Erica Silverman

Author/illustrator team Erica Silverman and Susan Gaber present a Jewish Cinderella story in this lovely picture book. Raised by her scholarly grandfather, who taught her to read the Talmud and other texts, she was as intelligent as she was good. When her grandfather died, Raisel sought employment in a nearby city, in the house of a rabbi, working hard and putting up with all of the cruelty visited upon her by the jealous cook. When Purim came around, she wanted to attend the Purim play, show more something that seemed an impossibility until three wishes were granted to her by an old woman to whom she had been kind. Attending in a gorgeous Queen Esther costume, she spoke with the rabbi's son, posing a riddle so intriguing that he could not forget it, even when Raisel fled at midnight...

I have read and enjoyed a number of other picture books from both Silverman and Gaber, so when I learned that they had created a Cinderella retelling together, I lost no time in tracking it down. I am in the midst of a themed reading project involving that story, and was curious to see what they would do with it. Although it isn't clear to me whether this represents an actual traditional Jewish folktale—a Jewish folk variant of the tale type—or whether it is an original fairy-tale created by Silverman from the tale type (I cataloged it as both fairy-tale and Jewish folklore, to be safe), I nevertheless enjoyed Raisel's Riddle quite a bit. The story is engaging, and it was refreshing to see intelligence as the key factor which attracts the "prince," and a riddle the item used to track down the heroine (as opposed to the lost shoe). I also appreciated that the story involved Purim, as that also makes it an entertaining tale for the holiday. The accompanying illustrations from Gaber were charming—expressive and lovely, complementing the story nicely. Recommended to young folk and fairy-tale enthusiasts, and to anyone looking for Cinderella stories and/or Jewish tales. show less

Using the traditional English counting rhyme, Over in the Meadow, as an inspiration, author Erica Silverman spins a spooky tale about the Halloween House on Halloween night in this entertaining picture-book. As two escaped convicts, who appear only in illustrator Jon Agee's artwork, make their way through the house, various monster parents instruct their children on the proper course of action. As the horrified convicts watch in terror, ten werewolves howl, nine vampires rise, eight worms show more squirm, seven bats swoop, six ghosts book, five monsters chase, four skeletons dance, three spiders swing, two cats pounce, and one little witch flies. Is it any wonder that the convicts flee the house, returning to their cell...?

The Halloween House is an absolute delight! Silverman, who also penned the popular Halloween story to be found in Big Pumpkin, delivers a rollicking, cleverly monstrous take on the old rhyme. Her words fairly trip off the tongue: "In the Halloween house, / on a bed made of pine, / a mama vampire woke / with her little ones, nine. / "Rise," said the mama. / "We rise," said the nine. / So they rose through the night / from the bed made of pine." The artwork by Agee, known for the many droll picture-books of his own that he has produced, adds another layer of story not found in the text, as the convicts make their way through the house. The (visual) conclusion to the tale, which sees the two back in their cell, one holding a sign saying "Home Sweet Home," the other reading a pamphlet featuring an add for cell decor, will end the story on a chuckle. Highly recommended to anyone looking for humorous rhyming counting books with a Halloween flavor. show less

Duck and Gander cannot decide who is truly the "champion," so they start a freeze contest -- the bird who can stay still the longest will win the title. But this proves to be much harder than either realized!

A lot of this book was amusing, and the repetition of the phrase "did not fidget one feather" is appealing. However, I found the whole part with Gander refusing to move even when threatened with certain death a bit disturbing. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but it seems like we're telling show more children they should win at any cost. Duck's response and the birds' conversation afterwards does help negate that, but I find myself unwilling to share this title with little ones. show less

Hoping to make her favorite treat (a pumpkin pie, of course!), a witch plants a pumpkin seed in her garden in this charming Halloween tale, carefully tending the plant which springs from it, and watching it as it slowly develops into a massive gourd. But when the pumpkin proves too large to move by herself, the witch is forced, much against her inclination, to accept the offers of help made by a passing ghost, vampire and mummy. Despite these ghoulish assistants, the pumpkin stubbornly stays show more put, until a tiny bat flies by, and has a bright idea...

As a confirmed pumpkin-pie lover (I also enjoy pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup, roasted pumpkin seeds, and pumpkin whoopie pies!), it was a foregone conclusion that I would appreciate Erica Silverman's Big Pumpkin, which introduces the traditional monsters of the season in a gentle, non-threatening way. The message of the book - that it is more effective, as well as more fun, to work together - is a welcome one, particularly as it doesn't overwhelm the story itself. The accompanying illustrations, done by S.D. Schindler in gouache, are spooky (but not too spooky) and fun. All in all, this is a winner, when it comes to Halloween fare for younger readers, and I'm glad that it was chosen as one of our October selections, in the Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme is witches and monsters! show less