Schlemiel Comes to America

by Jane Yolen, Oscar T. Perez (Illustrator)

Overview

In this twist on the classic Jewish stories, Schlemiel lives in the famous town of Chelm, known as "the place of fools." When one day he embarks on a journey to America, he has no idea the people and adventures he will encounter. But what he quickly learns is that "not all the fools in the world live in Chelm."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781478876113
Publisher:	Reycraft Books
Publication date:	04/01/2023
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	6.39(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.47(d)
Lexile:	610L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 12 Years

About the Author

I was born in Valladolid, Spain and have worked in many jobs related to the creation of images, such as illustrating children's books. Some of my books have been translated and published in France, South Korea, Brazil, Canada, China, Poland, and elsewhere. Nowadays, I am busy working on exciting new projects and books—some coming your way soon!

Editorial Reviews

2023-01-12
Don’t count all your fools in one place.

Schlemiel the tailor lives in Chelm, a town in Jewish folklore famous for fools. He fancies himself wise and a shrewd arbiter, and he just might be…at least, compared with the other Chelm residents. Look what happens when the mayor is frightened that a rock on the mountain looming over Chelm might fall. Some citizens carry the rock down to the village, and Schlemiel remarks they could have rolled it down instead. The villagers haul it back up to where they found it—then roll it down, crushing several buildings. Schlemiel decides they’re so foolish, he’s going to America. On the way, he settles a dispute between two people about where a bridge leads, confounds an immigration official, and earns big money when he solves a problem at a construction site involving piles of dirt and holes. Young readers will likely find the stories in this early chapter book mildly amusing—if they get them. However, the artwork is ill-suited to the text. Characters look stiff and bland, and their eyes don’t focus. Scenes and people appear staged, as if posed for a tableau. Characters are light-skinned except for one brown-skinned person on the immigration line. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A disappointing effort. (about Chelm) (Chapter book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews