05/25/2015
Fields (Burro’s Tortillas) and Melmon (Baby Wants Mama) present a pay-it-forward story that shows how one kind action—sharing some fresh-picked mulberries with an elderly neighbor, for instance—can turn an unfriendly neighborhood into one overflowing with generosity. As Fields introduces the residents of Lancaster Street, she uses repetition to emphasize how each of them almost unconsciously realizes how they can help someone in need. “Then she had a thought she’d never thought before,” she writes of Mrs. Thompson, the recipient of the mulberries, who gives one of the pies she bakes with the berries to Mr. Riley next door. He helps retrieve a basketball from the roof of a garage, the young basketball players call time-out to rake the leaves of a neighbor who’s on crutches, and so on. Playing into the idea that Lancaster Street “seemed dark and gloomy” even on sunny days, Melmon shows the neighborhood literally brightening with each page turn. A closing reference to these deeds as mitzvahs is the only religious element in the story—it’s clear that these actions cross all backgrounds and belief systems. Ages 3–8. (Aug.)

"A recommended purchase for Judaic collections and others." — School Library Journal

2015-05-18
When Jake spontaneously decides to give some handpicked mulberries to the old woman next door, he begins a chain of "pay-it-forward" events in his neighborhood. First, readers view a double-page spread of Lancaster Street, seen from the vantage point of a mulberry-tree branch, with neat lawns and well-kept pets but no humans. "Even on sunny days, Lancaster Street seemed dark and gloomy. Neighbors did not smile at each other…or talk to each other…or help each other." Bright flowers and nesting birds belie the supposed gloom, but the streets are certainly empty of people. The next page shows Jake in the tree. His mulberry mitzvah—declared so and defined as a good deed at book's end—inspires Mrs. Thompson to bake a pie for Mr. Riley, and Mr. Riley to retrieve two boys' roof-bound ball, and so on. The simple art is colorful but not memorable. Attempted multiculturalism feels strained: the one child of color wears basketball garb, and the probably-Asian-American Mr. Lee is a computer expert. This is a good read-aloud for young children, as the art is benign and the text includes a pleasing repetition of reactions from neighbors, who are always "surprised" and "delighted" by the kindness bestowed upon them. Another positive touch: the succinct back story about the derivation of the word "mitzvah." A sweet plug for random acts of kindness. (Picture book. 3-5)