Picture Book 5 Golem

 

Golem , Written and Illustrated by David Wisniewski

Published October 18, 1996 by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Company

Genre: Picture Book    Sub-Genre: Fiction

Awarded the 1997 Caldecott Medal.

Theme: Supernatural fantasy, Jewish legend, religious persecution

Characters

Primary: Rabbi Loew, Golem

Secondary: The Rabbi's two students; the leader of Prague who is responsible for the persecution of the Jews there

                        In this picture-book take on a Hebrew legend, Rabbi Loew creates a "monster" of sorts out of clay. The creature's name is Golem, the Hebrew word for "shapeless man". The story is set in Prague, a city in the Czech Republic. There, the Jewish population is being accused of mixing the blood of Christian children with flour and water to make matzo (this accusation was known as the Blood Lie, and it took place in the sixteenth century in the Jewish ghettos of Prague). To combat the persecution of his people, Rabbi Loew creates Golem to fight back. As readers, we develop sympathy for Golem because he appreciates the life given him by the Rabbi very much but is saddened when he learns that once the persecution has stopped he must be destroyed because he will no longer be needed. 

                         Reading this book to elementary school students will be a good way to incorporate some diversity of history in the classroom. Learning about old Hebrew legends will help broaden their historical perspective. Also, exposure to different types of religions is crucial to building tolerance for and acceptance of diversity in our society. I would use it in a class of middle elementary grade students rather than younger students, due to the story's and illustrations' potentially "dark" nature.

**The illustrations, made entirely of torn paper, are fantastic and beautiful! It's very clear why this book won a Caldecott Honor Medal. = )