A Big Quiet House Contributor(s): Forest, Heather (Author), Greenstein, Susan (Illustrator) |
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ISBN: 0874836042 ISBN-13: 9780874836042 Publisher: August House Publishers OUR PRICE: $8.06 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: December 2005 Annotation: There once was a man whose house was very small. It was cluttered with things from wall to wall. With a tiny, cluttered house, giggling children, and a snoring wife, the poor man in this story can't get a good night's sleep. If only, he thinks, I had a big, quiet house! He throws off his covers and goes to visit the wise old woman at the edge of the village. Surely she can help him solve his problem. And she does, but not without giving him some very nonsensical advice. "Bring a chicken into your house", she suggests. And when that doesn't work, she has him add a goat, a horse, a cow, and a sheep. The ending of the story proves, as so many ancient folktales do, that quite often, nonsense makes the best sense of all. Susan Greenstein's bold illustrations -- white pencil on black surface with watercolor -- carry the reader through the warm interiors and peaceful nights of the shtetls of Eastern Europe. |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Juvenile Fiction | Fairy Tales & Folklore - Country & Ethnic - General - Juvenile Fiction | Lifestyles - Country Life - Juvenile Fiction | Religious - Jewish |
Dewey: E |
LCCN: 95053739 |
Lexile Measure: 770 |
Physical Information: 0.12" H x 8.53" W x 11.02" (0.30 lbs) 32 pages |
Themes: - Cultural Region - Eastern Europe - Ethnic Orientation - Jewish |
Accelerated Reader Info |
Quiz #: 65694 Reading Level: 3.3 Interest Level: Lower Grades Point Value: 0.5 |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: It is the man who changes, and the world he perceives is transformed. With a tiny, cluttered house, giggling children, and a snoring wife, one man can't get a good night's sleep. "If only," he thinks, "I had a big quiet house " He throws off his covers and decides to visit the wise old woman at the edge of the village. Surely she can help him solve his problem and she does, but not without giving him some very unusual advice.The woman convinces the man to fill his house with rambling animals, none of which cure his sleeping problem. Until one day, the man takes the animals back to where they belong, and he welcomes the rhythmic sound of his wife's snoring. This ancient Yiddish folktale proves that quite often, nonsense makes the best sense of all. Susan Greenstein's bold illustrations--white pencil on black surface with watercolor - carry the reader through the warm interiors and peaceful nights of the shtetls of Eastern Europe. This story highlights the importance of perspective. Everyone has problems, however attitude can dramatically affect perception. It is the man who changes, and the world he perceives is transformed. |