ONIONS AND GARLIC

A classic tale about the fool who makes good, while his acquisitive older brothers are left holding the bag. Kindhearted Getzel is a poor merchant, for he's so eager to please his customers that he ends up losing money in any bargain. When his father refuses to give him anything to trade, Getzel begs for some cheap goods and sets sail with a bag of onions. Value is relative: Getzel is shipwrecked on an island where onions are an unknown delicacy and diamonds are mere rocks for the picking. Getzel makes the trade of a lifetime and returns home in triumph. Kimmel (The Adventures of Hershel of Ostropol, 1995, etc.) retells this Jewish folktale (carefully sourced in an author's note) with lively dialogue and a comic twist at the end. Arnold's frenetic acrylic illustrations have a rough-hewn woodcut look; the action fairly sails off the page. (Picture book/folklore. 6-10)