Bitter and sweet / Sandra V. Feder ; pictures by Kyrsten Brooker.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781554989959
- ISBN: 1554989957
- Physical Description: 1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 26 cm
- Publisher: Toronto [Ontario] : Goundwood Books, House of Anansi Press, 2018.
Content descriptions
Summary, etc.: | Despite her grandmother's wise words about how moving to a new place can be both bitter and sweet, Hannah feels only bitterness as she tries to get used to her new house. But when she sees the new home in the soft light of the Shabbat candles and a new friend reaches out with a special gift, Hannah begins to realize that sweetness can come from unexpected places. Includes author's note about Jewish traditions. "When Hannah's family has to move, her grandmother tells her how she felt leaving the old country--it was both bitter and sweet. As Hannah leaves her friends behind and tries to get used to a new house, she only feels bitterness. Was her grandmother wrong about the sweetness? Hannah starts to feel better about the move when she sees her new house in the soft light of the Shabbat candles. When a new friend reaches out with a special gift, Hannah realizes that sweetness can come from unexpected places and that she can even create some herself."-- Provided by publisher. |
Search for related items by subject
Genre: | Picture books. |
Available copies
- 7 of 7 copies available at Bibliomation.
- 1 of 1 copy available at Jonathan Trumbull Library - Lebanon. (Show)
Holds
- 0 current holds with 7 total copies.
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jonathan Trumbull Library - Lebanon | JPIC FEDER (Text) | 33430141181446 | Juvenile Picture Book | Available | - |
Black Rock Branch - Bridgeport | jj FEDER (Text) | 34000081483471 | Juvenile Picture Book | Available | - |
East Side Branch - Bridgeport | jj FEDER (Text) | 34000081436966 | Juvenile Picture Book | Available | - |
North Branch - Bridgeport | jj FEDER (Text) | 34000081408585 | Juvenile Picture Book | Available | - |
Ridgefield Library | JPB Feder (Text) | 34010143710670 | Juvenile Picture Book | Available | - |
Silas Bronson Library - Waterbury | JP FEDER, S (Text) | 34005145469960 | Juvenile Picture Book | Available | - |
Weston Public Library | E FEDER (Text) | 34053143826328 | Easy | Available | - |
The Horn Book Review
Bitter and Sweet
The Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Hannah is upset because she must move to a new town. As her grandmother describes her own move long ago, a striking oil-paint and collage spread shows a Jewish family from Europe being welcomed by Canadian relatives; "Definitely some bitter but even more sweet," she tells Hannah. An afterword explains the symbolism of bitter and sweet in Jewish tradition, but the feelings about moving are universal. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Bitter and Sweet
Kirkus Reviews
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Little things matter.Many classic children's books are shaped around very small, very important moments, and at first Feder's story might not seem to fit that pattern. This picture book is about a big life change: Hannah is leaving all her friends to move to a new neighborhood. Her grandmother promises her it will be "definitely some bitter but even more sweet." The story is told through tiny, poignant details. Hannah sees everything she owns packed onto a big truck; she watches her home "disappear from sight" through the window of a car. These moments don't always have the impact they should, and the final pages of the book feel almost anticlimactic: Hannah's new neighbor Maya offers her some hot chocolate. And, in fact, the chocolate turns out to be bitter. But Hannah discovers that, when she adds sugar to the powder, it's delicious. The last few lines of the book are poetic. Hannah tells her grandmother, "I thought it was only bitter here," and when her grandmother asks if she's found "the sweet," Hannah says, "You can't just find it. You have to add it yourself." Nothing else in the book quite reaches that level of beauty, though Brooker's illustrations are a marvel. Her collages seamlessly blend the most basic geometric shapescircles for headswith ultra-detailed photographs and are populated with mostly light-skinned characters. Hannah's family is Jewish.Some of the small, important moments feel smaller than necessary, but the last scene is a tiny, perfect gem. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
BookList Review
Bitter and Sweet
Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
*Starred Review* Hannah's family is moving to a new town. Though she's sad to leave her house and friends, her grandmother tells her that every change has nice parts and hard parts. Recalling her childhood journey from the old country, Grandma says, Definitely some bitter but even more sweet. When Maya, a girl on her new block, gives Hannah a bag of cocoa powder, it cheers her up. But mixed with hot milk, it tastes bitter! The next day, Maya tells her to add sugar, and soon they're drinking hot chocolate together. Calling Grandma that night, Hannah explains that when you find only the bitter, you must add the sweet yourself. The bitter-sweet dichotomy runs throughout the story, tying the ups and downs of Hannah's emotions to her grandmother's experiences and advice. An appended note connects it with Jewish traditional practices and wisdom as well. While telling a familiar story about the difficulties of moving, the quietly expressive text offers a clear view of Hannah's emotions and a hopeful, yet practical perspective on making things better. Brooker contributes a series of richly detailed collages incorporating oil-painted, printed, and photographed elements into complex, dynamic illustrations. This insightful picture book sensitively portrays Hannah's sadness and her return to equilibrium.--Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2018 Booklist