While Standing on One Foot: Puzzle Stories and Wisdom Tales from the Jewish Tradition

With their craftily honed narratives and their pithy prefatory comments, Jaffe ( In the Month of Kislev ) and Zeitlin do ample justice to 18 gems of Jewish folklore. The heroes and heroines of these selections have only moments to frame solutions to thorny questions or dilemmas--in many cases, their answers will mean the difference between life and death. The authors create a drumroll effect by interrupting the stories at their crucial moments to invite the reader to match wits with the characters, and it is a testimony to their skill that this intervention heightens rather than destroys the narrative tension. A wide range of settings, from the Spanish Inquisition to Nazi Germany to contemporary New York City, varies the genre and allows Jaffe and Zeitlin to introduce episodes in Jewish history, while a glossary and source notes extend the education. The book is virtually as cleverly conceived as its protagonists' lightning responses. Ages 8-12. (Dec.)