A Sack Full of Feathers by Debby Waldman and Cindy Revell. Library Section 11 A: Pre-K, Religion and Character Building. Yankel, the son of the village store owner, loves to repeat stories he overhears as grown-ups visit one with another while shopping at the store. One day he spreads a rumor that harms another person.
Yankel’s rabbi has a solution for this bad habit. He gives Yankel a bag of feathers and commands him to place one feather on the doorstep of each house in the village. Though Yankel does not understand why he is given this task, nevertheless he completes it. The next day the rabbi tells Yankel to go and collect all the feathers. After a long, exhausting day, Yankel returns to the rabbi, reporting sadly that he has been unable to find a single feather.
“And so it is with the stories you spread, Yankele. Once you tell a story you can’t take it back. You cannot tell where it will go. Think of that the next time you want to tell a story, and make sure the story is yours.”
This excellent book demonstrates the dangers of gossip and the harm it can inflict. It’s a wonderful metaphor. I also like the way Yankel obeyed his rabbi even though he did not understand the meaning of the task. This is a lesson for us all. How many times has God assigned us a task or a challenge we consider burdensome or meaningless, or one with no reward? Yet when God calls us, we must obey, like Abraham did when God commanded him to sacrifice his son, Isaac.
The colorful folk art illustrations make this an appealing book about character building for our young children. I also love the intergenerational interaction. It’s a deceptively simple story with many levels of meaning. You don’t often find that in children’s literature, and when you do, you know you are holding a gem of a book in your hands. ( )

This is cute tale that relate to many of students of today. It would be great way to talk to students about the harm of extravagant stories (or gossip).

Reviewed by Me for Kids @ TeensReadToo.com

Yankel Liebovich has a very bad habit. Since his father owns the village store in Olkinik, he hears all kinds of stories every day. Unfortunately, Yankel doesn't usually hang around to hear the end of the tale. No, what Yankel hears are things that he knows the other school children will find funny, interesting, or horrifying--and those are the stories that Yankel tells daily.

He likes to brag about the fight between two women who were arguing over a piece of fabric at the store. "She's mean!" the other children comment. He likes to tell about how the baker used salt instead of sugar in his baked goods. "I'll never eat there again!" the other children say. For Yankel, finding a good story to share is more important than anything else; more important, perhaps, than the truth.

When the Rabbi sends Yankel on a mission to leave a feather at every home in the village, he does so without many questions. But when the Rabbi sends him back to those same homes, again, to retrieve that same feather, Yankel realizes the impossibility of his task. So, too, is it impossible to take back the stories that he likes to spread around Olkinik.

This is a great folktale that tells a very important lesson, although it might be one that is hard for younger children to understand at first. Once they truly grasp what gossip is, though, and how it can harm other people, they will learn, just like Yankel, that the only stories you should tell are your own. ( )

Young Yankel is a storyteller. He overhears bits of news at his father’s store and excitedly shares the gossip throughout the village. One day a wise rabbi gives Yankel a job; he is to put one feather on each doorstep in the village. Puzzled, Yankel willingly distributes the feathers even as gusts of wind send some flying. When the rabbi subsequently asks Yankel to collect all the feathers and return them to the sack, Yankel comes to understand the danger of gossip. A delightful folktale retold here with engaging illustrations and warmth.

On our list of Wonderful Canadian Picture Books
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