Rating: 
Summary: Cute
Review: This is in TRANSLITERATION. Now you can add Yiddish to the list of 31 languages in which Pooh appears. Read about Vini-der-Pooh, Iya (eeyore), Khazerl (Piglet), and Kristofer Robin, as they munch on Varshaver Tort / Warsaw Cake (Cottleston Pie), and play near Khazerls Hoyz, Kangus Hoyz, Binenboym, Farfleytst Plats, Pu Bers Hoyz, and Hundert akordiker Wald. The book starts with a transliteration pronunciation page, but you really need to know Yiddish to proceed. Ten chapters follow. Each chapter begins with just a paragraph in Yiddish/Hebrew characters. This is followed by the story in Yiddish transliteration in English characters and Ernest Shepard's original illustrations. I was disappointed that there is no English translation, but one can easily just buy the English version also. The easy stuff is "Kristofer Robin hot gornisht gezogt, nor di oygn zenen im alts greser gevorn un des ponem alts Rozever" or when Vini der Pu says "Gut Morgn, and Kristofer Robin replies "Gut-yor, Vini dur Pu" But when Vini der Pu is a narisher alter Ber, and visits Kinigls (rabbit) and is a frayer and ferklempt and everyone must try to pull him out of the hole, the Yiddish is a tad harder. For example, "hot er ongekhapt Puen far di federshte lapes un kinigl hot ongekhapt Kristofer, un Kinigls, un Kinigls ale khaveyrim, un kroyvim hobn ongekhapt Kiniglem, un ale tsuzamen hobn zey getsoygn..." Translated by Leonard Wolf of NYU (Adjunct) and SFSU (Emeritus).
Rating: 
Summary: Who's this book for, anyway?
Review: Who's this book for, anyway? Kids who speak Yiddish? Bubbies and Zeidies feeling nostalgic? (doubt they read Milne as kids, though) Jewish Buddhists who want to read the original stories behind the "Tao of Pooh" in the language of their ancestors?I have a sneaking suspicion that most purchases of this book will be as a "gag" gift item, and for that, it's perfect. Certainly, it's not readable as Yiddish literature (due to the transliteration), despite Wolf's well-meaning translation. Why go to the effort of translating if you're not going to present the finished product in a form Yiddish speakers can actually comprehend??? (the two stars above are for the effort of translating -- the three stars it lost are for assuming we don't understand the Yiddish alphabet) So if you want to buy it as a joke, go ahead. Otherwise, you're going to be disappointed. As a fan of Milne's original Winnie-the-Pooh books (but NOT the "Disneyfied" versions), I picked this book up with curiousity, but realized before I got sucked into buying it that it's not what I was hoping it would be. Pheh. In fact, forget I said go ahead. Save your money, and don't encourage whoever published this -- what's the Yiddish word? Ah, yes -- this "fershtunkene" book.
Rating:
Summary: Who's this book for, anyway?
Review: Who's this book for, anyway? Kids who speak Yiddish? Bubbies and Zeidies feeling nostalgic? (doubt they read Milne as kids, though) Jewish Buddhists who want to read the original stories behind the "Tao of Pooh" in the language of their ancestors? I have a sneaking suspicion that most purchases of this book will be as a "gag" gift item, and for that, it's perfect. Certainly, it's not readable as Yiddish literature (due to the transliteration), despite Wolf's well-meaning translation. Why go to the effort of translating if you're not going to present the finished product in a form Yiddish speakers can actually comprehend??? (the two stars above are for the effort of translating -- the three stars it lost are for assuming we don't understand the Yiddish alphabet) So if you want to buy it as a joke, go ahead. Otherwise, you're going to be disappointed. As a fan of Milne's original Winnie-the-Pooh books (but NOT the "Disneyfied" versions), I picked this book up with curiousity, but realized before I got sucked into buying it that it's not what I was hoping it would be. Pheh. In fact, forget I said go ahead. Save your money, and don't encourage whoever published this -- what's the Yiddish word? Ah, yes -- this "fershtunkene" book.
Rating:
Summary: Who's this book for, anyway?
Review: Who's this book for, anyway? Kids who speak Yiddish? Bubbies and Zeidies feeling nostalgic? (doubt they read Milne as kids, though) Jewish Buddhists who want to read the original stories behind the "Tao of Pooh" in the language of their ancestors? I have a sneaking suspicion that most purchases of this book will be as a "gag" gift item, and for that, it's perfect. Certainly, it's not readable as Yiddish literature (due to the transliteration), despite Wolf's well-meaning translation. Why go to the effort of translating if you're not going to present the finished product in a form Yiddish speakers can actually comprehend??? (the two stars above are for the effort of translating -- the three stars it lost are for assuming we don't understand the Yiddish alphabet) So if you want to buy it as a joke, go ahead. Otherwise, you're going to be disappointed. As a fan of Milne's original Winnie-the-Pooh books (but NOT the "Disneyfied" versions), I picked this book up with curiousity, but realized before I got sucked into buying it that it's not what I was hoping it would be. Pheh. In fact, forget I said go ahead. Save your money, and don't encourage whoever published this -- what's the Yiddish word? Ah, yes -- this "fershtunkene" book.
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