Author:
Barbara Rogasky, Trina Schart Hyman (Illustrator)

Does the book have pictures?
Yes

What age group is this book written for?
Elementary School
Middle School

Category:
Fiction

Brief summary:
This story is both entertaining and thought-provoking. There is a legend that in the16th century, Rabbi Judah Loew created a giant clay figure called Golem, which is the Hebrew word for "shapeless man," and put the word "emet" (this means truth) on it, to protect the Jewish people of Prague from the dangers of religious prosecution and the bloodshed of pogroms, which were carried out because many people believed that Jews made their Passover bread from flour, water and the blood of Christian children. The Golem, who had a child-like innocence despite his size and ugly appearance, proved his worth, speechlessly warning the Jews not to eat poisoned matzoh on the eve of Passover and dragging wrongdoers to the police station. Eventually, his actions helped force the royal decree that made the blood libel against the Jews illegal.

It sounds gruesome, but kids will appreciate this big character who looks out for the underdog, and may benefit from learning something about the historical intolerance of the Jewish religion and culture.

The story, of course, served as the basis for Frankenstein. The author, Barbara Rogasky, has retold other traditional stories in such previous books as Rapunzel and The Water of Life: A Tale from the Brothers Grimm.