It Happened in Chelm: A Story of the Legendary Town of Fools [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Florence B. Freedman (Author), Nik Krevitsky (Illustrator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0944007007 | ISBN-13: 978-0944007006 | Publication Date: June 24, 1990 | Edition: 1st

The tale of a watchman who will not shout and his horse that never moves. This is an engaging tale for readers of all ages about the mythical town in Poland whose inhabitants are renowned for being simpletons. Discover what the Chelmites do after evil bandits swoop down form the surrounding hills to rob their business. As usual, when there is a problem in Chelm, they first seek advice from their seven wise men. Even fools have their wise men, as everyone knows, according to the author. Each of the proposed solutions brings with it a hilarious new problem. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Florence B. Freedman was born in Brooklyn and spent most of her life there and in New York City. Beginning her career as a high school teacher of English and Hebrew, she joined the faculty of the Hunter College in 1952 and retired as professor emeritus in 1972. Her writing includes poems, some reprinted in anthologies, and books related to Walt Whitman, the subject of her doctoral dissertation.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4-- Traditional Chelm stories are perennially popular for reading aloud and sharing with children. The humor is usually gentle, and the antics of the fools who inhabit Chelm are, in essence, childlike. This is a dramatic, well-organized, professionally presented retelling of a story that does not appear in Isaac Bashevis Singer's collection (Farrar, 1984). "On a hill, high above the town of Chelm . . . every night from sundown to sunup, sits a lonely man, wearing a sheepskin coat, astride a horse that never moves. He is the town watchman." Astute readers or listeners might wonder why the town watchman is situated so far from the town he is guarding, astride a horse that is tied to a tree. The answer of course is that Chelm is a town of fools, a place where logical problem solving always results in silly solutions. Dramatic black-and-white wood-block illustrations appear on background pages of either white or periwinkle blue. Text and illustrations enhance each other in this beautifully crafted book that begs to be read aloud. --Susan Kaminow, Arlington County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 62 pages
• Publisher: S.P.I. Books; 1st edition (June 24, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0944007007
• ISBN-13: 978-0944007006
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 7.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,144,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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