Kids Speak 6 Through Fire and Water By Chaim Walder Translated by Aviva Rappaport Feldheim Publishers, 2011, 201 pages ISBN: 978-1-59826-768-6

Reviewed by Israel Drazin - September 7, 2011

This is the sixth book in the series in which the author tells us that his tales are written both by him and kids who write to him, for he takes the ideas and concerns of young children and rewrites them as stories that they can relate to and learn from them how to act. In fact, he gives his address to his readers so that they can send their ideas and stories to him. The Hebrew title of the book reflects this, Yeladim Mesaprim al Atzmam, "Children Tell about Themselves." This volume has eleven stories; each is accompanied by a nice drawing or two. The stories are about religiously observant Jewish children. Each begins with the name of the youngster telling the tale. Each is written in the language that kids speak and each is well written and interesting.

For example, the first story Hot Hands begins: "My name is Avi. I'm twelve, and I live in Yerushalayim (Hebrew for Jerusalem). My family and friends kept telling me to send my story to Kids Speak." He tells how he saved his siblings when his home caught fire and he was home alone watching them. He ends by warning other kids not to play with fire. The story contains a couple of Hebrew terms such as siyatta diShmaya, which are not explained in the story itself, which means "heavenly help," but readers who do not know the meaning are not disadvantaged because the term is not essential for understanding and enjoying Avi's experience. There is a glossary at the end of the volume that explains these terms, about forty of them.

The sixth story An (Un)Pleasant Journey, to site another example, is about a ten and a half year old boy who gets car sick and throws up. It tells about his embarrassment and how he tries to overcome his problem. It also tells how his uncle reacted when he threw up in his luxury car.

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