The Matzo Ball Boy (Picture Puffin Books)

Personal Response: I enjoyed this version of the Gingerbread boy. I also liked the inclusion of Yiddish words.
Curricular Connnections: This book could be read to Kindergarden class during Passover. Students could talk about the types of food they eat during holidays.

Cute. A good way to introduce children to Passover customs through a well-known story. Serve with Matzo Ball Soup for best results.

An odd Jewish tale where an old woman makes a matzo ball boy to keep her company. This is similar to the gingerbread boy story. The boy runs away from the grandmother but ends up in this couples house who seam to be missing something for their soup. There is good use of Yiddish words, which adds to

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introducing children to Passover. The illustrations for the story do a good job displaying an art form for the Jewish culture as well.

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This story is a Jewish take on the story of the gingerbread man. An old Jewish woman is lonely on her seder, so she makes a Matzo ball boy to keep her company. To her surprise, the boy comes to life. The woman chases him around town. Other members of the community follow her in her chase. A man

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finds him in the forest and invites him inside so that he won't be lonely for the seder celebration. The man lures the boy to the fireplace, causing him to feel drowsy. Tasting the soup, the boy falls in and is eaten. The author uses a variety of Jewish words, and she defines them within the text. This book gives a different outlook on a Jewish custom. I think she gives a lot of culture while keeping the book fun. I would definitely read this to second graders to give them a new perspective on a different culture.

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I really liked this book for a couple different reasons. First I enjoyed the writing in this story and found it to be engaging and creative. I liked that this was a spin off of the gingerbread man and enjoyed seeing all the comparisons. Additionally, I loved the illustrations in this story because

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I felt that they enhanced the story. I thought it was funny and helpful to see what the little matzo ball boy looked like and to look for him on each page. Overall, I believe that the main message of the story is that not every story will have a predictable ending. I think this is the main message because the story seemed that it was going to end in one way up until the very last page of the book.

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The Matzo Ball Boy, by Lisa Shulman, was another cute story that was created as a spin off from "The Gingerbread Man." One reason why I really enjoyed this book was the illustrations. I thought they were very fitting for the story because they were fun and silly just like the idea of a boy being

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made out of Matzo balls and running away. I also liked the multicultural aspect of it. The book is a representation of Jewish culture and traditions as it describes the Jewish holiday, Passover. The big idea of this book is someones desire for freedom and how it is never easy to obtain.

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An old bubbe (the Yiddush name for grandmother) is cooking for Passover Seder, and creates a Matzo Ball Boy to keep her company. She opens the pot too early, and he jumps out to run away! This book is a spin off of the typical gingerbread story, and as a teacher you can read both tales during the

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holiday time! This story is a cute and entertaining twist on a familiar old tale. The illustrations in the story paired perfectly with the text and were silly and entertaining. I also loved how the author used a variety of Jewish terms but proceeded to define them within the text. This is beneficial for students who are not of the Jewish religion. I was also drawn to this book personally because Matzo ball soup is one of my favorite meals! The main idea of this book is to teach children about Jewish culture in a fun and engaging way.

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A fantastic Jewish tale that mimics that of the classic gingerbread story. The Matzo Ball Boy goes on quite an adventure with a number of others trying to catch him, but he touts, "Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me. I'm the matzo ball man!" The ending just might catch you by

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surprise. A helpful author's note follows the tale to detail Passover, the Jewish holiday that the story is centered around which includes a description of matzo balls. This author's note also include a helpful glossary of each Jewish term utilized throughout the story. The illustrations are the perfect complement to the author's work providing added emotion and value to the story. This would be a great text to use with students grades 2-5. It could be used as a paired reading selection in a social studies lesson on Jewish customs. Another curricular connection would be language arts where this tale along with the traditional gingerbread man story could be used to facilitate a lesson on compare and contrast.

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