A Big Quiet House is a Yiddish folktale which derived from Eastern Europe. Yiddish is a type of Hebrew slang spoken by the Jews. It is a mixture of German, Polish, Russian, and Hebrew. Although most of the Yiddish communities in Eastern Europe were destroyed during WWII, the elders have passed down some of their culture by telling the folktales. The author, Heather Forest, has published this folktale that she heard as a child from her immigrant relatives, to share and preserve her culture.
This book would be a valuable contribution to a social studies lesson focusing on Jewish history and culture. Also, the dialogue between the characters is spoken in a rhyming fashion which assists readers with fluency. The repetitive characteristic of the story is great for having students predict what will happen next, and for joining in during shared reading. The illustrations by Susan Greenstein really embrace the feeling of another time and culture in a far away place. Many of the pictures include the star of David, a menorah, or hebrew writing.
A Big Quiet House is a story with an important lesson. A man lives in a small house with his wife and children. He can not sleep with his snoring wife next to him and giggling kids in ear shot. The man decides to seek the advice of the village's old wise woman. After several visits to her, a house full of farm animals, and more sleepless nights, she finally gives the man her last suggestion. It is then that he realizes that he should not complain and be ungrateful because things could always be worse. Among the many ways this book can be implemented into a lesson, it teaches the children a very valuable lesson through an amusing story.
This book is suitable for grades 3-5.
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