Cultural Diversity Saturday: Rifka Takes a Bow by Betty Rosenberg Perlov and Illustrated by Cosei Kawa

Ages: 5 to 9
Pages: 32
Publisher: Kar-Ben Publishing
*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

Summary:
Rifka’s parents are actors in the Yiddish Theater in New York, but one day Rifka finds herself center stage in a special role!  A slice of immigrant life on New York’s Second Avenue, this is a unique book about a vanished time and a place – the Yiddish theater in the early 20th century -- made real through the telling of the true life story of the 96-year-old author as a little girl.

Review:
Rifka's parents are stage actors in the Yiddish theater.  They bring Rifka along and she explores backstage, talks with the other actors, and even gets to walk out on stage at the end and deliver a line!  The book talks about how ketchup is used for blood and how her Papa makes a fake beard and mustache for his makeup.  It explores parts of the set and the parts of making a production, including the actors, the stagehands, the orchestra, and the audience.

It's a cute book and I enjoyed learning about the Yiddish Theater because they even put an explanation of how the author grew up much like Rifka!

First Line: "Papa pastes on a brown, curly mustache and picks up a cane."
Penelope's Favorite Line: "There's a table with a beautiful birthday cake.  Papa says, "Don't try to taste it.  It's made out of plaster."
Best Words: Automat, Yiddish, rouge, plaster

Ben's Book Briefs:
ACM = Arts, Crafts, & Music
CD = Cultural Diversity

Kids! Penelope Panda wants to know:

• Have you ever been to see a play?
• Have you ever explored backstage like Rifka does?
• What would be exciting to find backstage?

Adults! Becca wants to know:

• How often do you read culturally diverse books to your kids/students?