shopping cart
Call us:  800-878-7323 HELP
McAfee SECURE helps keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams.
Original Essays | June 22, 2009

Bethany Moreton: IMG Culture War on Aisle 5? Wal-Mart, Evangelicals, and "Extreme Capitalism"



"In the 'culture wars' narrative of the Republican ascendancy, this slippage represents the greatest con in recent history: while you rush to defend marriage or protect the unborn, please pay no attention to the financier behind the curtain." Continue »
  1. $19.56 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

Ships free on qualified orders.
$7.50
List price: $14.95
HARDCOVER, USED
Ships in 1 to 3 days
Add to Wishlist
Qty Store Section
1 Burnside Foreign Languages- Yiddish


Yiddish with Dick and Jane

by Ellis Weiner and Barbara Davilman

Yiddish with Dick and Jane Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Jane is in real estate.

Today is Saturday.

Jane has an open house.

She must schlep the Open House signs to the car.

See Jane schlep.

Schlep, Jane. Schlep.

Schlep, schlep, schlep.

In text that captures the unque rhythms of the original Dick and Jane readers, and in 35 all-new illustrations, a story unfolds in which Dick and Jane--hero and heroine of the classic books for children that generations of Americans have used when learning to read--manage to express shades of feeling and nuances of meaning that ordinary English just can't deliver. How? By speaking Yiddish, employing terms that convey an attitude--part plucky self-assertion, part ironic fatalism. When Dick schmoozes, when Jane kvetches, when their children fress noodles at a Chinese restaurant, the clash of cultures produces genuine hilarity.

Review:

"Dick and Jane are all grown up, and they're living in the real world-and it's full of tsuris (troubles). That's the premise of this hilarious little book, which functions both as a humorous tale and a genuine guide to a language with a sentiment and world view all its own. Jane is married to Bob and has two perfect children. Dick schmoozes with business people over golf: 'Schmooze, Dick. Schmooze....' Their sister, Sally, who teaches a course in 'Transgressive Feminist Ceramics,' can see that life is not perfect, even though dear Dick and Jane cannot. Their mother has a stroke ('Oy vey, Jane,' says Dick when he learns the news). Bob's best friend's wife is having an affair because the best friend himself is gay (''Tom is more than gay, Sally,' says Dick. 'He is overjoyed.'... 'Oy Gotenyu oh, God help us,' sighs Sally.') And purse dealers take advantage of the gullible. The brief story is priceless, but the equally funny glossary is a great reference to which readers can return any time they need the right Yiddish word-or whenever they need to determine whether the jerk they just saw is a putz, a schmo or a schmuck." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Synopsis:

"Oy vey"--this is a primer like no other. In an inspired parodic twist, the two least Jewish characters in American literature spout some of the edgy, ironic Yiddishisms that have become part of the American vernacular. 35 full-color drawings.

Synopsis:

- In true primer fashion, Yiddish With Dick And Jane tells a simple story: Grandma gets sick and Dick and Jane's sister Sally visits. The book also features subplots about such ethical dilemmas as gift-giving etiquette and marital infidelity.
- The comedy intensifies in the glossary, which defines (with chutzpah aplenty!) each Yiddish term introduced in the text.
- Ellis Weiner's recent books include a novel, Drop Dead, My Lovely (NAL, March 2004), and The Joy of Worry, with illustrations by Roz Chast (Chronicle, June 2004).
- The 35 watercolors, in their wholesome retro simplicity, brilliantly capture the contemporary world of Dick and Jane (now grown up) and stand in comic counterpoint to the text.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Jennifer Short, May 20, 2008 (view all comments by Jennifer Short)
Oy Vey! It's Dick and Jane and Sally! They are back in this parody, and all grown up! Enjoy their adventures as adults while learning a little Yiddish along the way! A fun book that anyone will enjoy!
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)

Product Details

ISBN:
9780316159722
Author:
Ellis Weiner and Barbara Davilman
Publisher:
Little Brown and Company
Illustrator:
Payn, Gabi
Author:
Payn, Gabi
Author:
Weiner, Ellis
Author:
Davilman, Barbara
Location:
New York
Subject:
Readers
Subject:
Form - Parodies
Subject:
Yiddish
Subject:
Yiddish language
Subject:
Readers (Primary)
Edition Number:
1st ed.
Edition Description:
Hardcover
Series:
Dick and Jane
Series Volume:
no. 32/2002
Publication Date:
September 2004
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
104
Dimensions:
7.26x5.20x.47 in. .44 lbs.

Other books you might like

  1. $7.95 Used Hardcover add to wish list

    Yiddish with George and Laura

    Ellis Weiner and Barbara Davilman
  2. $13.00 New Trade Paper add to wish list

    Uncle Shelby's Abz Book

    Shel Silverstein
  3. $7.00 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    Phaic Tan PB

    Santo Cilauro
  4. $9.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list
  5. $9.50 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    The Egg and I

    Betty MacDonald
  6. $6.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

Related Aisles

  • back to top

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.