Golem -- the 1997 Caldecott Medal Winner

22 Feb 1997
Linnea Hendrickson

Some rather scattered thoughts on Golem. My students persist in asking me if I LIKE the book, and I've been telling them that "like" isn't an appropriate description of my response to this book which I find powerful, deep, disturbing, and brilliantly illustrated.

As one who loves Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, this book is about as opposite for a children's picture book as anything could be, but after my initial disappointment that Lilly wasn't even on the Honors list, I am finding Golem increasingly intriguing. I've also compared it with my students to two earlier Caldcott choices that have aroused powerful feelings and controversies and have been considered by some to be not suitable for children -- Shadow and Smoky Night -- yet both of these are books that some students have reported very positive experiences with with children over the years.

When I read Golem aloud the students and I were both caught somewhat by surprise by its emotional impact. Completely on their own the students brought up reverberations with the Frankenstein story, which is also alluded to in the endnote, and with Biblical and other stories of creation, dust to dust, and even Christ's sacrifice in the words, "Oh Father! Do not do this to me!" We were also touched by the childlikeness of this monster creature, and his longing for life throughout the tale.

There's lots more -- the story can even be read on the level of a monster adventure story of a type that appeals to little boys -- which makes me think that any book that can stir up that much conversation and so much feeling is very special. Although the endnote helps greatly in putting the story into context and explaining some of the Jewish content, I suspect there is more that is apparent to someone with better knowledge of this. I'm hoping someone on this list can offer some insights.

For example, on the third double spread, is the open scroll the Torah? What is the pointer with a hand and pointing finger, and what are the words written on the ribbon that apparently ties the scroll?

I love the "hand of light" and the glowing gold letters -- would these be written and read from right to left? -- I'd like a little Hebrew lesson on these letters, please.

On the following opening, I am puzzled about the 0 on the cloak of one of the men. It appears again in at least one later picture.

There are probably other symbols and details that I'm overlooking. I do recognize the famous Jewish cemetery in Prague, which filled me with deep, dark, disturbing (sad?) feelings rather like those aroused by this book.

The more I look at Golem, the more I see -- especially the emphasis on hands throughout, and the ways the papercuts capture mood and movement and energy.

The picture that probably puzzles me most in terms of its construction is the one showing the interior of the Prague Castle. I want to know how the effects of shadows on those windows and the blurred buildings of the city through the windows were created.

Are there any written accounts of the kind of paper or cardstock Wisniewski uses? Am I right in thinking that some of the fine lines are made by scoring the paper or cutting on a slant so the underlying color shows on the edges?

There is another book, _The Golem: A Jewish Legend_ written and illustrated by Beverly Brodsky McDermott that was removed from the shelf of a Newburgh, NY school when a first grade teacher, Phyllis Hoyt, complained that the book contained strong language and threatening artwork that children might not understand. Even though the book was on the shelf for 16 years with no complain, the Superintendent, Phillip Leahy, said that it was his right to remove the book and that he was not burning or censoring it. (Is this a contradiction!) Hoyt's main complaint about the book was a section that repeats the blood libel and a passage where the mob screams, "Kill the Jews."

My question: did any of your students seem disturbed in any way with _Golem_, the new award book? It didn't sound as though they did from your post. It might be interesting to compare the two books. Unfortunately, my library does not have a copy of the book so I have not read it.

Dear Linnea, I found your comments on "Golem" most illuminating. I am passing them on to some friends who have been wondering about this Caldecott choice. As for some of the Jewish symbols. Yes, the scroll is a Torah scroll. Hebrew is written and read from right to left. Modern Hebrew is written with small dots and marks above, below and to the side of the consonants--which make the words more identifiable. The gold letters opposite the rabbi and the Torah are the word "Golem" (the letters in English respond to the consonants G L M.). By the way, the Hebrew on the book on the last page is "emet" or "truth." As the text says, when the aleph (the rightmost letter) is erased, the two letters left are the word for "death." The pointer is a yad. The Torah text is not touched by hands, but by fingers wrapped in a prayer shawl and by the yad, a finger substitute. Although I do not know for sure, this is probably a sign of respect, since these are the "words of God." The smaller word on the Torah wrapping is "amen." I am not sure about the bigger one (my Hebrew is rudimentary), but I will ask. As for the paper cutting techniques, the best I could do was the last paragraph in the note following the text of "Sundiata": "After the sketches were approved by the editor, I prepared a tracing paper rendition, as detailed as possible. Then, using carbon paper, I transferred the elements of the illustrations to the back of the colored papers used in the final art. Each detail was cut out with a #11 X-Acto blade. The pieces were assembled with double-stick photo mountings and foam tape. Finally, the completed pieces were phtographed, with light and shadow controlled to apture the most dramatic effect."

In response to Linnea Hendrickson's positive experiences with _Golem_, I'd be interested in knowing the grade level(s) in which these discussions have taken place.

Linnea writes:
"For example, on the third double spread, is the open scroll the Torah? What is the pointer with a hand and pointing finger, and what are the words written on the ribbon that apparently ties the scroll?"

Yes, that's the Torah. The pointer is just that...it is used by someone to point out each word as it it read or chanted. The yellow Hebrew letters read "Golem." They are read right to left. The first letter...the one the yellow finger is pointing to, is a Gimmel....next is a Lamed...and last...a Final Mem. There are no vowels, just as there are no vowels in modern Hebrew. Vowels would appear above or below the letters. Now, the words which are actually on the ribbon which is used to tie the scroll together are more difficult to read. Look at the one which is to the left of the rabbi. Those letters just don't look like any Hebrew I've ever seen!

The only other bit of information I can share is in regards to the last page. The clay which was once the Golem is covered in old prayerbooks. In Jewish law, prayer books...indeed, any piece of paper with the word God written out, cannot be destroyed. It must be buried with respect. There is even a ceremony for it. It's like the prayer books served their use, and once unable to be useful, must be treated with respect. Same with the Golem. He WAS used. But they treated him with the same kind of respect they treat a used prayer book. He was buried with dignity. Make sense?

Janet Zarem
23 Feb 1997

This is to complete my previous post to Linnea and the list. So far, a Hebrew dictionary has not helped with the larger words on the Torah scroll wrapper on page 3 of David Wisniewski's "Golem." Any Hebrew scholars out there? Meanwhile, does it seem odd that there have been 3 books of Golem stories in 1995--96? (even the X-Files did a Golem story last week --I know it has a large teen following). I also find Wisniewski's Rabbi Loew rather Merlin-esque, which adds to the texture of the book for me. Janet

Thanks to all who've responded to me requests for more information about Golem, especially to Janet Z. and Lisa T., and to Jane Y. and Daphne K. who responded off the list. This is exactly the kind of information I am looking for. I found the information about the prayer books especially interesting, and now I am really curious about what it says on the ribbon or whether some of it is "make-believe" Hebrew.

For Toni, who asked about the age level of my students. They are college students and mostly older than average. They had some ideas of their own on how children might respond, but so far no one had actually tried the book with children.

Thanks, too, Janet for the Merlin connection -- I kept wondering who Rabbi Loew reminded me of -- all I could think of was Moses holding his stick over the Red Sea -- but now I see also there could be a connection between Golem and the Sorcerer's Apprentice, too.

I'd love to hear of others' responses to the book and/or of using it with children.

Watch out sports fans...there's another book dealing with the Golem due out soon, it is Pete Hamill's -Snow in August- (to be reviewed in the February 15th "Booklist" issue). This is an adult book that really, really, really is YA: in 1947 Brooklyn, an 11 year old Catholic boy befriends/mentors a Jewish survior and when things get tough...well, Jackie Robinson, faith, friendship and fable hit a homerun!

(Ah...that feels so good, I did the YA review for "Booklist" with a 13 limit word count...the above, I wrote without looking up at my %$#@ computer's word counter...)

PS: I do have a Hebrew/English dictionary and remember enough Hebrew that once I get my hands on the DW's -The Golem- again, I'll try to translate the Hebrew text. And if that doesn't work, I'll contact the Spertus Museum here in Chicago...so if anyone has any more specific questions, please feel free to email me directly and between me, my Yiddish folktale books and the good folks at Spertus...we should be able to get all questions answered.

A "yad" is used to point the reader to the correct place to read in the Torah- our own fingers contain oils which are potentially destructive to the parchment upon which the Torah is written. The Torah is hand-copied, and the scribe is allowed no mistakes- it can take over a year for the entire process to be completed.

Linnea -
Wiesnewski (sp?) is a local boy here who's been a featured speaker at nearly every elementary school in the Washington, D.C. area, so we of course were just delighted that he won. He started as a puppeteer doing shadow puppets, which is where he apparently perfected his papercutting art. He describes it as a "perfect outlet for an obsessive/compulsive." Cute interview with him in the Washington Post the day after the award was announced; it may still be posted (http://www.washingtonpost.com).

The search continues…In regards to Wisniewski's -Golem- I still haven’t been able to translate the three words on the Torah tie, opposite the Yad (which means hand in Hebrew), but some good folks at The Asher Library at the Spertus Museum in Chicago are working on it. So, hope to have an answer soon…

In the meantime, my mother (who yes does have a name, Devra R. Jacobson) is a self-taught folk artist and most of her pieces deal with Judaic themes, I thought you all might enjoy another perspective from our conversations:

1. The dry river bed underneath the title page: is the right hand of God. According to Jewish tradition, it is a strong hand of protection and the hand the brought the Jews out of slavery (Moses, Pharaoh and the story of Passover).

2. On the page where the Golem is told to wrap the cloak around himself, she immediately saw Moses (Rabbi Loew figure) and the tablets of the Ten Commandants on the Golem’s chest (again the story of Passover).

3. Which got me to thinking, that the oval on the figure (on the next page...holding a shovel) is an egg. An egg, of course, is the symbol of new growth, new life, of hope. During Passover, a roasted egg is used to represent the ancient Temple service in Jerusalem. Also, on that spread, the moon is peaking out from behind a red river...which again reminds one of the parting of the waters in the Passover legend.

4. On the next page, where Rabbi Lowe and the Golem are in the attic, look carefully at the lantern below the Rabbi: It’s a bunch of hearts. Legend has it that two rams horns were put together (forming a heart shape) and that the Torah was leaned against these horns during ancient prayer or study.

5. (Here’s where I think my Mom struck "gold"…okay, she’s my Mom) On the page where the "first wave of attackers screamed in terror when they say Golem", in the Golem’s right hand is an object and if you look at the lighter, tan portion it forms the Hebrew letter "Shin"). And quoting from, pp.60-61 of -The Book of Letters, a Mystical Alef-Bait- by Lawrence Kushner ( New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1975): "Something of Shin is shattering. The breaking of the primeval vessel. The discord and confusion which is the beginning of growing. And then trying to get it all back together again. Sound the great ram’s horn. Bring home from exile all those who have been banished. Gather together all the broken pieces. Shin is the letter just before the end. The restoration of all the scattered shards. On the door post of every Jewish home there is a Shin. This is the Shin of Shaddai, God’s most mysterious name." (FYI: The Shin is on the Mezuzah, a little box containing a Jewish prayer posted on the door frames on Jewish homes…well, it varies according to tradition and practice.)

Hopes this adds a bit to everyone’s reading, understanding, enjoyment and use of -Golem- and about my descriptions, well, sorry I only review the "books without the pictures"…cannot describe art work very well at all.

By the way, Shin is also the first letter in the Hebrew word "Shalom"…you know, it means peace. Think about it…

Karen...whose name in Hebrew means "a ray of sunlight"...so why is it raining in Chicago today?!

I hesitated to share Golem with my multiage 2/3 but decided to go ahead. I feared the darkness of the theme and ghetto concepts might be too sophisticated. Surprisingly, they adore the book. They immediately spoke to the coloration as so appropriate when dealing with a figure raised from clay and were fascinated once again by his technique. I even have some attempting cut paper illustration and discovering its intricacies. A student who struggles with first grade level reading material usually and shows little interest in independent reading will not allow anyone else time with the book. He loves it. He sits and pores over it. He has asked to keep Rain Player in his area also. You just can't second guess them. Their questions were straight forward about content, and I shared some of the detail, as in the translation of the Hebrew, but didn't go too far into depth, only as far as they wished to go. I love seeing them seek out his work in the media center. They knew Rain Player and Elfwyn's Saga. Now they also know Sundiata by their own selection.

I hesitated to share Golem with my multiage 2/3 but decided to go ahead. I feared the darkness of the theme and ghetto concepts might be too sophisticated. Surprisingly, they adore the book. They immediately spoke to the coloration as so appropriate when dealing with a figure raised from clay and were fascinated once again by his technique. I even have some attempting cut paper illustration and discovering its intricacies. A student who struggles with first grade level reading material usually and shows little interest in independent reading will not allow anyone else time with the book. He loves it. He sits and pores over it. He has asked to keep Rain Player in his area also. You just can't second guess them. Their questions were straight forward about content, and I shared some of the detail, as in the translation of the Hebrew, but didn't go too far into depth, only as far as they wished to go. I love seeing them seek out his work in the media center. They knew Rain Player and Elfwyn's Saga. Now they also know Sundiata by their own selection.

Dear Karen,

I just want to thank you,(and the others who also posted explanations) for offering all the wonderful information about the golem illustrations, and Linnea for asking the right questions to get the discussion rolling. This discussion has been a very serendpitous experience for me because it just so happens that the book I spent the weekend reading (for my grad level independent study in science fiction by women writers) was Marge Piercy's *He, She, and It*, which is a retelling of the golem tale of the 1600's intertwined with a tale about a cyborg/golem of the distant future.

Because I had no prior knowledge of the idea of the golem your posts were all very helpful, and I am intending to get a copy of the Caldecott winner as soon as it is in the bookstores again.

And, that is another part of my story, for I was told by the young man at Barnes and Noble today that because they hadn't sold any copies of *The Golem* before the announcement the publisher had recalled it, and now they are waiting to get the copies back again.

I think I'm very lucky. Last year my son's school contacted many children's authors and illustrators for items to sell at their annual auction. David Wisniewski sent one of his original cut-out illustrations and my son purchased it for me. Wouldn't you know, I can't find the sheet of paper that lists the title of the book it was from. But it was not a title that I could ever find listed as being published anywhere. Maybe it was one that didn't make it that far. Anyway, I'm especially thrilled to have it since he won the Caldecott.

Thank you, Karen S. for sending these rays of sunshine about Golem this way.

I met the same students I had read Golem to last week, and this time we looked at a range of Caldecott books over the years and I read aloud Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. To my great surprise, although they liked Lilly, they all said that after the depth they'd discovered in Golem last week, they thought it was a much better book than Lilly. This came even from one student who said she had really disliked Golem when she first saw it.

I'm going to have to look at the book more carefully yet again, after these new insights from Karen.

I'm still wondering about that "egg" or oval on the cloak, though. What haunts me is that this may have been some kind of mark or badge, perhaps even a precursor of the requirement that Jews wear a Star of David, or that it perhaps stands for some office or status. Maybe the folks at the Asher Library who are working on the Hebrew on the ribbon would have some other ideas on that, too, or maybe as Karen suggests, it simply represents an egg -- it just seems a bit odd to have an egg on one's cloak.

Another thing I've learned is that copies of Golem are in short supply -- that the first edition is completely gone and that the publisher is rushing with a second printing -- there were no more than 3, possibly 4 copies in all the libraries here in Albuquerque serving 500,000 or so people. Does anyone have any facts on this? Are others having a hard time finding a copy of the book to even look at?

I haven't looked for Golem, but I have heard Jane Yolen say that it took weeks--maybe months? for her publisher to meet the demand after OWL MOON won--they hadn't anticipated it at all and had essentially no stock on hand at the time of the award.

The Illustrator's Note, written by Trina Schart Hyman, at the end of Barbara Rogasky's THE GOLEM (Holiday House, 1996), says that "At the time this story took place, all European Jews were required to wear the yellow circle that you see on the left shoulder or sleeve of many of the characters in this book."

I didn't notice the circle in either Shelevitz's illustrations for Singer's THE GOLEM or in the McDermott version, however.

GOT IT! It took twenty minutes of devoted dedication from Dan Sharon, the Reference Librarian at the Asher Library of Chicago to assist me with the following: but, we now know what the three large letters on the Torah tie is: the word is "Selah."

From Alcalay, Reuben.The Complete Hebrew-English Dictionary. Israel: Massada, Ltd., 1981. "Selah." Not too much is known about the word, it is used in certain "psalms following the word Amen to indicate either: a moaning, a pause, silence, interlude or elevation of the voice." This makes sense as the last complete Hebrew word on the torah tie is "Amen."

And Paula Brandt was correct, at that time period most Jews were forced to wear badges (of some sort or another) to identify themselves as being Jewish. Once again, it took me a few nights to realize: the books! the books! The answer will be in the books! For further information regarding the oval badge, see Encyclopedia Judaica (Vol.4, p.61-74). The volume covers wide time span and specifics in different European countries.

Okay, now that we've discussed the Caldecott, anyone want to start up with the Newberry choice, A View From Saturday. I reread it last night and still have some problems. I guess what I'm looking for is: 1/booktalk the book to me to get me to read it; and 2/how does the book deliver on what you "promised" in the first question. Of course, if this is "old hat" or "too boring" please feel free to post to me off list. Oh! I've already "heard" how certain kids positively react to the book, so what I'd like to know is how do you think that works. I guess my problem is that if, or rather when, some kid asks me about the 1997 Newberry winner: what can I say?

Thanks in advance for any and all comments. Again, even to those threads I don't comment on, you guys are great! I'm continually learning! And best all, there are no written exams on what I've learned!

Thanks, Karen, for spending the time to discover the meaning of that elusive and very un-Hebrew-looking word.

I just received RUNNING THE ROAD TO ABC, one of the three books named Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor book for 1997. Anyone else had a chance to read this? I'm not an expert on illustration but I LIKE Reynold Ruffin's pictures very much. They compliment the tone of Denize Lauture's melodic prose. However, it seems to me that the second picture in the book fails to follow the author's specific description of the children.

They wear blue denim shirts and short pants. Their hands hold book bags that they make themselves with palm tree leaves. Their hands hold little metal bowls of food for midday lunch, each one tied up with embroidered cloth....

The artist depicts them in different-colored clothing...the book bags appear to be large crakers ...there are no little metal bowls, and certainly no embriodered cloth. This is a bit different from the thread about book covers. This is a picture book. How do you feel about the discrepencies? Won't children immediately see the disparity? How does this kind of thing get by editors and art directors?

Just taking a breather from herculean efforts to get a site up and running (a large part devoted to picturebooks) and reopen a thread before the Caldecott awards are made.

To grasp the import of _Golem_ we need to go back fo a conference held at Dartmouth college in 1956 which saw the first vigorous attacks on the problem of machine intelligence. After Dartmouth things happened fast and by the early 70s artificial intelligence (AI) had all the trappings of a viable academic field. In essence, this endeavour was and is driven by a belief that eventually machines will exceed human intelligence in most, if not every, respect.

For those in the humanities the most interesting aspect of AI is the view that programs are essentially mind-programs and that sensory and motor interactions with the physical world are simple, even non-existent. Here AI joins with theoretical psychology. Clearly, to program machines to be intelligent demands thinking about much more than machines and programming.

A primary metaphor in AI is that of a society of limited agents whose intelligence is emergent from their interaction; computer systems as a whole will be qualitatively different than the sum of its parts. We use this idea when we think about living things and creation: DNA emerged from the inert molecules of the nonliving earth, for example.

In a nutshell, then, the metaphor of mind-as-program challenges the very notion of life. Remember that Norbert Wiener--usually regarded as the founder of cybernetics--as well as John von Neumann and Marvin Minsky, consider themselve to be descendants of Rabbi Loew, the creator of Golem, a human-like figure of clay into whom God's name breathed life.

In _God & Golem. Inc._ Wiener asks: "Can God play a significant game with his own creature? Can any creator, even a limited one, play a significant game with his own creature?"

These, surely, are the questions that _Golem_ invites us--nay, demands-- that we consider as we move from print to electronic literacy.