Boy Who Stuck out His Tongue: A Yiddish Folk Tale by Edith Tarbescu, Judith Christine Mills (Illustrator), Judith Christine Mills (Illustrator)

Children's Literature

The widow's son is a naughty boy. When he is asked to help in the house, he sticks out his tongue and continues throwing snowballs. His mother retaliates by chasing him. This causes a fall against a wrought-iron fence. Now the boy's tongue is stuck to the cold metal. What can the mother do? She goes to the cobbler, the butcher, and the baker. No one knows what to do about a frozen tongue. Finally, the foolish townspeople decide to build a hut around the boy to keep him warm until they find a way to free him. This lighthearted Hungarian story will appeal to young readers. The boy's predicament is something that still happens to children in cold weather, particularly on the playground, making this a good winter tale for the classroom. The illustrations are full of snowflakes and colorful winter clothing. Each page is bordered with a brightly patterned, fringed scarf. The story comes from the oral tradition; the book flap says Tarbescu heard this tale from her Hungarian father. Yiddish humor, Chelm-like characters, and a tidy moral inhabit the story without overwhelming it. The story's strongest feature is the plot, and readers will stay tuned to find out how the boy's tongue is finally freed. 2000, Barefoot Books, Ages 4 to 8, $15.99. Reviewer: Jackie Hechtkopf—Children's Literature

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1-This retelling falls short of the mark with flat language and ill-fitting illustrations. In a Hungarian village, a young boy refuses to come in and light the stove for his mother, and sticks out his tongue. He falls down and his tongue sticks to an icy iron fence. A variety of bewildered townspeople try to help to no avail. "The woman looked from one to the other. Maybe it was true what people said; maybe this town was full of fools." Ultimately, the boy is freed, but not before he repents and changes his attitude. The story is slight, and the message is heavy-handed. Tarbescu's language is overly modern and entirely uninspired. "Promise, schmomise, I'm too busy." The acrylic illustrations are awkward at times; the boy is overly cute and the villagers are all pink-cheeked. While their simple, warm clothing is appropriate and the decorative carpetlike borders add interest, no amount of clever workmanship can make up for the lackluster text with its overstated moral. Stick with the wealth of Jewish folktales retold by authors such as Eric Kimmel and Isaac Singer.-Amy Lilien-Harper, Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Children's Book Watch

In The Boy Who Stuck Out His Tongue, Edith Tarbescu retells an old Yiddish folk tale about the son of a widow. When his mother asks him to light the fire He just sticks his tongue out at here. he would rather make snowballs than help with chores. But then sticking his tongue out gets him into a problematic situation. When this happens, all the folk of his little Hungarian village rally to his aid — and our young man learns an invaluable lesson. Judith Mills' colorful artwork is a perfect enhancement to Edith Tarbescu's engaging and entertaining story that will have young readers gleefully turning the pages, one after another!

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