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Summary
Summary
As a sign of affection for their warm-hearted rabbi, the families of the congregation make Rabbi Benjamin a special holiday vest, complete with four shiny silver buttons. Throughout the year--Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Chanukah, and Passover--the rabbi celebrates with his congregation, unable to resist their delicious home-cooked food. But with each holiday his vest grows tight, tighter, until . . . POP!
Author Notes
Alice B. McGinty is the award-winning author of over forty books for children. She is a writer, reader, writing coach and instructor, book reviewer, author, and mom. If you peeked in her pockets, you might find scraps of paper and a pen, a pebble or two, and a guitar pick. Alice has led music sessions for religious school and taught pre-kindergarten classes in her synagogue for many years. An enthusiastic dancer, hiker, and runner, Alice lives in Urbana, Illinois.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Rabbi Benjamin and his congregation are besotted with one another, but when the community presents its leader with a yellow-gold vest to wear on holidays, decorated with four shiny silver buttons, they neglect to factor in one thing: Jewish holidays mean lots of irresistible, calorie- and emotion-laden Jewish cooking. As the rabbi grows increasingly portly at various dinners, it's clear to both him and his attentive dog that the vest and its silver buttons are not engineered to expand. Oy-yoy-yoy! You don't have to be Jewish to love this marvelously funny, wholly original story about the intersection of faith, food, and families-in fact, it's got a wrap-up that Michelle Obama would applaud: Rabbi Benjamin discovers that a regimen of community-centered exercise (like helping one family plant a Sukkot garden) can work wonders. McGinty's (Gandhi: A March to the Sea) loving, lighthearted prose is as sunshiny as her characters, while Reinhardt's (The Adventures of a South Pole Pig) detailed watercolors depict a diverse congregation brimming with endearing idiosyncrasies and mutual affection-a real mishpochah. Ages 4-8. Illustrator's agent: Marietta B. Zacker, Nancy Gallt Literary Agency. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
"A happy congregation is the sunshine of my heart," proclaims Rabbi Benjamin. The love-fest goes both ways, and his congregants at the Walnut Street synagogue present him with a Jewish holiday-themed vest on Rosh Hashanah. After blowing the shofar, it's time to eat: homemade apple torte, honey cake, and more, "until his holiday vest stretched tightly across his belly." A couple of weeks pass; now it's Sukkot, and as Rabbi Benjamin feasts at each family's sukkah, all of that stuffed cabbage, sweet-potato pie, and fruit strudel cause him to quite literally burst one of his buttons -- "pop!" With first Hanukkah, then Passover still to come, the rest of those buttons don't stand a chance. "Oy-yoy-yoyI've ruined my special holiday vest!" laments the rabbi as the last buttons fly off during the Goldwassers' Seder (one button lands in the horseradish, the other in the prophet Elijah's cup). A little physical activity throughout the summer and fall brings back his waistlinebut what about his special present? Nisht gedeyget [don't worry]! When Rosh Hashanah rolls around again, the congregants have a little something up their sleeve. There's much joy in this cheery holiday book, from the spry text's kid-pleasing sound effects (pop! splat! plop! splish-splash!), to casually presented but informative details about each holiday, to the matter-of-fact depiction of a range of Jewish families in the detail-filled watercolor and ink illustrations, to that bright-yellow, menorah-festooned vest -- which is ugly in the way that all good holiday garments are. Back matter includes information about and recipes for each holiday and a glossary. elissa gershowitz (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
A grateful congregation presents their beloved Rabbi Benjamin with a special holiday vest containing four silver buttons. He proudly wears the garment for Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Hanukkah, and Passover, although the vest gradually becomes a bit soiled and quite tight as he overindulges in holiday foods, resulting in buttons popping off at inopportune times. Embarrassed, Benjamin spends the summer and early fall hard at work for his families planting, picking, sweating, and fishing. By New Year's, the vest again fits, but without the buttons it's not quite the same. Luckily the congregation is one step ahead with a brand new vest. Reinhardt's watercolor-and-ink illustrations are well suited to this sunny, slyly humorous text: at each holiday, families ply the rabbi with delectable goodies, and buttons always pop into the festive foods. Concluded with recipes and a glossary, this makes a good introduction to the cycle of Jewish holidays. (The gentle caution about overeating is a bonus.)--Weisman, Kay Copyright 2010 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Rabbi Benjamin has a loving relationship with his congregants, who present him with a holiday vest one Rosh Hashanah as a token of their esteem. During Sukkot, Chanukah, and Passover, he overindulges in the treats cooked up by his friends. One by one, his buttons pop off as his stomach expands. Instead of despairing, the man spends the summer helping his friends with tasks that give him a good workout, and by the following Rosh Hashanah, he is pleased to accept a wonderful new vest (with the retrieved buttons) to replace the stretched and battered old one. A number of positive themes run through this story: community, hospitality, health, problem solving. Diversity is celebrated in the cheerful watercolor and ink illustrations, which include mixed-race and single-parent families in the congregation, as well as a dad flouting traditional gender roles as he cooks and takes care of his baby. These holidays provide a framework for the story but are not the focus. The many universal themes are more central to the book than the Jewish content and make it appropriate for general audiences. The four recipes (one for each holiday) will also appeal across cultures. A pleasant story that can be used year-round as a celebration of Jewish heritage, the love of community, and the importance of eating right.-Heidi Estrin, Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
This story will feel familiar to many readers, and some of them will find that oddly disconcerting.Theres a famous Jewish folk tale: A mans coat is wearing out, so he tailors it into a vest and, as it gets even older, into a button. When that button finally wears out, hes left with only the story. McGintys book reads like that folk tale turned inside out. A rabbis congregation buys him a vest with beautiful silver buttons. Over the course of a year, the vest becomes more and more timeworn, and as the rabbi eats delicious holiday meals, the buttons pop off, first one at a time and then two at once. But theres a surprise: The congregation has collected the buttons and sewn them onto a brand-new vest, even more beautiful than the old one. The inverted story is charming, if a little slight, but it may seem familiar for another reason. The use of language is often trite and sometimes mawkish. The expression A happy congregation is the sunshine of my heart appears with variations throughout the book. The books less sentimental readers may find they prefer the earlier folk tale. But Reinhardts watercolor-and-ink drawings are strange and captivating. The rabbis beard seems to point in two directions at once.Every reader, sentimental or not, can enjoy the many holiday recipesat the end of the book. (glossary) (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Rabbi Benjamin loved his red brick synagogue on Walnut Street. With a warm, wide smile, he welcomed everyone who entered. "A happy congregation is the sunshine of my heart," the rabbi said. Excerpted from Rabbi Benjamin's Buttons by Alice B. McGinty All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
