Once upon a time, Akiva was all grown up. He had a wife named Rachel. He had a job as a shepherd. And he had a house—well, maybe not quite a house, but a barn full of straw that kept the two of them warm in winter and gave them shade in summer. So begins … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Donkey and the Garden
Sunburnt Faces by Shimon Adaf translated from Hebrew by Margalit Rodgers and Anthony Berris PS Publishing November 1, 2013 470 pages As many reviews of this book will tell you, Sunburnt Faces is not a fantasy so much as it is a novel about fantasy. The concept of “Wonderland,” children’s books about fairies and magical … Continue reading Speculative Fiction in Translation: Sunburnt Faces
Dolly City by Orly Castel-Bloom translated by Dalya Bilu Dalkey Archive Press (Hebrew Literature Series) October 5, 2010 167 pages I could tell you that you must read this book because it is one of the landmarks of Israeli literature and a merciless critique of motherhood, nationhood, and postmodern life. I could also say that … Continue reading Speculative Fiction in Translation: Dolly City
There was once a town filled with people so wise that a body of Jewish folklore developed around their wisdom. Except, of course, they weren’t wise at all. Indeed, they were absolutely, thigh-slappingly, heart-stoppingly foolish—which is where much of the fun lies in the Chelm stories.* In The Sages of Chelm and the Moon**, Shlomo … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: The Sages of Chelm and the Moon
“Many years ago,in a faraway land called Holland, in a city named Delft, I was Fred’s teddy bear. I never had a name. Fred never gave me one. I lived in his bedroom with other toys. I was a happy bear. Little Fred loved me more than any other toy. He took me everywhere he … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Bear and Fred: A World War II Story
Part fantasy thriller, part social justice allegory, Keren Landsman’s Geffen Award winning novel The Heart of the Circle is a riveting exploration of minority rights told through the lens of a world where sorcerers are not only a part of day-to-day life, but are discriminated against, segregated and even murdered. Set in what appears to … Continue reading #GlobalPRIDELitMonth: The Heart of the Circle: A Thrilling Queer Israeli Fantasy
Very few people have heard of Francesco Tirelli, one of the multitude of unsung heroes and heroines of World War II. Nor have they heard about how this Italian gelato aficionado emigrated to Hungary, opened a successful ice cream parlor in the middle of Budapest, and, years later, quietly saved many of his Jewish friends … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Francesco Tirelli's Ice Cream Shop
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 