Butterflies Under Our Hats
Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, Author
Joani Keller Rothenberg, Illustrator
ISBN 1-55725-474-5
Hardcover/Dustjacket
Paraclete Press, Publisher
Retail price: $16.95
From the book’s dustjacket endflap:
“Once there was a town called Chelm where there was no luck. If something could go wrong, it did. The roofs of the houses always leaked. The sidewalks were cracked. The gardens grew only weeds. Nothing was ever right.” So begins Sandy Eisenberg Sasso in this charming, original story inspired bya Jewish folktale.
The people of Chelm look everywhere in attempts to regain their luck. “They looked everywhere—in beds and in pickle barrels, in water wells and wicker baskets.
The people sighed resignation. They gave up. They stopped building houses, repairing sidewalks, and planting gardens. But a strange and mysterious woman, multitudes of hats, and the grace of unexpected butterflies combine to return to the people of Chelm what they had long ago lost.
Through her remarkable storytelling, Sandy Sasso has created another classic for reading and discussing with our children.
Babamarusia’s Review
This story confused me. It was written by a rabbi who has a doctor of ministry from a Christian seminary. In this town of Chelm the people have no luck and so give up. A woman with red hair and green eyes appears one day and tells them there is something better, which is hope. Using butterflies and a substance that resembles powder that is left when they fly off, Sasso shows that hope is better than luck.
I agree with that—hope is better than luck. But where is the hope pointing? There is no mention of God. Perhaps this is an allegory about the Holy Spirit? Whatever the hope, which is better than luck, may be—why does a woman with red hair and green eyes announce its coming?
The illustrations appear to be photographs of oil-on-canvas paintings. I found the illustrations to represent this town with no luck quite well. I have no art-training, and prefer to make no further comment.
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