English & Yiddish
4+
Friendship
Judaism
Jewish Culture & Identity
Social-Emotional Learning
Caroline Kusin Pritchard & Ariel Landy
summary
Gitty is an optimistic force of nature and her best friend Kvetch is…the opposite. A little grumpy, a little unsure, Kvetch prefers to air on the safe side of life. Begrudgingly convinced to try and beat an impending thunderstorm to hang out in Gitty’s treehouse, the pair begin their trek. But, when they get caught in the rain will Gitty and Kvetch still keep their iconic personalities?
Yiddish is delightfully sprinkled throughout this story, bringing much-needed Jewish representation to kid lit. Having a strong and proud Jewish protagonist that isn’t about hardship, or even being Jewish in general is extremely important. We have Black Joy, we have BIPOC Joy, let’s get a hashtag going for this incidental representation. #JewishJoy? #ReadingChutzpah? Let me know. I’m not Jewish, I don’t get to decide these things.
Anyway, back to the review. Chock full of social-emotional learning skills, Kvetch learns how to react and help a friend when the need arises. Because even the most jaunty and excitable friends need a little pick me up sometimes. Utterly adorable, this had better be on your TBR list!
This delightful story was kindly sent to me by the author herself! However, all opinions and decisions to review are my own. Gitty and Kvetch is also a contender for the #Bookstagang_BestOf2021 list!
Caroline Kusin Pritchard
Caroline grew up as the youngest of four children in Dallas, TX and spent her childhood sneaking extra helpings of noodle kugel from her bubbe’s kitchen. She moved to California for college and has spent her career working across education, everything from teaching brilliant third graders to helping develop federal policy.
Caroline is currently an MFA Candidate in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Caroline lives in Stanford, CA with her husband (Tavita), two kiddos (Afi and Manu) and their 120-lb dog (Misha).
Ariel Landy
As soon as Ariel Landy learned how to draw a sky beyond a blue scribbled line, she knew she wanted to be an illustrator. Raised on coloring books and crayons outside of Boston, she now lives in France with her husband and dog.