Esther's Gragger

Title:  Esther’s Gragger

Author:  Martha Seif Simpson

Illustrations: D. Yael Bernhard

Publisher:  Wisdom Tales Press

ISBN:   9781937786755

What is Purim?

Purim is the most joyous day in the Jewish calendar, celebrating the defeat of Haman, one of the most evil and vicious antagonists in all of human history, as recorded in the biblical book of Esther. 

Review:

It’s almost Purim and a small village was preparing for the celebration. A peddler had made plenty of gragger’s or noisemakers, that looked like various Purim heroes, biblical scenes and even one that looked like Queen Esther. The shopkeeper was annoyed by all of the children sampling graggers because they were so noisy. One little boy stopped by to purchase a Queen Esther gragger for his sister but was short the money and asked if the shopkeeper would hold it for him, and he said yes. Another boy came into the shop and demanded to purchase the gragger, but the shopkeeper denied him because of his rudeness. The next day the boy and his sister Esther bought the gagger and were very happy. Again, the rude boy is taunting them and attempting to take the gagger from them. What do you think happened next?

The story of the Purim celebration is about standing up to evil. In this story young readers will see a community stand up against bullying. Large print and basic sentence structure make this a perfect read for beginners. Colorful illustrations depict a lively community in celebration of the holiday. Parents and teachers can use this as a tool to teach tolerance. The back pages share the Purim tradition and how to make a gragger.

Courtesy of Wisdom Tales Press