1. The Many Problems of Rochel-Leah

1. The Many Problems of Rochel-Leah. Jane Yolen. 2024. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, 3 stars]

First sentence: The first problem Rochel-Leah had was that she was a girl. 

Premise/plot: This picture book is set in a small Russian village--a shtetl--in the 1830s. Rochel-Leah, our heroine, wants more than anything to learn to read. But there are many, many, many obstacles standing in the way. She has spunk and determination, but will that be enough???

My thoughts: This picture book is based on a story passed down through many generations in Jane Yolen's family as happening to a cousin of a cousin of a cousin or some such like way back when. Regardless of its origin, the story celebrates gumption and a LOVE of words, of stories, of the power of such. 

 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Young Readers