The Story of Esther: A Purim Tale

Bibliography

Kimmel, Eric. 2011. The Story of Esther: A Purim Tale. Ill. By Jill Weber. New York: Holiday House. ISBN 9780823422234

Plot 

This is a religious story about persecution and doing good deeds.  The story opens with the banquet at the palace of a mighty and powerful king, Ahasuerus. Ahasuerus chooses Esther to be his queen, even though Esther is Hebrew and the king is not. Meanwhile, Esther’s uncle Mordecai foils a plot to kill Ahasuerus, putting Ahasuerus in his debt. When Ahasuerus’ minister, Haman, arrives, he demands that Mordecai bow down to him as a God, which is against Mordecai’s beliefs as a Hebrew. When Mordecai refuses, Haman takes revenge by issuing a decree to kill all Hebrews in the king’s land without Ahasuerus' knowledge. Esther begs Ahasuerus to free her people, and he complies because he loves her and remembers his life being saved by Mordecai. In the end, Mordecai is praised, and Haman is hung when Ahasuerus discovers Haman misused his power. This is the beginning of the Hebrew holiday Purim.

Critical Analysis

The colorful illustrations immediately set the scene in the Middle East (Persia) thousands of years ago and help to demonstrate the historical importance of the story. The illustrations also help with the plot, which is full of action. Although the backgrounds help tell the story, the men and women all look very similar to other members of their same sex; It is hard to visually follow the characters. Esther is described as a standout natural beauty, so it is especially awkward that her look changes many times throughout the book. 

This is a dynamic story of bringing a bad person to justice and the misuse of power. The story has a great plot full of drama. An embedded history lesson explains the reason for the holiday Purim. It reads as a story with great character development. There is a lot of text per picture, which allows many conflicts to be created and resolved between the king, queen, uncle, and minister. 

Many cultural details help the reader gain insight into the culture and customs. One example is how the women “darkened their eyelids with kohl and reddened their lips with cinnabar.” There are personal details as well that reflect human traits; Esther dresses very simply, and the other maidens make fun of her before she becomes the queen.  This shows the power of inner beauty.

I would personally use this book when teaching history about the Middle East, Judaism, persecution, and possibly even bullying, depending on the population being served.   

Review Excerpts

School Library Journal: “The Megillah, or Scroll of Esther, is the biblical account of events in ancient Persia that birthed the Jewish holiday of Purim. Kimmel retells this violent, convoluted story without much simplification.”

Kirkus review: “The Purim story contains elements of an intriguing mass-murder plot complete with a benevolent king, a brave and beautiful queen, her wise uncle and a villainous prime minister. Kimmel’s well-paced, even narration recounts the familiar story of how the young, Jewish queen of the Persians thwarts Haman’s plan to commit genocide against the Hebrews.” 

Booklist: “Kimmel’s engaging narrative, simplified somewhat for younger readers, contains all the elements of a memorable tale—drama, intrigue, cunning, and courage. Weber’s vibrant, mixed-media artwork includes many setting details and humorous scenes (kicking Haman out of the palace) and will work well from a story hour distance.”

Connections

-  This would be a good book to use to practice storytelling.

-  This book could be the introduction to children creating their own variation with another holiday,   

    religious or secular.

-  This book could be retold through dramatic skit.