The Middle East & North Africa
Israel
Just One More Thing... and Then Bedtime
By Menahem Halberstadt, Romy Ronen (Translator)
Just One More Thing…and Then Bedtime. Menahem Halberstadt. Translated by Romy Ronen. Green Bean Books, 2023. Originally published in Hebrew by M. Mizrahi Publishing House, in Israel, in 2021. ISBN 9781784389475. 32 p. (Ages 3-7). Picture book.
A tired dad tries to put his preschool daughter and baby son to bed, but his talkative daughter’s observations about all the things she is thankful for – some mundane, some absurd – slow down the process. A nice blend of messy but loving real life and flights of fancy, illustrated in a cozy, cartoon style with a warm palette. The author is a well-known Israeli illustrator; this is the first book he has both written and illustrated. See this brief Q&A for some background about the book. [ayg]
The Mermaid in the Bathtub
By Nurit Zarchi, Tal Goldfajn (Translator), Rutu Modan (Illustrator)
The Mermaid in the Bathtub. Nurit Zarchi. Translated by Tal Goldfajn. Illustrated by Rutu Modan. Yonder: Restless Books for Young Readers, 2019. Originally published as Ambatyam in Hebrew by Am Oved, in Tel Aviv, in 2001. ISBN 9781632062116. 40 p. (Ages 5-10). Picture book.
This modernist riff on “The Little Mermaid” begins, “The day Mr. Whatwilltheysay found a mermaid sitting in his best armchair, he ran out of his apartment and wandered the streets until evening.” And so it goes… the fastidious protagonist avoids the mermaid, Grain-of-Sand, and the increasingly watery chaos in his apartment. But when she leaves, he is desperate to find her again. The comics-style illustrations by acclaimed graphic novelist Rutu Modan are full of clever details. When the couple is reunited it is on Grain-of-Sand’s terms – happily ensconced in Mr. Whatwilltheysay’s bathtub-cum-boat, on the open sea under a yellow pancake moon. [ayg]
Room for Rent
By Leah Goldberg, Jessica Setbon (Translator), Shmuel Katz (Illustrator)
Room for Rent. Leah Goldberg. Translated by Jessica Setbon. Illustrated by Shmuel Katz. Gefen Publishing House, 2018. Originally published as Dira Lehaskir in Hebrew by Sefarim Poalim in Tel Aviv, in 1983. ISBN 9789652299208. 24 p. (Ages 3-8). Picture book.
The animal inhabitants of an apartment building advertise for a new tenant. Each prospective renter finds fault with one of the neighbors, until the peace-loving Dove arrives. A modern classic of Israeli children’s literature. [ayg]
Adam & Thomas
By Aharon Appelfeld, Jeffrey M. Green (Translator), Philippe Dumas (Illustrator)
Adam & Thomas. Aharon Appelfeld. Translated by Jeffrey M. Green. Illustrated by Philippe Dumas. Seven Stories Press, 2015. Originally published as Yalda Shelo Minhaolam Hazé (A Girl from Another World) in Hebrew by Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir, in Modi’in, Israel, in 2013. ISBN 9781609806347. 149 p. (Ages 10 and up). Fiction.
It’s World War II in Poland, and the Jews have been rounded up to live in a ghetto. Adam and Thomas, two nine-year-olds, have been brought separately to the forest by their mothers to hide for the day. The boys find one another and join forces to survive for months, since neither mother returns that day. Adam “knows this forest and everything that’s in it” and Thomas is a great reader who does well in school. They survive by learning from each other and working together; benefiting from the kindness of others; and, in turn, helping others as they can. Master artist Philippe Dumas evokes the changing moods of the boys and the forest in sensitive ink-and-wash illustrations. More of a meditation on how to be in the world than a straightforward account of survival, the narrative raises philosophical questions of faith and more through the boys’ conversations. [ayg]
From Foe to Friend & Other Stories
By S.Y. Agnon, Shay Charka (Illustrator)
From Foe to Friend & Other Stories. S.Y. Agnon. A graphic novel by Shay Charka. Translated and adapted by Jeffrey Saks. The Toby Press, 2014. Originally published as Shay veAgnon: Sheloshah Sippurim in Hebrew by Schocken Publishing House Ltd., in Tel Aviv, in 2012. ISBN 9781592643950. 48 p. (Ages 12 and up). Graphic novel.
Well-known Israeli cartoonist Shay Charka has brought three of Nobel Prize winner Agnon’s stories – two of them regularly taught to Israeli children though they were also published for adults -- to a new audience. The artwork is engaging, accessible, and studded with little touches referencing Jewish history. “The Fable of the Goat” is particularly poignant. [ayg]