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Product Identifiers

PublisherHarperCollins

ISBN-100618894241

ISBN-139780618894246

eBay Product ID (ePID)60204799

Product Key Features

Book TitleGolem : a Caldecott Award Winner

Number of Pages32 Pages

LanguageEnglish

TopicLegends, Myths, Fables / General, Fantasy & Magic, General, Historical / Europe, Religious / Jewish, Historical / Medieval

Publication Year2007

IllustratorYes

GenreJuvenile Fiction

AuthorDavid Wisniewski

FormatPicture Book

Dimensions

Item Height0.1 in

Item Weight5.9 Oz

Item Length11 in

Item Width9 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceJuvenile Audience

Reviews"The cut-paper collages are exquisitely produced and exceedingly dramatic. There is menace and majesty in Wisniewski's use of color, and he finds atmosphere and terror in a scissor's stroke. A fact-filled final note concludes this mesmerizing book." Kirkus Reviews with Pointers, Golem is the Hebrew word for shapeless man. According to Jewish legend, the renowned scholar and teacher Rabbi Loew used his powers to create a Golem from clay in order to protect his people from persecution in the ghettos of 16th-century Prague. (This was the time of the Blood Lie, when hostile gentiles claimed that Jews were mixing the blood of Christian children with the flour and water of matzo.) David Wisniewski's cut-paper collage illustrations--which earned him the Caldecott Medal in 1997--are the ideal medium for portraying the stark black-and-white forces of good and evil, pride and prejudice, as well as the gray area that emerges when the tormented clay giant loses control of his anger. Echoing the tension and mood of Frankenstein, Wisniewski sends the tragic giant back to the blood red earth that birthed him. The historical note on the last page offers a broader context for the legend, ultimately comparing the creation of Golem to the emergence of Israel. (Ages 8 and older), Extraordinary cut-paper collages show and tell the stark, terrifying legend of the giant monster of sixteenth-century Prague, who was created by a rabbi to protect his people in the ghetto against racist persecution., The cut-paper collages are exquisitely produced and exceedingly dramatic. There is menace and majesty in Wisniewski's use of colour, and he finds atmosphere and terror in a scissors stroke. A fact-filled final note concludes this mesmerizing book., Elaborately composed cut-paper spreads give a 3D, puppet-show-like quality to a retelling of a Jewish legend. Rabbi Loew has a prophetic vision in 1580 when the Jews of Prague are accused of mixing the blood of Christian children into matzoh: he must create a Golem, "a giant of living clay, animated by Cabala, mystical teachings of unknown power." Brought to life with apocalyptic explosions of steam and rain, the Golem seeks out the perpetrators of the Blood Lie and turns them over to the authorities. Thwarted, the enraged enemies of the Jews storm the gates of the ghetto, but the Golem grows to enormous height and violently defeats them with their own battering ram. Once his work is done, he pitifully (and futilely) begs the Rabbi: "Please let me live! I did all that you asked of me! Life is so... precious... to me!" Wisniewski (The Wave of the Sea Wolf) emphasizes the Golem's humanity and the problems with his existence; instead of reducing the legend to a tale of a magical rescuer, the author allows for its historical and emotional complexity. The fiery, crisply layered paper illustrations, portraying with equal drama and precision the ornamental architecture of Prague and the unearthly career of the Golem, match the specificity and splendor of the storytelling. An endnote about the history and influence of the legend is particularly comprehensive. Ages 6-10.

Grade FromFifth Grade

Grade ToSeventh Grade

Dewey Decimal398.21

SynopsisWinner of the 1997 Caldecott Medal Retold from traditional sources and accompanied by David Wisniewski's unique cut-paper illustrations, Golem is a dramatic tale of supernatural forces invoked to save an oppressed people. It also offers a thought-provoking look at the consequences of unleashing power beyond human control. The afterword discusses the legend of the golem and its roots in the history of the Jews. A Caldecott Medal Book., Retold from traditional sources and accompanied by David Wisniewski's unique cut-paper illustrations, Golem is a dramatic tale of supernatural forces invoked to save an oppressed people. It also offers a thought-provoking look at the consequences of unleashing power beyond human control. The afterword discusses the legend of the golem and its roots in the history of the Jews. A Caldecott Medal Book., Some four hundred years ago, according to legend, Rabbi Loew shaped a giant man of clay--a golem--and brought him to life. The golem's job was to defend the Jews of Prague from their persecutors, and he performed it almost too well. Wisniewskis Caldecott Honor-winning book is now in paperback. Full color.