The Golem of Prague

by Irène Cohen-Janca

Other authorsMaurizio A. C. Quarello (Illustrator), Brigitte Waisberg (Translator)
Hardcover, 2017

Status

Available

Call number

J F COH

Publication

Annick Press (2017), 56 pages

Description

This retelling of an ancient Jewish legend will capture a new audience with its powerful illustrations and timeless text.The legend of the Golem dates back to the 1500s when the Jews of Prague were being viciously persecuted. Their spiritual leader, Rabbi Loew, also known as The Maharal of Prague, created a formidable creature out of clay whose mission it was to protect the Jews of the city. This beautiful picture book with its lyrical text and evocative illustrations, retells the story of the Golem through the eyes of a young boy, Frantz. Despite warnings to never enter the attic in the synagogue, Frantz climbs up. There, he is transported back to the time when the Golem was created, and eventually destroyed. A blend of mysticism, the supernatural, and even romance makes this a haunting picture book for children ages 8 to 12.… (more)

Barcode

5409

Language

Lexile

820L

User reviews

LibraryThing member misspider
What a wonderful retelling of the Golem story, though I must admit I am not too familiar with either the legend or the Meyrink novel abusing it (defintely have to change that some time).

The story is mysterious and a little bit scary, but not too much - of course, the beautiful illustrations which
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perfectly capture the slightly creepy mood have a good deal to do with that. It is always a good thing to bring in some young main character in a children's book, so that readers can more easily identify with and experience events through his or her eyes.

I also appreciated the small glossary at the end of the book explaining some central keywords related to Jewish tradition and was helpful and interesting for people (like me) completely unfamiliar with that religion.

A wonderful, slightly dark story for teen readers as well as adults.
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ISBN

1554518881 / 9781554518883
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