Golem by David Wisniewski
My rating: 4/5 cats
This Caldecott Honor book draws upon Jewish mythology to tell to the story of the persecution of the Jews in Prague in 1580. The Jews were forced to live in a walled ghetto and were accused of killing Christian babies and using their blood for their ancient rituals. The chief rabbi, Judah Loew ben Bezalel, creates a golem out of clay to protect the Jewish people. As the golem spends more time alive, it begins to acquire a human yearning for life. The golem, however, was only created to protect the Jews as long as they needed him, and after it has rebuffed several violent attacks and frightened the emperor into a withdrawal of his men, the rabbi returns the golem to the earth.
The artwork for the volume, also by David Wisniewski, is made up of cut-paper illustrations, which are layered like a collage and then photographed. This adds a depth to the illustrations that is very eye-catching. The amount of detail that can be conveyed with this method is impressive, and the intricacies of the art supports the old-world feeling of the story; something that computer-manipulated illustrations would be unable to convey.
The language in this picture book is quite sophisticated and the themes of the difference between life and humanity can lead to some complicated discussions. The scene of the rabbi consigning the golem to the earth once more despite his pleas for life is particularly emotional, and may lead some readers to question the justice of his decision. There is also a page-long endnote about the history of the golem in Jewish mythology, and a short history of the persecution of the Jews, for further discussion.
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