Someone for Mr. Sussmann
Grade 2–5—Jerome's stylish grandmother is a successful matchmaker with dozens of happy clients, the exception being Mr. Sussman. Jerome thinks that the man is too picky, but Bubbie is convinced that she can find him the perfect woman. "No pot is so crooked that there isn't a lid to fit it," she says. In fact, she decides that she's his match and makes drastic changes to prove it, to no avail. Finally, after giving up on trying to please Mr. Sussman, Bubbie ends up with exactly what she wanted all along. While the lengths to which she goes to win Mr. Sussman's affection are humorous, the story's theme may have little appeal to the elementary crowd. The narrative strikes the right note at the end with the message of staying true to oneself, but readers may lose interest getting there. Polacco's characteristic pencil and watercolor illustrations seem less polished than in her many other finely detailed and crafted offerings. Sprinkled throughout are Yiddish words and references to Jewish traditions.—Beth Cuddy, Seward Elementary School, Auburn, NYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.