The rabbi of Nemirov is a miracle worker. He disappears on the days before Rosh Hashanah and goes right up to heaven to plead with God to grant luck and good fortune for the coming year. So say the people of Nemirov. But a newcomer to town doesn’t believe it. Wherever the rabbi goes, he insists, it isn’t heaven.
Where then does the rabbi go? He’ll track him down to find out.
This classic story by the great Jewish writer, I.L. Peretz, has been one of Eric’s favorites since as long as he can remember. Perhaps the real miracle is that there aren’t any miracles. We don’t really need them. Charity and kindness are enough to save the world.
Harry Houdini, the great magician and escape artist, was once Ehrich Weiss, a boy growing up in Appleton, Wisconsin. A trip to the circus inspired Ehri—or Harry—with a taste for the spotlight. If Harry was going to be a star performer, he needed an act. What could be more thrilling than walking a tightrope? The problem was, neither Harry nor his brother Dash knew how to do it.
Harry was sure they could figure it out—if they didn’t break their necks first.
*A Spotlight for Harry* is based on real episodes from the life of Harry Houdini. In writing the story, Eric learned how to pick locks. Lock picking was one of Harry Houdini’s skills. He also learned about tightrope walking. Unlike Harry, however, he didn’t actually attempt it himself. Eric was happy to sit at his desk and let Harry and Dash have the spotlight.
Hayyim’s Ghost
Poor Hayyim thinks he’s dead. At least, that’s what everybody tells him. Is it really so — or is it part of greedy Bayla Esther’s trick to cheat the local burial society?
Eric found it hard to keep from laughing as he wrote this tale. Funerals have seldom been so funny. Illustrator Ari Binus’s poor shlemiel Hayyim is a perfect foil for his terrifying Bayla Esther.
Wonders and Miracles: A Passover Companion
Wonders and Miracles is Eric’s newest book, a dream-come-true for him and his editor, Dianne Hess, at Scholastic. The book was seven years in the making.
The project started with the goal of making the Passover Seder accessible and comprehensible to people of all ages and all backgrounds. Wonders and Miracles explores the history and lore of Passover, spiced with plenty of songs, stories, and recipes.
The best part of the book is the artwork. Eric’s editor Dianne tracked down illustrations going back to ancient Egypt. Most exciting are the illuminations taken from medieval Haggadahs, gloriously reproduced in full color.
Wonders and Miracles has received starred reviews from all the major publishing journals and is already in its third printing. We have never been as proud of a book as we are of this one. We hope it will be a part of every family’s Passover Seder for years to come.
The Brass Serpent
This biblical legend is at least two thousand years old. It tells the story of how the frightful snakes of the desert tried to stop the Israelites from entering the land of Canaan. What can kill can also heal. In answer to Moses’s prayers, God commands him to make a brass serpent which then comes to life. The miraculous serpent has the power to save the dying-if they have hope and continue to believe.
Eric has always liked this story because he likes snakes. It also teaches an important lesson. Miracles happen to those who believe in them.
Why the Snake Crawls on Its Belly
This story is at least 2,000 years old. It is a midrash about the Garden of Eden. Midrashim are Hebrew legends that explain or expand stories in the Bible. This particular legend was told to Eric by Yaacov Peterseil, who is the publisher of Pitspopany Books. This has always been one of Yaacov’s favorite stories. Eric liked it, too, because he likes snakes.
In the Mouth of the Wolf
This is one of Eric’s earliest books, and one of which he is proudest. He wrote it with his friend, Rose Zar, of South Bend, Indiana. The book tells the story of Rose’s experiences in Occupied Poland during the Holocaust. A set of false papers allowed her to pass as a Polish young woman. Each chapter is a different adventure, each more exciting than the previous one. The most incredible part of the story is when Rose finds a job working as a nursemaid for the wife of the SS commandant of Krakow.
Rose passed away in 2001. Eric hopes that this book will be a tribute to her memory and to her amazing courage.
When Mindy Saved Hanukkah
There may be no Hanukkah celebration for the Klein family, now that there is a cat in the synagogue. Can Mindy find the blue candle and bring it home? What if the cat finds her first?
Eric’s editor Dianne Hess suggested the idea for this story. Dianne wanted a Hanukkah story about little people. They discussed some ideas over lunch in New Orleans and wrote a plot outline on a napkin. By the time the meal was over, they had a story. Barbara McClintock created charming 1900 illustrations for the book. The biggest problem was drawing a lulav. What is a lulav? Dianne and Eric discovered it’s not an easy thing to explain to someone who has never seen one.
The Eldridge Street Synagogue is a real place. Click on www.eldridgestreet.org to learn more about it.
The Magic Dreidels
Jacob accidentally drops his new brass dreidel into the well. The friendly goblin who lives at the bottom gives him a magic one. Nosy Fruma Sarah keeps stealing Jacob’s magic dreidels before he gets them home. Once Jacob figures out the trick, he prepares a surprise to get the dreidels back and teach Fruma Sarah a lesson.
Eric retold one of his favorite stories in Grimm’s Fairy Tales, The Table, The Donkey, and the Stick, as a Hanukkah story. Eric loves to experiment with stories; moving them around to different cultures, different locations to see what might happen. Artist Katya Krenina created glowing illustrations for this story. She is working on another with Eric called The Castle of the Cats.
ZigaZak!
Two devils are loose in the town of Brisk. Can anyone stop them from turning Hanukkah into a disaster?
A classic Russian novel, Michael Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita, inspired this story. Artist Jon Goodell created perfect illustrations that are both eerie and fun. It wasn’t easy for him. He had to call up Eric for help. When Eric asked what the problem was, Jon replied, "Come on, Eric! You know what the problem is! I’m a Baptist boy from Norman, Oklahoma. I don’t know what these people are supposed to look like." They both had a good laugh over that. Eric sent John a book of photographs from the period to give Jon ideas about the clothing, houses, and details of life in Eastern Europe. Jon did just fine!
Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins
A Hanukkah classic, with superb illustrations by acclaimed artist Trina Schart Hyman. Is Hershel of Ostropol clever enough to fool the King of the Goblins and save Hanukkah?
Eric considers this book to be one of the best he’s ever written. "I never liked most Hanukkah stories when I was growing up," he says. "They were dull. I thought I’d try to write a really good holiday story, one like A Christmas Carol. My grandma told wonderfully spooky stories. I wanted to write a story as creepy as one she might have told. Who knows? Maybe she was nearby somehow, giving me ideas. It wouldn’t surprise me."
Gershon’s Monster
Gershon isn’t a bad man. He just has the nasty habit of tossing his bad deeds into the sea. But thoughtless acts and inconsiderate acts are never disposed of so easily-as Gershon is about to learn. Award winning Jon J Muth created outstanding watercolor illustrations for this story.
– New York Public Library
A Hanukkah Treasury
The rich history and lore of the Festival of Lights are presented in this “treasure” of a book, with something for every member of the family. Emily Lisker’s pictures capture all the joy and excitement of this special time.
The Jar of Fools
Are the people of Chelm truly foolish? Or is it that they are so far ahead of the rest of us that we cannot truly understand them. The eight crazy stories in this book are sure to fill the eight nights of Hannukkah with laughter. Mordicai Gerstein’s wild pictures are enough to convince us that he might be a citizen of Chelm himself
