Memories of Babi / Aranka Siegal.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780374399788
- ISBN: 0374399786
- Physical Description: p. ; cm.
- Edition: 1st ed.
- Publisher: New York : Farrar Straus Giroux, 2008.
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Available copies
- 3 of 3 copies available at Bibliomation. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Slater Public Library - Griswold.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 3 total copies.
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Slater Public Library - Griswold | JF SIE (Text) | 31252140653080 | Juvenile Fiction | Available | - |
Electronic resources
http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0715/2007007002.html
- Table of contents only
Kirkus Review
Memories of Babi
Kirkus Reviews
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
In a testament to her childhood summertime visits with her Ukrainian grandmother in the pre-World War II Carpathian Mountains, Siegal weaves several stories of country village life. The tales concern everyday homely topics, such as farming, chicken-plucking, mushroom-hunting, superstitions, cooking and the annual communal making of Lekvar, a traditional prune spread. Throughout, the sometimes foreboding, sometimes humorous and endearing vignettes weave themes encompassing the Jewish values of kindness, generosity, honesty and aid to the less fortunate. Siegal also addresses, for a wondering child, life's certainty of death in a final piece she entitles "Yahrzeit," after the Jewish anniversary of a loved-one's death. Her subtle messages, couched in a readable text offering plenty of dialogue and description, provide small nuggets to contemplate and enjoy. The concept that yesterday's good, honorable life contains meaning for today remains paramount. (recipes) (Short stories. 8-10) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
BookList Review
Memories of Babi
Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Siegal's Newbery Honor Book Upon the Head of a Goat (1981) is about her childhood in Hungary as Hitler comes to power. In this follow-up, written in nine wry sketches, she remembers the years before that especially her close relationship with her Jewish grandmother, who lived on a small farm just across the Hungarian border in Ukraine. She recalls some political and personal tension and an undercurrent of anti-Semitism, but what stands out most are the daily things: spinning thread, making chicken soup and challah, and hearing occasionally ghoulish stories and homilies (better to try and help rather than just watch someone in trouble). Although the nostalgia seems more attuned to adults than kids, fans of the Little House books will like Siegal's warm descriptions of work, home, and faith; they will also appreciate the picture of Siegal's loving grandmother-mentor ( I still hear her voice in my mind ).--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2007 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Memories of Babi
School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Gr 4-7-It takes an eloquent weaver of words to entice readers into the world of rural, pre-World War II Ukraine, and Siegal does just that in these nine exquisite tales. Youngsters visit Babi's farm and the town of Komjaty, seeing it through the eyes of young Aranka, who spent summers there with her grandmother. The beauty of the countryside comes through, but so does the anti-Semitism, the superstitions, and the poverty. The stories and the lessons learned resonate as the character and readers discover life in the Carpathian Mountains together. The love between grandmother and granddaughter especially shines through as Siegal retells the lessons that she asserts have become even more meaningful to her in the intervening years.-Ernie Bond, Salisbury University, MD (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
The Horn Book Review
Memories of Babi
The Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(Intermediate, Middle School) To shape private autobiographical episodes into stories with public appeal is challenging enough, but it becomes even more so if the adult writer intends to engage children who have little knowledge of history and even less patience with nostalgia. Siegal has conjured something of a marvel, then, with these nine stories recalling summers spent with her grandmother on a Ukrainian farm in the Carpathian Mountains, just across the border from her home in Hungary. Those who remember the harrowing trials of Piri and her family in Siegal's Newbery Honor-winning Upon the Head of the Goat will find a completely different tone permeating this pre-Holocaust setting. Piri's experiences here have to do with a local robbery, the rescue of a disabled woman from bullies, fear of graveyard ghosts, and activities such as cooking, mushroom hunting, and feather plucking. Though there is tension between Christians and Jews, it is not until the last paragraph in the book that we learn of Babi's fate at the hands of the Nazis, which Siegal's restraint makes all the more poignant. Most notable is the author's ability to project characters vividly, to write simply without condescension, and to interweave themes without preaching. An introduction sets the scene with selectively strong detail, and the book closes with recipes for some of the foods described.From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.