Review: Seven Good Years
Seven Good Years: A Yiddish Folktale by Shoham Smith, illustrated by Eitan Eloa, translated by Ilana Kurshan Kalaniot Books (imprint of Endless Mountains Publishing), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Suzanne Grossman Buy at Bookshop.org The proverb from Pirkei Avot, “Who is wealthy? One who is content with what he has,” is brought to life in this cozy portrayal of Jewish life in Eastern Europe. This is a child-friendly adaptation of a story by Isaac Peretz, first published in the early 1900’s. Poor Tuvia meets a stranger who offers him enough gold to last seven years. After he and his wife agree to accept the gift they enjoy seven bountiful years. But when the stranger returns, Tuvia and his family are still wearing their raggedy clothing and living in their ramshackle hut. The stranger asks why Tuvia hasn’t spent all the gold. Tuvia replies that they spent what they needed to educate their children but had no need for anything else. They were satisfied with meeting their simples...