And Twelve Chinese

I read this book to my children last night. It's longer than a picture book but short enough that you can read it through aloud in one sitting (about 45 minutes to an hour). The story is told from younger brother Wolf's perspective but the hero is the eldest brother, Lou "the rascal." Lou tells such funny stories that his mother cries out, "Stop! My sides are aching" while he proceeds to tell another even funnier tale. When Lou plays one prank too many and is sent away to military school, the whole family mourns. For months they don't hear from him. When Lou returns it isn't alone, but with 12 Chinese acrobats in tow. He's told them his mother will feed them and his father will provide work. My favorite moment in the book is here, when Mama delivers her usual greeting, "Come in! Where there's love, there's room!" This is a sweet story that is fun to read aloud. It also provides an historical backdrop to talk about Russia's policies toward Jewish peoples from the times of the tsars to present. Best of all, it gives a portrait of warm family life with joys and sorrows intermixed.