Seven good years A Yiddish folktale

PreS-Gr 2--Tuvia, a poor man with a wife and two children at home, is a porter in the local marketplace. When work runs out and he has no money to get food for Shabbat, the dejected man silently wishes "If only I could return home with something for my family." Suddenly, a man clothed all in green appears and informs the porter that "there are seven good years in store for you"--which just happens to include a pile of gold behind Tuvia's dilapidated house. And, when the seven years of good fortune are over, Tuvia and his family will simply return to the lifestyle they now have. The years go by in a flash, and when the man in green next encounters Tuvia, he is shocked at his appearance, his home, and his family. Just what happened in those seven years? A parenthetical phrase, "I'm glad you asked," appears throughout the tale as the narrator speaks directly to readers and answers self-posed questions. The pleasant ending reveals two surprises: how Tuvia and his family spent the gold, and what happens next to the family of four. The colorful, flowing cartoon illustrations set on white backgrounds provide a lighthearted setting. VERDICT Based on a story published in the early 1900s, Smith's retelling of this clever Yiddish folktale offers much food for thought and discussion.--Maryann H. Owen

Riches are in the eye of the beholder. Tuvia, an impoverished porter, encounters a green-garbed stranger with bright pink skin who promises him "seven good years," to commence whenever he chooses. Tuvia's wife, Sorka, wants them to begin immediately; magically, a pile of gold appears behind the family hut. The seven years fly by. When the benefactor returns to tell Tuvia that time's up, he's surprised the couple still wear tattered garments and reside in their shabby hut; the gold is still piled high. Sorka explains they spent the money only on their children's education and want the rest donated to those "less fortunate." The benevolent stranger takes it away. But the next morning, more gold is piled in their yard, and--readers learn--"another seven years began." This humorous, ambiguous, slightly confusing tale, translated from Hebrew and expressed in a bouncy oral-storyteller's voice, is based on a story published in the early 1900s by renowned Yiddish author Isaac Leib Peretz and, per the backmatter, "reflects Peretz's appreciation for the simple piety of Eastern European Jews and his interest in Jewish folktales and values." It's a conversation sparker about how being rich really means being satisfied with what you already have. The lively cartoonish illustrations are colorful but seem unsuited to a folktale and give no real sense of time or place. Tuvia's family is light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A niche offering that may find appreciative audiences in Jewish-school or synagogue-library collections. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.