Shlemiel Crooks

by Anna Olswanger

Book Overview

A finalist for the Koret International Jewish Book Award

"In the middle of the night on a Thursday, two crooks--onions should grow in their navels--drove their horse and wagon to the saloon of Reb Elias Olschwanger, at the corner of 14th and Carr streets in St. Louis. This didn't happen yesterday. It was 1919." So begins Anna Olswanger's charming folktale Shlemiel Crooks, the story of Reb Elias and the thieves who try to steal...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 158838165X
• ISBN13: 9781588381651
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: NewSouth Books
• Length: 36 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.9" x 10.7"
• Age Range: 7 to 10 years
• Grade Range: Grades 2 to 5

Customer Reviews

A charmer on many levels

From the Yiddish-inflected narration to the happy ending, this book is a gem. It's a story about Passover, a story about St. Louis, and an interesting bit of Jewish American History. Paula Goodman Koz's illustrations are a perfect complement to Anna Olswanger's fun and compelling story.

Review of "Shlemiel Crooks" by Anna Olswanger

There is music in the story. One can clearly visualize the story and the characters. I loved it. Thanks.

Funny as all getout!

Beautifully illustrated and wonderfully written, just full of charm. Very inventive and sure to please. A wonderful way to entertain your child and introduce them to the Yiddish venacular...hilarious and heartwarming all at once!

No luck, except for readers

Here's a delightful story, based on a true event, of the theft of a wagon load of Passover wine from a little Jewish grocer in Cincinatti in 1919. In case you didn't know, a shelmiel is a luckless and inept fool, lacking enough sense even to change himself (however slightly) for the better. But the reader of this book will have a lot of luck, even if the chief culprits have none. Besides from offering a great story, this beautifully illustrated picture book is a good reminder of the historical presence of Jewish Americans throughout the U.S., in many capacities. It's been a while since I bought any new picture books, but if I were still buying them, this one would definitely be on my list.

Wonderful!

A delightful book in every way. Lyrically written and lavishly illustrated, Shlemiel Crooks weaves together the Passover story, old St. Louis and gentle humor to produce a "read it again" story.