Golem

Of all the books that the wonderful librarian helped me select, the cover of this one instantly caught my eye. A very worthy Caldecott Award-winning book, Golem was illustrated using cut paper, resulting in a stunning effect. I was anxious to turn each page and see the new pictures that the author/illustrator, David Wisniewski, had created.

The story itself was well-told and very intriguing. Golem recounts the tale of a Jewish rabbi in sixteenth century Prague who is angered by the treatment of his people by the townspeople. The Jews are confined to a walled ghetto and denied the protection of the law while the citizens of Prague spread lies about them. One night, Rabbi Leow sneaks out of the ghetto with two accomplices and uses Cabala to form a Golem, a giant that can only be created by a holy man to serve his purposes. With the aid of the Golem, Rabbi Leow is able to bring justice to the Jews of Prague, force the emperor to guarantee their safety, and stop the vicious rumors that had been spread about them. The Golem is then returned to the clay from which he was created with the promise that he will be resurrected if the Jews are ever in danger again. 

As I am not well-versed in Jewish folklore, I looked up the origins of the Golem legend. According to what I read, the Golem originates primarily from the Talmud, and the word "golem" itself comes from the Hebrew for "shapeless mass." The legends generally concur that a Golem can only be created by a rabbi out of clay by invoking the secret name of God. In order to bring it to life, you must write the Hebrew word for "truth" on its forehead. To destroy it, you must erase the first letter of "truth" in order to form the word "death". The back of the book also provides a very detailed description and history of the legend, which could be quite advantageous if a teacher wanted to use this book to discuss Jewish oppression through the years or the origins of Cabala.  


As a caution, this book is not necessarily suitable for young audiences. The subject matter is fairly violent and a bit dark for kindergarten-first graders. Older students, however, could greatly benefit from reading this story and use it to study Jewish culture, learn about cut paper art, or discuss inequality and justice. In addition, since David Wisniewski has written and illustrated several books that are all inspired by folklore and tradition from different cultures around the world, this book could be one of many that serve as portals to learning about other cultures.

If you are at all interested, this book is also available for reading on Googlebooks! I would encourage you to at least look at the stunning illustrations.

So You Want to Be President?

An illustrated history of the United States Presidency, this book seems like it should be boring and dry, but it was far from it. This book kept me laughing from the first page to the last. At the same time, however, it was also highly informative. I learned about the requirements to serve as President, the responsibilities of the office of President, and facts about each President. For instance, did you know that John Quincy Adams went skinny dipping every morning? And that a determined reporter once stole all of his clothes and refused to return them until he allowed her to interview him? 

The author also did a particularly good job of gearing the book towards children. One of my favorite lines was: "The President doesn't have to eat yucky vegetables. As a boy, George Bush had to eat broccoli. When George Bush grew up, he became President. That was the end of the broccoli!" (St. George, p. 9). I also loved how she emphasized that all different types of people with varying interests, talents, and backgrounds had been the President. She ended the book by encouraging her readers in this way: "That's the bottom line. Tall, short, fat, thin, talkative, quiet, vain, humble, lawyer, teacher, or soldier [following the Presidential Oath] is what most of our Presidents have tried to do, each in his own way. Some succeeded. Some failed. If you want to be President - a good President - pattern yourself after the best" (St. George, 47).

The illustrations enhanced the text incredibly well, hence the 2000 Caldecott Medal. In their casual, hilarious political cartoon style, they brought life to the words on the page, making me laugh even more. I loved the exaggerated expressions on the cartoonish faces of the Presidents, the hilarious antics in which they were involved when the illustrator portrayed them, and the surprising accuracy they had. There was even a glossary at the back of the book listing all of the pages and what Presidents were pictured on them.

Though this book is now slightly out of date, (although, apparently an updated edition has recently been released) as it says that there has never been a President of color, it is still a very clever way to teach students about the history of the Presidency, our past Presidents, and the requirements of the office of the President!