The Wise Shoemaker of Studena
Ages 5-8. Renowned storyteller Lieberman spins an uproarious yet meaningful tale in his first picture book. Although Yossi is a fine shoemaker, people also come to his shop in a tiny Hungarian village seeking his sage advice. So respected is Yossi's wisdom that Samuel, a wealthy merchant, invites the humble shoemaker to his daughter's wedding. But when Yossi arrives at the wedding in his worn and accidentally soiled clothes, Samuel mistakes him for a beggar and rudely shows him out. However, with the assistance of another wealthy man, Yossi returns to the wedding dressed in the very finest. This time Samuel welcomes Yossi but becomes horrified by the shoemaker's behavior: he smears sauerkraut on his sleeve and smashes apple strudel against his silk shirt, outrageous actions intended to teach Samuel a much-needed lesson about judging people by their appearance. Lemelman's luminously colored art has a TV-animation slickness that will appeal to children. A hilarious, well-told tale for reading aloud or sharing one-on-one.Ellen Mandel