,
ris and Minnie do get many gifts —
though it was terrifying sometimes
not the ones Morris imagined, but
because of anti-Semitism. Fortunately,
exceedingly valuable nonetheless.
they had relatives in America who
Some stories, children would hap-
agreed to help them settle here.
pily hear read 100 times; but the
Abba and Pearl employ a clever
price is a parent's sanity.
ruse to get
This will be a beloved
safe passage
book of adults as well as
on a ship
SOAPING
children.
leaving
TO AMERICA
Bottom line: A mar-
Poland.
riage, and a book, made
While the
in heaven.
trip is danger-

Escaping to America:
A True Story by Rosalyn
Schanzer (HarperCollins,
15.95).

ous (one child
becomes
sick), they all
manage to
make it to this
country.
It's a won-
derful idea to
learn about
how immi-
grants came to the United States. But
instead of reading someone else's
story, why not learn your own?
Bottom fine: Journey into your own
history instead.

Consider a food for a
moment (any food will do),
then pair it with the word
"bland."-There's nothing
really wrong with it (as opposed to,
say, that "fish ice cream" the Iron
Chef prepared a few months ago)
— but do you want to eat more than
a bite?
"Bland" is, unfortunately,
my very own
200C, 20 ■ 3 !1:3761
the best word for Escaping
to America.
It's the true story of the
author's grandparents,
Abba and Pearl, and
their three children, and
tells how they came from
Poland to the United
States.
No immigrant's tale is
boring. It takes a tremen-
dous amount of courage to
leave one's home country,
where everything is famil-
iar, to start a new life elsewhere. So
in that way, Abba's and Pearl's story
My Very Own Jewish Cal-
is important.
endar by Judyth Groner and
But many Jews have family who
Madeline Wikler (Kar-Ben
came from Eastern Europe and else-
Copies, $7.95).
where to settle in the United States at
the turn of the century. What then
Each year, Kar-Ben publishes this
makes this story unique and worthy
very nice calendar, which not
of a whole book — material that
only is a calendar but a fun-filled

JEWISH CALENDAR

"

•

10/27
2000

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