Editorial Review

“Farmer Max is heading off to a Purim play and the animals on the farm are a wee bit jealous, so they decide to re-enact one themselves. Chicken decides to direct and assign parts to the other animals. Horse will play King Ahashuerus, Duck will be Queen Esther, Goat will be Mordechai, Sheep will be Haman, Geese will be the audience, and the Cows will be the noisemakers. As they prepare for their parts, Sheep begins to cry. He doesn’t want, or know how, to be mean. So the other animals decide he will need a special costume to make him look scary. In the meantime, the other animals start rehearsing their parts.

As they are doing this, a sly and sneaky fox slips into the barnyard and pretends to be part of the show. The other animals assume it is Sheep dressed in costume, until he opens his mouth and displays his sharp teeth to Duck and reaches out to eat him. At this exact moment, Sheep (dressed up as a fox) walks out and says, ‘Hey, this is my part!’ Duck stands her ground like Queen Esther and intimidates the real fox into leaving. Queen Esther saves the day and all the farm animals.

This adorable book, perfect for ages five and up, will capture children’s imaginations. The vibrant and brightly illustrated pictures by this local artist make the farm animals come to life. It is a unique and fun spin on an age-old tale.” —Jewish Journal