Feivel's Flying Horses

February 15, 2010
The team responsible for Mendel's Accordion
(2007) again shines a light on a small but significant corner of the late 19th-century Jewish immigrant experience. Feivel, like many immigrants, has come to America alone, with dreams of making enough money to send for his family to follow. In the Old Country, Feivel carved magnificent arks for synagogues; on the Lower East Side, his talent is put to more prosaic use, creating furniture and the occasional ladies' comb. But on a trip to Coney Island, Feivel discovers a new calling as a carver of carousel horses (a historical note offers information about Feivel's real-life counterparts). One could argue that Hyde and van der Sterre put too much gloss on the immigrant experience: readers get little sense of Feivel's inner life, and the ink and watercolor pictures make the Lower East Side and Coney Island look like they've been subjected to a Jewish mother's relentless scrubbing. But once the story shifts to the carousel workshop, and the elaborate, lyrical horses take center stage, the redemptive powers of faith, family, and creativity coalesce into a touching tale. Ages 5–9.

May 1, 2010
Gr 1-3-As the chief apprentice in Mr. Nathanson's Coney Island carousel shop, Feivel lovingly remembers his wife and children in the old country as he designs and carves wooden horses. He creates a glorious horse with a long, golden mane for his wife, Goldie; a proud, regal beast for his eldest son, Hershel; a gentle creature whose bridle is etched with deer for his son Shmuel; a lively and graceful horse adorned with flowers and ribbons for his daughter Sasha; and a beautiful pony ornamented with hundreds of glittering glass jewels for his baby, Lena. By the time the carousel is complete, Fievel has earned enough money to bring his family to America. When they are finally reunited, the happy family rides the carousel together. The historical note details the contributions of eastern European Jewish immigrants, once wood carvers of synagogue arks and Torah scrolls, who used their talent to create magnificent carousel horses enjoyed by generations of children. Watercolor illustrations with ink lines illustrate the immigrant experience on New York's Lower East Side in the late 1800s and help bring to life the magic of Coney Island. Like this team's "Mendel's Accordion" (Lerner, 2007), this story celebrates the richness of the Jewish American experience."Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2010
Grades K-3 The team who created Mendels Accordion (2007) offers another historical picture book celebrating the Jewish immigrant experience. Feivel leaves his wife and four children behind in the Old Country when he comes to New York. A wood carver by trade, he is hired to create carousel horses for a Coney Island amusement park. Thinking of the family he has left behind, Feivel fashions steeds for his wife and children, inscribing each masterpiece with a name. Van der Sterres ink-and-watercolor illustrations offer a pleasantly nostalgic look at life in New Yorks Lower East Side and Brooklyns Coney Island during the late 1800s. The scenes are rich with street details and the beautifully crafted horses. An appended note explains about several real eastern European Jewish synagogue ark carvers who found work in the U.S. as carousel carvers. Slightly older audiences will also enjoy Deborah Lee Roses The Rose Horse (1995), which touches on the carousel carvers and is set in Coney Islands Jewish community of the early twentieth century.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2010
When Feivel the woodcarver immigrates to America, he finds a job fashioning wooden carousel horses. To assuage his anguish over leaving his family behind, he imbues each creature with characteristics of one of his loved ones. Watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations complement a text that presents more a picture of the past than the development of a character or story.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)