Title: Hillel and the Paper Menschies
By: Mindy Blumenfeld
Illustrated and Co-Written by Marc Lumer
Hamodia Treasures
Meet Hilly, Pilly, Shimmy, and Shmaya, the outrageous Paper Menschies, Hashem’s helpers, who help Hillel confront Scared, Mad, and Sad. These 4 cut-out characters, drawn by his mother when Hillel has to go through a difficult medical procedure, and Hillel’s imagination, help him weather the difficult time he has receiving treatment and recuperating.
A rollicking story with a happy ending, children aged 6-12 will understand that they have a choice when faced with any difficult situation. Using mindfulness, they can regulate their emotions of Mad, Sad, and Scared and allow for qualities like determination, optimism, and perseverance to help them through their tough times.
Popular, smart, and athletic, Hillel has good friends and caring parents, but when he suddenly gets sick, he has to tap into resources he didn’t know he had. His imaginary friends show him a different way to cope and he comes through with flying colors.
Not only a book teaching these powerful lessons, Hillel and the Paper Menschies is a literary success with layered narrative, developed characters, and universal themes. Evoking laughter and emotional resonance, its prose lyrical, Hilly, Pilly Shimmy and Shmaya are the personification of the attributes that help us deal with any difficulty – inner strength, humor, and faith.
Marc Lumer’s colorful and cheerful illustrations are rich with subtext, experimenting with form and art that is both whimsical and representational, appealing to even an adult reading aloud to her child.
Hillel and the Paper Menschies is a book with a very strong message presented in a very gentle and amusing way. I definitely recommend it for any child going through a challenge and for their parents too.
