The Yankee at the Seder

by Elka Weber

Book Overview

The war is over, and everyone is saying the South lost. Ten-year-old Jacob would give anything to show those Yankees that not all Confederates are ready to surrender. He gets his chance when he sees a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1582464316
• ISBN13: 9781582464312
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Random House
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Very well-written

An unusual Passover story, told with humor and suspense. The language flows and the theme of liberty will elicit discussions about the role of Southern Jews in the Civil War. I've heard the author speak about her research behind the book, and I was impressed.

A winner, makes a great gift

You don't have to be Jewish or a child to enjoy this book. So far we've shared this book with several very different families and they all loved it. It's a sensitive tale, well illustrated, with believable characters and it rings authentic. I wouldn't recommend it for toddlers, but anyone from age 6 and up can appreciate the story. I especially liked that the story's ending is uplifting without being sappy, which is no mean feat.

Great Pesach book for a whole year.

My kids (4 - 8) really enjoyed the story and the beautiful illustrations. It led to very interesting discussions with the older children as well. It brought out certain themes very well; different perspectives to the same conflict (Civil War), slavery, freedom. Altogether a very enjoyable & enlightening read.

We loved this book!

I was actually buying a copy for friends after reading the great review it got in Publisher's Weekly. Since we are not Jewish, I thought the theme might be too confusing for my young daughters. But when we got it, we couldn't help but have a look inside - the illustrations were beautiful and the story kept us all enthralled to the very end. As it turns out, this is really a universal story about family, traditions, and, most importantly, acceptance; perfect for children of any background. The fact that it was true made it even better. Now I have to buy another copy for my friends, because we're keeping this one!

Great story!

I was captivated by Elka Weber's story of a boy who survived the Civil War in the Confederacy, and must now allow a hated Yankee soldier on his long walk home to join his family's seder. It's a story for Passover, but also for the rest of the year, since it's about war, forgiveness, generosity, family, and even a saber. The fact that it's based on a true story is amazing. Children can learn a lot from this book about the Civil War and Passover, but they will also be entertained by the strong characters and entertaining story. Adam Gustavson's oil paintings add to the vivid sense of time and place.