Barbara Cohen (1) (1932–1992)
Author of Molly's Pilgrim
For other authors named Barbara Cohen, see the disambiguation page.
Series
Works by Barbara Cohen
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Cohen, Barbara Nash
Kauder, Barbara (birth name) - Birthdate
- 1932-03-15
- Date of death
- 1992-11-29
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Somerville High School
Barnard College (AB, magna cum laude|English)
Rutgers University - Occupations
- children's book author
teacher
short story writer
columnist - Organizations
- SAAS
- Awards and honors
- Phi Beta Kappa
- Short biography
- Barbara Kauder said she started writing as soon as she could hold a pencil. Her father died when she was young, and her mother supported the family by turning a rundown hotel into a successful business. After Somerville High School, Barbara attended Barnard College, from which she graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor's degree in English. She began her writing career with a personal column in her stepfather's weekly newspapers. In 1954, she married Gene Cohen, with whom she had three daughters. Her husband joined her mother in running the family inn, while Barbara earned a master's degree from Rutgers University and taught high school English. She was active in local community and Jewish life, and wrote a column called "Books and Things" for New Jersey newspapers. At age 39, Barbara Cohen published her first book for children, The Carp in the Bathtub (1972). The acclaim it received inspired her to stop teaching and start writing full-time. The book became a modern classic that has been translated into many languages. Barbara Cohen wrote a total of 32 books for children and young adults, many of them based on Jewish life and the universal problems of separation, loss, and the fears of growing up. Unicorns in the Rain (1982), a futuristic fantasy based on the Noah story, demonstrated her concern about the rising violence in society. Molly’s Pilgrim (1985), one of her best-loved tales, portrays a young Russian Jewish immigrant who shows her class the real meaning of Thanksgiving and religious freedom. The 1986 film version, frequently shown on television at holiday time, won an Academy Award for Live Short Subject. (Barbara played the crossing guard in one scene in the film.) In 1982, the Association of Jewish Libraries honored Barbara Cohen’s contribution to Jewish children’s literature with the AJL Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award. Some of her books were published posthumously following her death from cancer in 1992.
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA
- Places of residence
- Somerville, New Jersey, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- New Jersey, USA
Members
Reviews
The classic tale of the outlaw Robin Hood, and his first meeting with his eventual best friend and second-in-command, Little John, is retold for younger readers in this engaging picture-book. The well-known incident in which the two men come to blows over who has the right-of-way on a narrow log-bridge, fighting with wooden staffs on the log itself, is joined here to the tale of a subsequent archery contest between the two, neatly setting up a dynamic in which Robin is not infallible, and show more discovers that he may need help, while Little John learns that he too can be bested, and needs a community and a leader.
The Robin Hood story has always been one of my absolute favorites, when it comes to the world of folklore, so I tend to be rather indulgent when it comes to rating adaptations of it. I'm not universally satisfied, of course (don't even get me going on that travesty of a BBC production that is currently running), but it takes something pretty egregious to rouse my ire. Barbara Cohen's Robin Hood and Little John is not a book that requires indulgence, however, presenting a very solid presentation of the story for its intended audience. David Ray's accompanying illustrations have a kind of folksy, stylized feeling to them that is very attractive. All in all, this is a Robin Hood I would recommend for younger children! show less
The Robin Hood story has always been one of my absolute favorites, when it comes to the world of folklore, so I tend to be rather indulgent when it comes to rating adaptations of it. I'm not universally satisfied, of course (don't even get me going on that travesty of a BBC production that is currently running), but it takes something pretty egregious to rouse my ire. Barbara Cohen's Robin Hood and Little John is not a book that requires indulgence, however, presenting a very solid presentation of the story for its intended audience. David Ray's accompanying illustrations have a kind of folksy, stylized feeling to them that is very attractive. All in all, this is a Robin Hood I would recommend for younger children! show less
Looking back from the distance of many years, Leah narrates this story of her girlhood in Flatbush, Queens, when she and her brother Harry would surreptitiously refuse to eat any gefilte fish at Rosh Hashanah and Passover. Known for cooking the best gefilte fish in all of New York City, Leah and Harry's mother would always buy a live fish, a week before the holiday, in order to have the freshest ingredients when cooking. One Passover, the siblings become particularly attached to the carp in show more their bathtub, and try to save him. Foiled in their attempt by their father, who is kind but firm in the matter of returning the carp, Leah and Harry are heartbroken, until they are finally given a tiny kitten, as their very first pet...
First published in 1972, The Carp in the Bathtub was the first of two stories about Leah and Harry Katz, followed by First Fast in 1987. That second story, which is set at Yom Kippur, was my introduction to these characters, and so moving and thought-provoking did I find it, that I determined to read this Passover tale, when the holiday next came around. Although less of a story about Passover itself, it was nevertheless an immensely engaging tale of family, and of the human-animal connection. So many little details stood out to me, from the way in which Papa changes his demeanor, when he sees the children waiting for him at the subway stop - he comes up the stairs stooped over with exhaustion, but immediately straightens himself up upon seeing Leah and Harry, so that they do not suspect how tired and beaten down he is - to the realistic way in which the story ends. I rather suspect that if this book were being written today, the parents would humor Leah and Harry, or they would find some way to rescue the carp. Here however, the realities of the day - this is a hard-working immigrant family in the early 20th century, with little money to spare, and a traditional view of certain animals being there to eat - drive the story. Leah's recollection, at the end of the book, that she and Harry never could bring themselves to eat gefilte fish, for the rest of their lives, provides a poignant conclusion to the tale, highlighting how formative of an experience it was, attempting to rescue that carp in the bathtub.
I found this one quite moving, and I appreciated the way in which it avoided moral judgment, or any effort to demonize Leah and Harry's parents. In addition to providing an engaging work of family fiction, it could be used with children to explore the realities of having loved ones either who do or do not eat animals. Although not divided into chapters, I would say it is on the beginning chapter-book level, suitable for readers ages seven to nine, and I would recommend it to children interested in family stories, or in historical fiction. show less
First published in 1972, The Carp in the Bathtub was the first of two stories about Leah and Harry Katz, followed by First Fast in 1987. That second story, which is set at Yom Kippur, was my introduction to these characters, and so moving and thought-provoking did I find it, that I determined to read this Passover tale, when the holiday next came around. Although less of a story about Passover itself, it was nevertheless an immensely engaging tale of family, and of the human-animal connection. So many little details stood out to me, from the way in which Papa changes his demeanor, when he sees the children waiting for him at the subway stop - he comes up the stairs stooped over with exhaustion, but immediately straightens himself up upon seeing Leah and Harry, so that they do not suspect how tired and beaten down he is - to the realistic way in which the story ends. I rather suspect that if this book were being written today, the parents would humor Leah and Harry, or they would find some way to rescue the carp. Here however, the realities of the day - this is a hard-working immigrant family in the early 20th century, with little money to spare, and a traditional view of certain animals being there to eat - drive the story. Leah's recollection, at the end of the book, that she and Harry never could bring themselves to eat gefilte fish, for the rest of their lives, provides a poignant conclusion to the tale, highlighting how formative of an experience it was, attempting to rescue that carp in the bathtub.
I found this one quite moving, and I appreciated the way in which it avoided moral judgment, or any effort to demonize Leah and Harry's parents. In addition to providing an engaging work of family fiction, it could be used with children to explore the realities of having loved ones either who do or do not eat animals. Although not divided into chapters, I would say it is on the beginning chapter-book level, suitable for readers ages seven to nine, and I would recommend it to children interested in family stories, or in historical fiction. show less
Leah and Harry Katz, the two Jewish siblings from Brooklyn who featured in author Barbara Cohen's Passover classic, The Carp in the Bathtub, return in this poignant short story about Yom Kippur. Tired of playing girls' games with his older sister and her friend Gertie, Harry makes a bet with Bernie Goldman, an older boy who lives in their apartment building: if he can fast the entire day of Yom Kippur, he can join the older boys in their games of stickball. Although initially begun because show more of this bet, Harry's first fast - and Leah's as well - ends up becoming far more meaningful, and they appreciate the beauty and purpose of the Yom Kippur services more than they ever had before...
I wasn't aware, when picking up First Fast, that it was the second book about these characters, or I would have read The Carp in the Bathtub first. That said, this was such an engaging story that I will definitely be tracking down its predecessor! Well told, with poignant moments that stand out, this is a perceptive story about the relations among children - between siblings, friends and neighbors - and it is also a story about the deeper spiritual meaning behind religious rituals. Many of us, I would imagine, attend church or temple on 'autopilot' sometimes, doing so because it is the custom, whether in our family or in our larger community. Cohen's story is a reminder that there is a deeper experience waiting for us in these observances, if we are open to it. As someone who has experienced those moments of epiphany, and not exclusively in church, someone who has felt that moment when the world both falls away and comes closer, when suddenly everything in creation seems related, and one feels like a small part of a vast whole, I was moved by the moment when Leah, who is the narrator of this tale, has a similar moment of connection, at the end of the services. It takes a writer of skill to capture such a delicate but powerful moment!
I loved pretty much everything about this short story, from the writing itself to the storytelling, from the depiction of those deeper currents of religious experience to the way in which the children of different faiths interact, in their street play. I realized, when finishing the book, that although I have enjoyed every book I have picked up by Cohen, from her Thanksgiving classic, Molly's Pilgrim, to her novelized retelling of the classic Iraqi folktale, Seven Daughters and Seven Sons, I haven't read that much of her. I certainly intend to rectify that soon! Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about Yom Kippur. Although this one has artwork, it is more of an illustrated short story, than a picture-book, so I'd recommend it to slightly older children, perhaps age seven through nine? show less
I wasn't aware, when picking up First Fast, that it was the second book about these characters, or I would have read The Carp in the Bathtub first. That said, this was such an engaging story that I will definitely be tracking down its predecessor! Well told, with poignant moments that stand out, this is a perceptive story about the relations among children - between siblings, friends and neighbors - and it is also a story about the deeper spiritual meaning behind religious rituals. Many of us, I would imagine, attend church or temple on 'autopilot' sometimes, doing so because it is the custom, whether in our family or in our larger community. Cohen's story is a reminder that there is a deeper experience waiting for us in these observances, if we are open to it. As someone who has experienced those moments of epiphany, and not exclusively in church, someone who has felt that moment when the world both falls away and comes closer, when suddenly everything in creation seems related, and one feels like a small part of a vast whole, I was moved by the moment when Leah, who is the narrator of this tale, has a similar moment of connection, at the end of the services. It takes a writer of skill to capture such a delicate but powerful moment!
I loved pretty much everything about this short story, from the writing itself to the storytelling, from the depiction of those deeper currents of religious experience to the way in which the children of different faiths interact, in their street play. I realized, when finishing the book, that although I have enjoyed every book I have picked up by Cohen, from her Thanksgiving classic, Molly's Pilgrim, to her novelized retelling of the classic Iraqi folktale, Seven Daughters and Seven Sons, I haven't read that much of her. I certainly intend to rectify that soon! Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about Yom Kippur. Although this one has artwork, it is more of an illustrated short story, than a picture-book, so I'd recommend it to slightly older children, perhaps age seven through nine? show less
The fourth of seven daughters, Buran grew into young womanhood keenly conscious of the fact that her gentle father, known throughout Baghdad as Abu al-Banat, or "the father of daughters," was considered unlucky to have had so many female children, but no son. Taught to read and write, and to play chess - unusual pursuits for a girl in the medieval Arab world - she had a sharp mind, and when her father grew ill, she convinced him to send her out into the world to make her fortune, just like show more her wealthy, male cousins. Eventually making her way to the coastal city of Tyre, Buran - now disguised as a young man named Nasir - succeeds in her goal, becoming a wealthy merchant, and the friend of Mahmud, the son of the Wali of Tyre. But is friendship enough for "Nasir" and Mahmud? And how will Buran fare when she meets her arrogant cousins again - the seven sons of her father's brother, who showed such contempt for her and her sisters, when they were still poor...?
Apparently based upon a well-known Iraqi folktale, first recorded in the eleventh century, Seven Daughters and Seven Sons is a story I have enjoyed reading many times, since first picking it up more than a decade ago. Although I did not first encounter it in youth, I suspect that if I had, I would have considered it a favorite. Told from alternating perspectives - first Buran's, then Mahmud's, then Buran's again - the story is immediately and lastingly engrossing, and although there are few surprises, it is ultimately quite satisfying to watch Buran succeed at her goal, and get her heart's desire as well. American author Barbara Cohen has produced many children's books, but her co-author, expatriate Iraqi Bahija Lovejoy, only ever produced this book, and a few others, which look to be non-fiction. I rather wish that this team had produced more - perhaps another tale based on Iraqi lore? However that may be, I'm grateful they did write Seven Daughters and Seven Sons, which I reread from time to time, when in need of a comfort read. Recommended to anyone looking for fiction based on folklore, or to those seeking children's fiction set in the Middle East and/or featuring strong girl characters. show less
Apparently based upon a well-known Iraqi folktale, first recorded in the eleventh century, Seven Daughters and Seven Sons is a story I have enjoyed reading many times, since first picking it up more than a decade ago. Although I did not first encounter it in youth, I suspect that if I had, I would have considered it a favorite. Told from alternating perspectives - first Buran's, then Mahmud's, then Buran's again - the story is immediately and lastingly engrossing, and although there are few surprises, it is ultimately quite satisfying to watch Buran succeed at her goal, and get her heart's desire as well. American author Barbara Cohen has produced many children's books, but her co-author, expatriate Iraqi Bahija Lovejoy, only ever produced this book, and a few others, which look to be non-fiction. I rather wish that this team had produced more - perhaps another tale based on Iraqi lore? However that may be, I'm grateful they did write Seven Daughters and Seven Sons, which I reread from time to time, when in need of a comfort read. Recommended to anyone looking for fiction based on folklore, or to those seeking children's fiction set in the Middle East and/or featuring strong girl characters. show less
Lists
1980s (1)
Autumn books (1)
Reading Rainbow (1)
Bullies (1)
Female Author (1)
Five star books (1)
Sonlight Books (1)
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 39
- Members
- 7,091
- Popularity
- #3,462
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 98
- ISBNs
- 156
- Languages
- 2
- Favorited
- 2
