Golem

Golem story and pictures by David Wisneiwski
1997 Caldecott Medal

This is a haunting story about the persecution of the Jews in Prague in the  laste 1500's. A time when violence against the Jews was common place. Jews were forced to live in walled in ghettos and forbidden the protection of the law.

This story tells about a rabbi who created a giant out of clay, the Golem, and brought him to life to protect the Jewish people.

The book also has a detailed "afterward" (directed at adults not children) telling more about the history of the time.

The detailed paper cut illustrations are absolutely beautiful.

It's not a light read and my 10 year old said he didn't like it. The story on the other hand is RICH in discussion topics. . . everything from religious persecution, to the power of humans to create things that are beyond our power which then "come alive" and cause destruction, to the history of the Jewish people, to the closing line "Perhaps, when the desperate need for justice is united with holy purpose, Golem will come to life once more."