Mrs. Katz and Tush was written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco. It is a story about a lonely, old woman named Mrs. Katz,
who is usually looked after by her African American neighbors. The son of the neighbor family, Larnel, decides to visit Mrs. Katz daily to keep her company. He gives her a stray kitten that he found in the bottom of their basement so that she doesn't have to ever be lonely, even when he's not around. As Mrs. Katz and Larnel spend more time together, she begins to give him some insight into her past. She tells him about her life as a Jew and the difficulties it entailed. She also tells him about her late husband who also endured the hardships of being a Jew. Larnel learns some of the traditions of the Jewish culture and helps Mrs. Katz celebrate these traditions and holidays. After Passover, the cat had a litter of her own, and much further in time, Larnel group up to have a family of his own. He always stayed in touch with Mrs. Katz, incorporating her into his own family. After her passing, he performed the Jewish traditions for her, just as she had shown him when they did it for her husband. This book showed the similarities between people of different cultures. As Mrs. Katz pointed out, African Americans and Jews are alike in that they both struggled and overcame hardships. The book also encourages its readers to embrace new cultures and learn about their traditions. I think that it incorporated acceptance and awareness very well, and helped its readers to learn to take an interest in the history of culture.
who is usually looked after by her African American neighbors. The son of the neighbor family, Larnel, decides to visit Mrs. Katz daily to keep her company. He gives her a stray kitten that he found in the bottom of their basement so that she doesn't have to ever be lonely, even when he's not around. As Mrs. Katz and Larnel spend more time together, she begins to give him some insight into her past. She tells him about her life as a Jew and the difficulties it entailed. She also tells him about her late husband who also endured the hardships of being a Jew. Larnel learns some of the traditions of the Jewish culture and helps Mrs. Katz celebrate these traditions and holidays. After Passover, the cat had a litter of her own, and much further in time, Larnel group up to have a family of his own. He always stayed in touch with Mrs. Katz, incorporating her into his own family. After her passing, he performed the Jewish traditions for her, just as she had shown him when they did it for her husband. This book showed the similarities between people of different cultures. As Mrs. Katz pointed out, African Americans and Jews are alike in that they both struggled and overcame hardships. The book also encourages its readers to embrace new cultures and learn about their traditions. I think that it incorporated acceptance and awareness very well, and helped its readers to learn to take an interest in the history of culture.Book Citation:
Polacco, Patricia. Mrs. Katz and Tush. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, 1992.
Image Citation:
A Sampling of Favorite Picture Books. April 2007. 1 Dec 2008. <www.barbsbooks.com/
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