| Title | : | It Could Always Be Worse: A Yiddish Folk Tale |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0374436363 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780374436360 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 32 |
| Publication | : | First published September 1, 1976 |
| Awards | : | Caldecott Medal (1978) |
Because they were so crowded, the children often fought and the man and his wife argued. When the poor man was unable to stand it any longer, he ran to the Rabbi for help.
As he follows the Rabbi's unlikely advice, the poor man's life goes from bad to worse, with increasingly uproarious results. In his little hut, silly calamity follows foolish catastrophe, all memorably depicted in full-color illustrations that are both funnier and lovelier than any this distinguished artist has done in the past.
It Could Always Be Worse is a 1977 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year and Outstanding Book of the Year, and a 1978 Caldecott Honor Book.
It Could Always Be Worse: A Yiddish Folk Tale Reviews
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What a lesson this book turned out to be. A poor family in a one room house are driving each other crazy. The father goes to the rabbi for help and rabbi’s suggestions make things worse and worse each time he goes. He tells them to bring more and more animals into the house. Everyone is about to go mad. After putting the cow in the house, the Rabbi finally tells the father to take all the animals out and lo and behold, they have so much space and there is so much peace.
It had to get worse before they could appreciate what they had. I guess if things get worse and then better, you will better appreciate the better you had all along. I get the lesson, but I don’t quite know if it’s true. I guess, sometimes it is. I need space and having that many people in one room would drive me mad even if we were all well behaved.
The children didn’t know what to make of this. Each animal that was taken in the house made the children laugh more and more and they couldn’t understand why you would do that. Some of the children had bare bottoms and they laughed and laughed over that. They don’t really get what it would be like to have that many people in one room. The kids sometimes drive me crazy when they are in the house all day as they whine and fight together. Our house still has lots of room compared to this. The nephew gave this 4 stars for being funny and showing bare butts and the niece gave this 3 stars and she laughed with this and enjoyed it, but she wanted to figure it out.
This is a beginning book for everything. it was a pleasure to read. The artwork feels sloppy, but it works for the story. -
I'm upping my star rating because I have thought of this old tale and this little book a lot in the past sixteen months - March 2020 - July 2021
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This Yiddish folk tale reminded me a lot of a childhood favorite called
Too Much Noise. The structure of the two stories is basically the same. Of course I have to love the one I grew up with more and look at this one as a not-quite-good-enough wanna-be. :) But I did enjoy the story and the lesson it teaches. I also enjoyed many fun details in the illustrations as the chaos in the house intensifies with each new piece of advice from the Rabbi. I really felt for the poor mom who never gets a speaking part yet looks miserable as she puts up with it all.
This was a Caldecott Honor winner in 1978. Margot Zemach had previously won a Caldecott Medal in 1974 for
Duffy and the Devil and her first Honor award in 1970 for
The Judge. Her style isn't really my favorite, but she does include fun details that add to the story. -
I consider picture books to be the 7" singles of the book world. Every now and then you come across the 3-minute gem called the Perfect Pop Record. And so it is with its equivalent among picture books.
Margot Zemach's IT COULD ALWAYS BE WORSE is one of them.
I should frame it and hang it on the wall, in case I have a bout of thinking things couldn't be worse. I should hang a copy on the wall of my office as well.
Speaking of which: this story helped me in dealing with an office situation. A temporary and ambitious Iranian colleague of mine couldn't stop complaining about the meaningless work she has to do. This bothered me because usually I'm the one doing the complaining (although it has lessened over the years, because it became harder and harder to find original ways to complain). It was almost a role reversal, and her her complain I felt how my colleagues must have felt when I did it. Sometimes I think she was sent to teach me this lesson.
Anyway, being the diplomatic and harmonious type I never told her to shut up and stop complaining. Instead, I taught *her* a lesson. I told her this yiddish folk tale.
She got the message. And smiled, because she liked the package.
Did she stop complaining? Not really, but our mutual awareness of the problem has made her groaning more playful, tongue in cheek.
The power of literature! :)
A few words about the drawing: the increasing chaos of the 'Jan Steen' household in the one-room hut is drawn with infectious relish. And I liked the fact that the rabbi (to whom the head of the household goes to complain of his situation) was drawn sitting alone, outside––a perfect counterpoint to the mess in the hut. This is the kind of elegance that marks perfect pop records, and ditto picture books. -
The title of this book is my mantra. Things could always be worse. So, naturally, I love this little folk tale. Incidentally, so does my therapist-she recommended it to me. She has not, however, recommended that I bring farm animals into my house like the holy rabbi in this story. Thank goodness because my farm animals can get ROWDY.
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A humorous approach to gratitude. A poor man's large family is crowded into a small house and there's bickering and noise and discomfort. The poor man asks the rabbi what to do and is instructed to bring his chickens, goose and rooster into the hut. Things get worse so the rabbi instructs him to bring additional animals into the hut until life is unbearable...and he recognizes that things were pretty good with just his family into the hut. After all, "it could always be worse."
While the illustration style is not my favorite, it certainly lends humor and support to the cramped and uncomfortable space inside the hut, particularly with the animals there. -
This retelling of a Yiddish folktale focuses on a sad father who’s trying to find a solution for he and his large family, who all live together in their small cramped home. A nice charmer that shows how sometimes the solution to your problem can be right there in front of you. A- (91%/Excellent)
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A Yiddish folktale which shows that a change in perspective can make all the difference.
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Obvious ending, but still a cute story.
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I absolutely loved this book! I thought it was a great lesson for younger students. The lesson would be that sometimes when your world seem crazy it could always be crazier. I choose to randomly read this book because of the title, because i know things can always be worse. In this book something that really stood out to me was you only heard one characters voice instead of any of the other characters. Just looking at the cover you could grasp the idea that these people lived in a small crowded house and that what makes the title tie into the book. I would always look at the picture before I started reading. The splashes of color throughout the book was just absolutely beautiful. It gave so much detail in what looks like water color. You could really grasp what each page was going to be talking about just by the picture. I think this did deserve the Caldecott Honor award. The pictures had so much detail and yet it wasn't the perfect drawn out lines, it was the illustrators own twist on the art work. I would recommend this books to anyone, even if it did have a religious side of it, I think the overall lesson of the book was perfectly portrayed
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According to the book flap, this tale stems from Eastern Europe and includes three classic hallmarks of a Yiddish Folktale.
• First, it is set in a shtetl*. ...
• It depicts shtetl dwellers turning to their local rabbi for advice, ...
• And ... the story is laden with humor and intelligence.
I'm coming to realize that I like Yiddish folktales. I haven't read that many (yet), but the ones I have put a smile on my face and make me appreciate good, old-fashioned wisdom.
shtetls: Small Jewish villages that dotted the landscape of Eastern and Central Europe from medieval times the the 20th century. [They] were usually rural and humble, and it was not uncommon for large families to share small, modest homes ... -
Loved this little book. It tells an insightful story.
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The pictures in this book really cracked me up. I laughed out loud. 4 stars for that. I don't agree with this Rabbi though! He's crazy!! If I was this man's wife I would have divorced him
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This story starts with a very poor family (mom, wife, and six children), all living in a one room hut. The man ran to his rabbi asking for some help about what to do, surely this many people under one small roof was too much. The rabbi told him to bring his chickens, rooster and goose into the hut. The chaos got much worse, and when the man couldn’t stand it anymore, he ran to the rabbi. The rabbi then told him to put his goat into the hut to live with them. The man was hesitant to do this, but he did. When things got much worse, he ran to the rabbi. The rabbi this time to put his cow into his hut, and he did. When things got much worse, he ran to the rabbi and the rabbi told him to let the animals out of the hut. The poor unfortunate man was happy to do so, and now was amazed with how much room him and his family truly did have. I love this story, and think that it would be a great read aloud in a classroom, mainly because of the themes and ideals that it teaches students. Students understanding that it could always be worse gives them the ability to change their perspective on life situations, and ultimately teaches them to be quite thankful for what they have.
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I had previously read the book she created with her husband, "Duffy and the Devil", which was a bit of an odd book, but a fascinating story. I appreciated the humor in this 1978 Caldecott Honor book, which was a retelling of a Yiddish folktale. It is about a man whose wife, six children and mother all live in a one-room shack together. He comes to the Rabbi complaining about his family and the fact that they are all living together in this small house, so in order for the man to appreciate what he has, the Rabbi tells him to keep adding more and more animals to the house until he can’t take it any longer and then he tells the man to remove them. The quiet and peacefulness that follows leaves the man very thankful. One good way to get the point across to students would be to follow the questions from this website:
http://www.teachingchildrenphilosophy... . Recommended for ages 7-12, 3 1/2 stars. -
This Yiddish folktale is much different than other familiar Western folktales. Its theme – to be happy with what you have – is not new, but the context of not actively striving for something better rather sticking to your station and being glad, even thankful, that you have so little because, hey, things could always get a hundred times worse is. The artwork for the story is in cartoon style. For children, I think it would be appropriate to help them understand the Rabbi’s advice to the poor unfortunate man. I know the story is about being thankful for all the good things in your life which is always good to keep in mind but it is kind of depressing...
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It Could Always Be Worse: A Yiddish folk tale (Farrar Straus Giroux, 1976) retold and with pictures by Margot Zemach (a Caldecott Medalist for Duffy and the Devil: a Cornish tale and a Caldecott Honor winner for The Judge: An Untrue Tale and for this title) examines the life of a man believing he has reached his limits. To clarify, he lived in one room with his mother, wife and their six children. The crowded conditions were very hard on everyone. Quarreling and crying were daily occurrences. It was even worse in the winter.
My full recommendation:
http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2... -
Margot Zemach always has good pictures but in this book the pictures are amazing. The way everything gets more and more squeezed together until it's almost like an 'I Spy' game to find everything? My favorite part of this book.
I've been looking for this book (hidden somewhere in my house) for about half a year and I can't find it :( which is sad, but just goes to show how much I love it -
Such a fun read!!! Absolutely loved this silly fable about appreciating what you have because....it could ALWAYS be worse. Sometimes, just like the poor unfortunate man in the story, we have to have this simple fact spelled out for us. A great read aloud.
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My main complaint of this book is that the man continuously says to the rabbi, "Holy Rabbi." I am fairly certain they'd never say this.
But the moral of the tale is clear as its title. I just wish it was a better book, writing and illustrations. -
A Yiddish folktale that lends itself well to telling out loud, sans book. Try the Rabbi's advice if you are ever feeling bad about your life -- it works!
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A great Yiddish folk tale with a powerful lesson! Good for kids and adults. :)
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Fantastic book, cute illustrations! A great reminder to find ways to be thankful for what we have because.....it could always be worse!
Highly enjoyed by my six and seven year old! -
Caldecott Honor 1978
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In a small village. a poor unfortunate man lives in a tiny hut with his wife, his 6 kids, and his mother. The hut has only one room and it is very crowded. The poor unfortunate man soon finds himself out of patience and goes to the Rabbi for help. The poor unfortunate man explains his unfortunate situation to the Rabbi and the Rabbi tells the poor unfortunate man to bring his chickens, rooster, and goose into the hut with them. The poor unfortunate man is questionable about this commandment but obeys anyways. The next week was worse than before, and the hut was even more crowded and chaotic, so the poor unfortunate man returns to the Rabbi for help. The Rabbi listens to the poor unfortunate man and then commands him to bring the goat into the hut. Despairingly, the poor unfortunate man follows the order and lets the goat into the one room hut. A week goes by and the poor unfortunate man returns to the Rabbi once more. The poor unfortunate man and his family think that life couldn’t be worse, but they are wrong when the Rabbi commands them to do something that will make life much harder.
The poor unfortunate man is an impatient character who struggles to find the light in the dark. The all-knowing and intelligent Rabbi leads the poor unfortunate man through trials to help him realize that his life could always be worse.
This book first caught my eye because of the tile, “It Could Always Be Worse”. I read this title and I instantly knew that there was going to be a theme involved. I knew that the theme would be along the lines of finding contentment in the situation you’re in, and I was intrigued to see how the book would portray that. In this folk tale, the plot works to improve the character. The plot is a series of trials set in front of the poor unfortunate man’s path. As he experiences these trials his life gets worse and worse. At the end of the book, when everything is restored to its beginning state, the man is happy once again. Without those trials, the man would have never gained the peace and contentment that he is experiencing at the end of the story. I enjoyed this book it left me feeling better than I felt before I read it. Its message is something every kid, teenager, and adult need to hear.
