Stone Soup with Matzoh Balls: A Passover Tale in Chelm by Linda Glaser (review)

The familiar “Stone Soup” story is set here in the fictional Jewish town of Chelm, a town known throughout Jewish folklore as a village of fools. A poor stranger arrives at Passover, expecting a meal in accordance with the Scripture’s “All who are hungry come and eat.” He is turned down until he produces from his pocket a stone, which he declares capable of making matzoh-ball soup—with a little help from the villagers. There is ample humor throughout the dialogue, as the stranger playfully challenges the villagers (“Here in Chelm, have you heard of garlic?”) who unsuspectingly reply (“You think we’re fools? Of course we’ve heard of garlic!”). When it is time to add the matzoh balls, the wise stranger plays the pride card, noting that his stone will produce matzoh balls “so big and heavy they’ll sit in your belly like rocks”; the womenfolk immediately rush home to produce matzoh balls “so light they can almost fly,” and soon the soup is complete. In the end, the villagers and the stranger gather together in the synagogue to share the Seder meal and to reflect on their good fortune. This gentle, community-centered tale is perfectly paired with Tabatabaei’s rosy-cheeked, round-faced, slightly cartoonish cast of townsfolk. The natural palette of soft greens, blues, and browns adds to the overall feeling of warmth in the smoothly modeled digital illustrations. An author’s note about Passover, about Chelm, and about the source folktale provides further information for listeners of this enjoyable retelling.