Join Maddie as she discovers her confidence when she decides to become a mitzvah clown in order to bring smiles to the faces of Grandma and Grandma s friends.
“Can you teach me how to be a mitzvah clown?”
When Maddie sees Giggles the mitzvah clown perform at her Grandma’s senior home, she decides to join in! She puts on a big red nose and learns how to make balloon animals, sing songs, and most importantly, bring smiles and happiness to Grandma and Grandma’s friends. Along the way, Maddie learns how to overcome her shyness, too, and become a more confident and happy mouse.
A cheerful picture book, young readers will enjoy watching how the illustrations begin in black and white, and evolve into full and exuberant color as Maddie gains her confidence. A family note at the end includes discussion starters and a description of the Jewish values found in the tale.
This is a photo taken at Shalom Village in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Each child, and Fay Schmerling (their teacher), put on clown noses after hearing my book, “Maddie the Mitzvah Clown,” published by Apples and Honey Press. Then they all went to visit the senior residents.
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Maddie, a young mouse, loses her shyness when she realizes that she can make others laugh.She sees the joy on Grandma’s friends’ faces as Giggles the Mitzvah Clown performs at their senior home. He includes Maddie as he makes balloon hats, entertains with juggling, songs, and dances, and, most importantly, talks with everyone. She asks: “Can shy mice become mitzvah clowns?” and Giggles assures her that anyone can learn. Initially mostly gray-toned, the paintings with collage elements include more and more bits of color as Giggles introduces Maddie to the tools of the trade (balloons, rainbow wig, red nose), changing to full color as she takes on her new role. She dons a red wig, pink tutu, and purple, squeaking shoes, names herself “Squeakers,” and begins her visits. Her confidence buoyed by her activities in disguise, she finally makes the biggest change of all: she speaks as Maddie herself to Grandma’s friends. What seems like a didactic story improves along the way as the engaging illustrations involve readers and Maddie’s transformation takes place. In real life, young people (usually teens) can learn to be mitzvah clowns and bring joy to others in this special way. This activity and other ways to do good deeds are described in “A Note to Families,” but no specific references are provided. A different way to give back to the community (and help oneself), this cheery outing should not be confined to its Jewish context.
–Kirkus Reviews
The sadness of shyness and the seriousness of mitzvot mix in a charming picture book. This warm animal tale introduces children to the kindness of visiting the aged…The ending is happiness all around: for Grandma and friends, for the Mitzvah Clown who tutored Maddie and mostly for Maddie who finds inner strength, self-confidence and the will to do good in the world. The illustrations are as happy, energetic and bouncy as the characters they portray. The story opens in grey tones when Maddie is shy, then explodes into riotous color when she works toward her goal and conquers shyness through disguise.
–Association of Jewish Libraries
Clowns and Purim often go together, but becoming a mitzvah clown is a new thing. Some national Jewish youth-oriented organizations are encouraging teens to clown around (in costume) at adult senior homes and children s hospitals instead of engaging in typical mitzvah-themed activities such as visiting soup kitchens. They say that entertaining others in this way also helps shy teens become more comfortable in social situations in general. This picture book expands on that idea through the story of Maddie, a shy mouse who loses her inhibitions after learning the art of clowning when she performs the mitzvah of bikur cholim (visiting the sick) at a senior convalescent home.
–The Jewish Journal
‘Maddie figures out a way to overcome her shyness and help others, too, in this engaging story with delightful illustrations and a sweet message.’
–Barbara Diamond Goldin, author of The Passover Cowboy, Cakes and Miracles: A Purim Tale, and The World’s birthday: A Rosh Hashanah Story
‘Maddie the Mitzvah Clown is a delightful story with endearing illustrations… not only will children respond to the charm of the story and artwork, but they will see that reaching out as one reaches in can lead to self-confidence and loving acts of kindness.’
–Margery Cuyler, author of The Purim Chicken
This is the sweet story — written by award-winning children’s author and humorist, Karen Rostoker-Gruber — of Maddie, a very shy young mouse, too shy to raise her hand in school or to ask the waiter for anything in a restaurant. She is not even able to talk to her Grandma’s friends when she visits Grandma at her senior home, as badly as she wishes to do so. She is just too shy!
One day, during a visit to Grandma, she is enthralled by a Mitzvah Clown named Giggles who makes balloon hats for the residents, sings, juggles, dances, and asks Maddie if she would like a balloon hat. He also offers Maddie a rainbow wig and a big red nose. Maddie stares at herself in the mirror, but doesn’t recognize herself. She loves the way she looks and happily smiles at her image.
Maddie imagines herself being able to entertain Grandma’s friends as Giggles does. Giggles encourages her to be a Mitzvah Clown, too. He assures her that even shy mice can be successful. Maddie learns to put on clown makeup, sing, dance, juggle, and talk to people in senior homes. The last thing to do is to pick out the clown name that is right for her. As she paces around, she hears her shoes squeaking. She excitedly decides to be Squeakers the Mitzvah Clown. Squeakers accompanies Giggles and other clowns on visits to senior homes and hospitals and happily entertains many residents, becoming less shy with every visit. Eventually, she accomplishes the bravest thing of all, talking to Grandma’s friends as Maddie without any costume and enjoying the relationships. The book exudes love as the reader feels Maddie gain confidence and strengthen her sense of self.
The story is followed by a note explaining what a mitzvah is and what a Mitzvah Clown does. It gives readers some suggestions for performing mitzvot of their own. The book is perfect for individual reading but would also be excellent for school units relating to mitzvot, Purim, grandparents, and aging, and would be useful for encouraging shy children to gain confidence. It makes an excellent read-aloud.
The illustrations are as endearing as is the story. The illustrator begins with grays, adding bits of color gradually as Maddie begins to gain confidence. By the time Maddie is fully confident, the illustrations are multicolored and filled with happy-looking mice.
Highly recommended for ages 3 to 7.
–Shelly Feit, Jewish Book Council
I’m all about the female empowerment, but I am PARTICULARLY into that empowerment when it involves girls finding their strength and voice through humor. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when this little number from Apples & Honey Press rolled across my desk one day. Maddie suffers from shyness but discovers that by becoming a clown at her Grandma’s senior center she’s able to become another person entirely. I think Kirkus said it best when they wrote, “A different way to give back to the community (and help oneself), this cheery outing should not be confined to its Jewish context.”
—School Library Journal
Maddie, a young mouse, loses her shyness when she realizes that she can make others laugh.
She sees the joy on Grandma’s friends’ faces as Giggles the Mitzvah Clown performs at their senior home. He includes Maddie as he makes balloon hats, entertains with juggling, songs, and dances, and, most importantly, talks with everyone. She asks: “Can shy mice become mitzvah clowns?” and Giggles assures her that anyone can learn. Initially mostly gray-toned, the paintings with collage elements include more and more bits of color as Giggles introduces Maddie to the tools of the trade (balloons, rainbow wig, red nose), changing to full color as she takes on her new role. She dons a red wig, pink tutu, and purple, squeaking shoes, names herself “Squeakers,” and begins her visits. Her confidence buoyed by her activities in disguise, she finally makes the biggest change of all: she speaks as Maddie herself to Grandma’s friends. What seems like a didactic story improves along the way as the engaging illustrations involve readers and Maddie’s transformation takes place. In real life, young people (usually teens) can learn to be mitzvah clowns and bring joy to others in this special way. This activity and other ways to do good deeds are described in “A Note to Families,” but no specific references are provided.
Describing a different way to give back to the community (and help oneself), this cheery outing should not be confined to its Jewish context. (Picture book. 5-7)
—Kirkus
Why I Like This Book: I absolutely love both the story and art portrayed in this book and recommend it highly for children of any religion. Maddie has a universal problem and finds an absolutely clever and inspiring way to over come her character flaw. She is a believable and engaging character who many children will be able to identify with. While this satisfying and brightly-illustrated story nods to the Jewish faith in that Maddie does a mitzvah (good deed done as a religious duty), the plot boils down to a child wanting to overcome her shyness and make her Grandmother and friends laugh.
It is no surprise to me that PJ Library has recently commissioned 20,000 of this wonderful book to be shared with Jewish families across the U.S. It’s an absolutely wonderful book and everyone should take the time to read it, Jewish or not!
—Literally Lynne Marie
Karen Rostoker-Gruber is not only one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, she’s also one of the nicest. Karen has been publishing award-winning children’s books since 2003. It’s been my special pleasure to team up with her to form the Book Meshuggenahs, which you’ll find more about in the interview below along with some perfect picks for Hanukkah, including her Maddie the Mitzvah Clown and Farmer Kobi’s Hanukkah Match.
—Click to read the whole interview at The Kids Are All Write