Many Jewish families helped settle, diverse communities in the desolate, desert terrain of the Old West. Although Sweet Tamales for Purim is a work of fiction, it is inspired by a true event. In 1886, the Hebrew Ladies Benevolent Society of Tucson planned a Purim Ball for the entire community. Barbara tells the story from the perspective of a young girl, who along with her new friend, Luis plan to create a Purim festival for their town. Their plans for the celebration were well underway until the family goat, Kitzel, ate all of the traditional holiday pastries, Hamantashen. Fortunately, they find another way to celebrate Purim and the family is able to share their cultural traditions with their new neighbors. Purim celebrates the courageous stand that Queen Esther made to save the Jewish people from being banished by the king. The young girl's determination to create a spirited Purim celebration in her western town, provides a unique insight into how children can creatively overcome challenges when life doesn't go as planned. Her quick thinking, persistence and resourceful actions give their first Purim festival added significance. "Barbara Bietz's Sweet Tamales for Purim, enhanced by John Kanzler's colorful illustrations, is just as sweet as its title. A tale of friendship and joyful celebration unlimited by cultural boundaries, this book is a gift to its readers and a much-needed model of true community." Lyn Ford, writer, author, and nationally recognized Affrilachian storyteller "Bietz's descriptive words and Kanzler's real-life drawings welcome the reader into a time long ago. Adults and children alike see what happens when we all come together through kindness in both the past and the present. This beautifully told story about two children from different backgrounds is a great read about inclusion and reminds us how beautiful a town can be when people come together as one. Eating both hamantaschen and sweet tamales on Purim is a great idea! The Author's Note explains the story of the late pioneers who settled in the Southwest where life was lonely and isolated. Bietz explains how her story was inspired by a true event that occurred in 1886 when the Hebrew Ladies Benevolent Society of Tucson, Arizona, planned a Purim Ball for the entire community. I learned something I did not know about Purim in the 1800s. I know this will be a great read for both Jewish and non-Jewish children." Good Reads with Ronna "The story is told in clear, engaging language that describes the many traditions of Purim, along with the adaptive tradition of Sweet Tamales. The excitement of preparation, the disappointment of Kitzel eating the cookies and the relief that a solution can be found are all described with tangible emotions. The illustrations look like oil paintings on canvas, with the texture of the canvas showing through each picture. With soft colors and vibrant portraits, the story's many emotions are well depicted and bring this distinctive Purim story to life. The multicultural nature of the Purim Ball combined with the use of sweet tamales to solve the hamantaschen problem provide for a positive demonstration of the Jewish experience in the old American Southwest. Crowns from flowers, wooden graggers, carts pulled by goats and other illustrations of the time and place create an authenticity to the story. Given all of this detail, this could surely be considered for a Sydney Taylor Honor Book Award. This is a wonderful and unique addition to the Purim collection." The Sydney Taylor Shmooze Blog "In Bietz's telling, a young girl, Rebec­ca, has care­ful­ly pre­pared the tra­di­tion­al haman­taschen with the help of her friend, Luis. When her family's goat, Kitzel, over­turns the tray of pas­tries, it appears that the hol­i­day has been ruined. Rebecca's hap­pi­ly resolved adven­ture offers read­ers a glimpse into the past of Jews in the south­west, as the kind­ness and sup­port of her com­mu­ni­ty save the Purim Ball. The book's tar­get audi­ence of young chil­dren will enjoy the story's sim­plic­i­ty, as well as its pos­i­tive mes­sage of coop­er­a­tion and harmony." Jewish Book Council *CHOSEN BY TABLET MAGAZINE AS ONE OF THE BEST JEWISH CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF 2020* Barbara Bietz is an award-winning author and the creator of the website JewishBooksforKids.com where she interviews authors, illustrators, editors, and more. Barbara is a former chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Awards committee (Association of Jewish Libraries). When she isn't writing, Barbara enjoys playing guitar and building dollhouses. She lives with her family in Southern California. Visit her at BarbaraBietz.com In collaboration with John Kanzler, Barbara's award-winning picture book, The Sundown Kid , tells the story of a Jewish family's struggle to preserve their traditions in a small, desert town in the old west. Barbara's latest collaboration with John, Sweet Tamales for Purim, is told from the perspective of Rebecca, a yo