I think the artwork in this book has been underrated, perhaps because only a few colors were used in printing. It's clever: the run-down New York City neighborhood is drawn in meticulous detail. I use it to show Inuit students what a city looks like! By contrast, the royal entourage is cartoon-style, not realistic. Not only does the royal family's entourage grow larger with each repetition of the pattern, but the characters themselves grow larger, until at the end of the book they have to hunch over to fit into the boy's tenement apartment. At the very end, the characters turn into playing cards (only in the art, not in the text) and the royal barber (who, we somehow suspect, is a self-portrait of the author) becomes a doll that has been sitting half-seen on the window sill all along. Lots to look at in this book.

One Monday Morning is the story of a little prince who each day of the week brings more friends to visit. However the little boy he's coming to visit isn't home. The story is much like the 12 days of christmas with the addition of interesting characters each day of the week.

This book is a great first time reader. It is better than Dick and Jane for several reasons. This book adds people and words as the story unfolds. It is an easy story to follow. It adds words that are pretty common to today's early readers. I am a literacy volunteer and I use this book for my older reading students.

You could say I like Chelm stories, and that I buy every one I can.

You could also say that Isaac Bashevis Singer, who wrote this tale in 1973, was no ordinary purveyor of Chelm shtiklech. You can tell from his beginning, a master's parody of Genesis.

"The pious believed that God said, 'Let there be Chelm.' And there was Chelm. But many scholars insisted that the town happened as the result of an eruption.

" 'Before Chelm,' they said, 'the area was one huge chaos, all fog and mist. Then came a great explosion and Chelm appeared.

"At the beginning the surface of Chelm was so hot that even if Chelmites had already existed, they could not have walked on the earth because they would have burned their feet." The first Chemites, this version goes, were not people but microbes, amoebas and other such creatures. When people finally arrived in town, they had names like Gronam the First, aka Gronam Ox, and Dopey Lekisch, Zeinvel Ninny, Treitel Fool and Shmendrick Numskull. And they practically invented problems.

One of the biggest was that the people of nearby Gorshkov called the Chelmites fools. Gronam Ox told his compatriots, "We Chelmites know that, of the ten measures of wisdom sent down to earth from heaven, nine went to Chelm. But the conceited people of Gorshkov think they are the clever ones and we are the fools." What does he propose? Why making war, of course.

Needless to say, the Chelmnicks end up in the wrong place, a God-forsaken town called Mazelborsht (translation: luck soup). Defeated by their own foolishness, they returned to Chelm half naked, weaponless and with broken noses and black eyes. This produced the expected seven days and seven nights of contemplation which resulted in four sage proclamations.

Next the Chelmites abolished money, decided to hold elections once every 40 years, asked Zeckel Poet to compose a hymn of 12,000 lines which schoolchildren must learn by heart and appoint Shlemeil secretary. Of course, the merchants refused to part with their goods for nothing, which resulted in a system of barter in which Zeckel Poet was the most eager participant, followed by Shmoyger the matchmaker, Fultsha Jester and the Chelm band. Nothing was exchanged.

To discover what became of Singer's Chelm, you'll have to exchange some abolished currency for this masterwork, which contains much hilarity. And of course, you'll be in luck soup if you find a copy. Alyssa A. Lappen

It is always a pleasure to read something by I.B.Singer. Although this short tale is recommended for ages 9-12, it is certainly also addressed to any age beyond. The tale is a delightful satire of society's political and ideological systems, in may aspects a short version of George Orwell's "Animal Farm."

As a children's book author and editor, I know that no one understands picture books better than Uri Shulevitz, and no one is more articulate about how they work. Most books about writing for children focus on young novels or on straightforward picture book stories. This book inspires you to think beyond those predictable formats and instead embrace the poetry of a good picture book, the magic of a good collaboration between text and art which is necessary whether you are working on a story book or a concept book or a nonfiction book. An intelligent and inspiring guide to the art of good bookmaking.

I found this very readable book to be very well thought out in its explanation of what makes for a successful children's book. It has the most examples of illustrations of any book on writing children's books I have seen, with many illustrations showing why some methods work and others fail. Uri is vary clear and benevolent in his sharing the princeiples for successfully creating a book for children. It was like being in workshop. With this book I feel prepared to pursue creating a kids' book!

I had the opportunity to spend two weeks with Mr. Shulevitz some years ago at a writers workshop in upstate New York. In this peaceful setting I first read his book "Dawn". I mention the location because it perfectly mirrored the setting of the book, which takes place on a small lake, much like Pine Lake, the site of our workshop. In the time I spent with Mr. Schulevitz, I came to appreciate the profound simplicity he brings to his work. This concept of "less is more" is nowhere more apparent than in this book. He has managed to present the routine, a sunrise, as a wonderous event. This is an excellent book to share with a young child; the illustrations and sparse text build throughout the story to a satisfying and meaningful conclusion. Although the details he has recorded are simple, they create a powerful sense of time and place, easily drawing a child into the story. It will likely raise questions; who are the boy and the old man? Where are they going? Of course, in the end, none of this really matters. The power of the sunrise trancends all that preceeds it. Ultimately, this book, like much of Uri Schulevitz's work, is very "zen-like" in that it invites the reader to experience the miracle of the ordinary. I would encourage anyone to purchase and enjoy this book. It offers a child - or an adult for that matter - an oasis of calm in a frantic world.

A perfect story to read aloud to young children! With beautiful illustrations and a wonderful moral, The Golden Goose has the ability to captivate a young audience. Would recommend it to any storyteller!

El Golem tiene todos los ingredientes que necesita un relato para funcionar, pero en este caso, además, está escrito por Singer. Esto significa que el cuento está bellamente narrado. Singer cuenta de manera simple aún las historias más complejas.

A beautiful Passover story, just right for any child. A poor couple cannot have a seder (ritual passover dinner) due to lack of funds. A traveling magician comes to give them the neccesities for their seder. How did it all happen? Perhaps he was a messenger after all.

Teaches us all to hope and believe.

Sophisticated fun for literate young readers and adults. If you loved Wind in the Willows, this book is for you.

What do you get when you take a strange land called Pickleberry, inhabited by an emperor and his brother, the janitor, a very wise bird named Lou and Lou's, Aunt Millie, a half invisible man with half a large mustache, a traveling salesman and a bear who's lost his tail? Easy...a charming, creative, laugh-out-loud picture book by award winning author and illustrator, Uri Shulevitz. And Mr Shulevitz has done just about the impossible, woven three seemingly unrelated nonsensical stories together and made it work. His wonderfully absurd text, full of imagery, made-up words and wild, ridiculous events is only outdone by his truly inspired and magical artwork and youngsters will be mesmerized by the colorful, detailed, expressive illustrations. What is a Wise Bird Like You Doing in a Silly Tale Like This? is a very special story, really three special stories, that's perfect for children aged 4 and older. Uri Shulevitz never disappoints and he's not starting now!