Way Too Many Latkes

A Hanukkah in Chelm

By: Linda Glaser

Narrated by: Book Buddy Digital Media

Faigel makes the best Hanukkah latkes in Chelm, but somehow, this year she's forgotten how to make them! She sends her husband, Shmuel, to ask the rabbi for help. And in Chelm, the village of fools - oy vey! - this becomes a recipe for disaster!

©2017 Linda Glaser (P)2018 Lerner Digital

Critic reviews

"Faigel makes the most delicious latkes in her village - but only in tiny batches. Then Faigel forgets her famous recipe, and because she lives in Chelm, the legendary village of fools, the solution is far from simple - and deeply silly. With nonsensical advice from her rabbi ('Use all the eggs you’ve got')...Faigel ends up making enough latkes to feed the entire town. Latke makers and their young assistants should easily identify with the muscles and tears involved as Faigel preps mountains of potatoes and onions. Glaser leavens the story with lots of performance-ready, Yiddish-punctuated dialogue ('The rabbi?' Faigel gripes. 'What does he know about making latkes? Bupkes!')...." (Publishers Weekly)

"Chelm stories are supposed to be funny, and this one will inspire giggling in any child.... We learn that Faigel makes the best latkes in all of Chelm, but unfortunately for everyone else, she makes only enough for herself and Shmuel, her hapless husband. One year, she inexplicably forgets the recipe and her husband must go to the rabbi ('the wisest man in Chelm') to ask how many potatoes need to be used. The rabbi tells him to 'use them all' without realizing that Shmuel and Faigel’s larder is full. The cycle is repeated with the other ingredients (eggs, onions) and silliness ensues." (Jewish Journal)

"Faigel, the best latke maker in the town of Chelm, has forgotten her recipe on the first night of Hanukkah, so her husband Shmuel goes to ask the wise rabbi for help. The rabbi is so hungry that he tells Shmuel Faigel should use everything - all the potatoes, all the eggs, all the onions - to make her perfect golden latkes. The predictable result is way too many latkes and not enough mouths to eat them, until the whole village is invited 'to bring one mouth each. On Hanukkah, that’s what mouths are for.' In spite of a rather thin plot, the use of folkloric phrasing and humorous patter moves the story along, with a few typical Chelmish misunderstandings thrown in for good measure. Verdict: This story has enough humor and appeal to find a place on most holiday shelves." (School Library Journal)