Mrs. Katz and Tush

Mrs. Katz and Tush

Patricia Polacco

Bantam Books, 1992

Picture Book, Multicultural K-3

Summary: Mrs. Katz and Tush is a heart-warming story about a frienship between Larnel, a young African American boy and Mrs. Katz, an older lady from Poland. Larnel's mother would visit with Mrs. Katz often and one day Larnel decided that he would go visit her himself. He had the idea of brining the runt from the litter of kittens in the bottom of his building to Mrs. Katz and asking her to let it live with her. No one wanted this kitten because "she was so ugly, with no tail." Mrs. Katz gives her a Yiddish name-Tush. Mrs. Katz fell in love with Tush and so did Larnel, who also began to love Mrs. Katz and her stories of her old country and the way that times used to be. Mrs. Katz tells Larnel that her people and his people have a lot in common-they have seen trouble, happiness, and have great strength. Larnel went with Mrs. Katz to visit the graveside of her husband as she read from her book, saying "kiddish." He also had Passover dinner with Mrs. Katz. When Tush escaped, they searched all over town for their little cat. Soon she was found and Mrs. Katz was overjoyed! As the years passed, this special friendship grew. Mrs. Katz became part of Larnel's family. When Mrs. Katz died, Larnel's wife and children read from the inscription on the tombstone together. It says, "Mrs. Katz our Bubee-such a person."

Response: I leared so much though this sweet story! This book helped me realize how imporatnt it is to have friendships and realtionships with the elderly. I am encouraged to visit my grandparents more and my eighty-five year old neighbor. I want to hear their old stories and learn about their traditions. Larnel and Mrs. Katz brought so much happiness to each other's life. Through Mrs. Katz, I gained knowledge of many of the Jewish customs. The author, Patricia Polacco's family is of the Christian faith and the Jewish faith. Therefore, she is very knowledgable of the Jewish as well as the Christian faith.

The illustrations in the book do a great job of conveying the characters. Mrs. Katz is portrayed as a loving, jolly lady. She is always smiling, always has rosy cheeks with her white hair in a bun. Larnel is portrayed as an energertic, excited young boy. The artistic medium is pencil and watercolor. The colors are vibrant and the double spread illutrations ceratinly provide many details to hold studetns' attention.

Teaching Ideas: I would like to read this book to my class for a few reasons. One is that it demonstrates to students that it is important to spend time with those who are older than they are. This book is a great example of how they can make a difference in a life. Larnel and Mrs. Katz developed a friendship that lasted a lifetime!

If I have a child who is Jewish(follows Judaism), this would be an excellent book to read. Other students could be taught what their classmate believes and traditions that he/she follows. Words that Mrs. Katz uses could be talked about. She gives the cat Tush, a Yiddish name, which is the "international language" of Ashkenazi Jews, based primarily on German with words taken from Hebrew and many Slavic languages, and written in the Hebrew Alphabet. Ashkenazi Jews are from eastern France, Germany and Eastern Europe. Most Jews in America are Ashkenazic. When Larnel has Passover dinner with Mrs. Katz, she says, "Such a seder I'll prepare for you." A seder is the home ritual performed on the first two nights of the celebration of Passover. Mrs. Katz shares a little bit about what Passover is. The teacher can go more in depth with this and explain the Old Testament story of Moses and the Israelites and the way that God delivered them from the Egyptians. Mrs. Katz also refers to how her people and Laurnel's people are a lot alike in the trouble they have seen. The teacher can explain to students what slavery was and the hardships that African Americans endured. A great book that deals with this issue is Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People To Freedom.

A few other words that Mrs. Katz uses: Kugel. She says that she makes the best fresh-baked kugel which is a Yiddish pudding-a dessert of noodles, fruits and nuts in an egg based pudding.

When Mrs. Katz and Larnel visit the tombstone of her deceased husband, she says a prayer of Kaddish, which is a prayer in Aramaic praising God, commonly associated with mourning practices. The chuppa she mentions is a wedding canopy which is symbolic of the groom's house. This is also mentioned in Polacco's book The Keeping Quilt.

This book is a great book to teach students lessons about friendhips as well as the Jewish culture.