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Summary
Summary
In this version of paying it forward, one good deed leads to another as people in a multicultural neighborhood, including a Jewish family, change the life of the community.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-One good deed deserves another and another and another as a neighborhood comes together in a string of thoughtfulness that begins when Jake shares mulberries with his neighbor. She in turn shares a pie, which leads to raked lawns, fixed computers, and more and more acts of kindness that brighten the street and bring people together. The concept and importance of the mitzvah is shown, not told, in this well-written and nicely illustrated book. Neighbors pay it forward, one to the next, with a thought and an action. Because the term mitzvah is used only at the very end, this story could be used by religious educators of other faiths to demonstrate the power of kindness. VERDICT A recommended purchase for Judaic collections and others.-Martha Link Yesowitch, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Fields (Burro's Tortillas) and Melmon (Baby Wants Mama) present a pay-it-forward story that shows how one kind action-sharing some fresh-picked mulberries with an elderly neighbor, for instance-can turn an unfriendly neighborhood into one overflowing with generosity. As Fields introduces the residents of Lancaster Street, she uses repetition to emphasize how each of them almost unconsciously realizes how they can help someone in need. "Then she had a thought she'd never thought before," she writes of Mrs. Thompson, the recipient of the mulberries, who gives one of the pies she bakes with the berries to Mr. Riley next door. He helps retrieve a basketball from the roof of a garage, the young basketball players call time-out to rake the leaves of a neighbor who's on crutches, and so on. Playing into the idea that Lancaster Street "seemed dark and gloomy" even on sunny days, Melmon shows the neighborhood literally brightening with each page turn. A closing reference to these deeds as mitzvahs is the only religious element in the story-it's clear that these actions cross all backgrounds and belief systems. Ages 3-8. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Jake unknowingly sets off a positive chain reaction in his neighborhood with one small act of kindness, transforming it from "dark and gloomy" to "warm and sunny" as each neighbor decides to pay it forward. While clearly targeting a Jewish audience, the book uses the Hebrew word "mitzvah" (defined in the end matter) only once, and the detailed, relationship-focused illustrations portray a multicultural neighborhood. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
When Jake spontaneously decides to give some handpicked mulberries to the old woman next door, he begins a chain of "pay-it-forward" events in his neighborhood. First, readers view a double-page spread of Lancaster Street, seen from the vantage point of a mulberry-tree branch, with neat lawns and well-kept pets but no humans. "Even on sunny days, Lancaster Street seemed dark and gloomy. Neighbors did not smile at each otheror talk to each otheror help each other." Bright flowers and nesting birds belie the supposed gloom, but the streets are certainly empty of people. The next page shows Jake in the tree. His mulberry mitzvahdeclared so and defined as a good deed at book's endinspires Mrs. Thompson to bake a pie for Mr. Riley, and Mr. Riley to retrieve two boys' roof-bound ball, and so on. The simple art is colorful but not memorable. Attempted multiculturalism feels strained: the one child of color wears basketball garb, and the probably-Asian-American Mr. Lee is a computer expert. This is a good read-aloud for young children, as the art is benign and the text includes a pleasing repetition of reactions from neighbors, who are always "surprised" and "delighted" by the kindness bestowed upon them. Another positive touch: the succinct back story about the derivation of the word "mitzvah." A sweet plug for random acts of kindness. (Picture book. 3-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The neighbors on Lancaster Street aren't particularly helpful or friendly, until Jake decides to share his mulberries with Mrs. Thompson. This small act of kindness generates a chain reaction of similar good deeds: Mrs. Thompson shares a mulberry pie with Mr. Riley, who rescues a ball for the kids next door, who rake leaves for the disabled Mr. Lee, who repairs the Cohens' computer, who donate a bike for Ashley. The result is a smiling, friendly community. The author lets her characters make her point (the world is a much better place when people are kind), only introducing the Jewish term for this behavior mitzvot at the end of the story. Melmon's upbeat illustrations are similarly nondenominational and will help listeners visualize the story's key elements. Religious schools may want to pair this with Sylvia A. Rouss' Sammy Spider's First Mitzvah (2014); public libraries and secular schools will find it equally useful for programs focusing on character education.--Weisman, Kay Copyright 2015 Booklist
