Next Year in Jerusalem: 3000 Years of Jewish Stories [Hardcover]

Howard Schwartz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1996 | Age Level: 8 and up

Celebrating the three-thousandth anniversary of the founding of Jerusalem, eleven folktales, fairy tales, and legends depict a city in which the ancient and modern worlds exist side by side.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Reverent, peaceful watercolors in rainbow hues accompany this collection of Jewish stories adapted from a variety of sources that explain ancient customs and history, such as the importance of tzedakah, or charity, and the miracle at King David's tomb. All ages.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6?A collection of 11 Jewish folktales and legends from around the world, all centering on the city of Jerusalem. Stories are taken from the Talmud and Midrash, from folklore, or from mystical or Hasidic sources. The selections, printed in readable typeface, take up two-thirds of the page width, while in the wide margin, Schwartz has provided commentary on the story. From Iraq's oral tradition comes "The Bird of Happiness," a fairy tale that recalls the Exodus story as a magic bird guides wanderers in the desert to Jerusalem. "The Mountain That Moved," from ninth-century Italy, may have been written to explain an esoteric psalm (22:22) by King David centuries before. "The Vampire Demon" from first-century Greece, pits the wisdom of King Solomon against the vampire who tries to stop the building of the Temple. From 19th-century Spain comes the "Princess of Light." Like many of these tales, it can be read on two levels?as a fairy tale or as a parable. Waldman has suffused the pages with the peach-colored dawns, golden sunlit days, and turquoise and lavender twilights of Jerusalem. His masterful watercolor artwork makes this fine anthology an outstanding selection.?Marcia W. Posner, Holocaust Memorial and Educational Center of Nassau County, Glen Cove, NY
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (February 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670861103
• ISBN-13: 978-0670861101
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,357,889 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Howard Schwartz is Professor of English at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He has published three books of poetry, and several books of fiction, including The Captive Soul of the Messiah and Adam's Soul. He has also edited a four-volume set of Jewish folktales, which includes Elijah's Violin & Other Jewish Fairy Tales, Miriam's Tambourine: Jewish Folktales from Around the World, Lilith's Cave: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural and, most recently, Gabriel's Palace: Jewish Mystical Tales. He has also edited three major anthologies: Imperial Messages: One Hundred Modern Parables, Voices Within the Ark: The Modern Jewish Poets (with Anthony Rudolf), and Gates to the New City: A Treasury of Modern Jewish Tales. His recent book, Reimagining the Bible: The Storytelling of the Rabbis, was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award for 1999. In addition, Schwartz has also published ten children's books, including The Diamond Tree (with Barbara Rush, which won the Sydney Taylor Book Award in 1992), Next Year in Jerusalem: 3000 Years of Jewish Tales (which won the National Jewish Book Award and the Aesop Award of the American Folklore Society, both in 1996), A Coat for the Moon (with Barbara Rush, which won Anne Izard Storyeller's Choice Award for 1998 and the 1999 Honor Title of the Storytelling World Awards, and The Day the Rabbi Disappeared: Jewish Holiday Tales of Magic (which won the National Jewish Book Award and The Aesop Prize of the American Folklore Society for 2000). His major book, Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism, won the National Jewish Book Award for 2005 in the category of Reference. Schwartz lives in St. Louis with his wife Tsila, a calligrapher, and his three children, Shira, Nathan and Miriam.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A lovely children's book, May 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Next Year in Jerusalem: 3000 Years of Jewish Stories (Hardcover)

This is a lovely collection of stories from around the world all with a common theme: Jerusalem. They are gathered by an excellent story teller, Howard Schwartz, and retold as a group. I had been familiar with his adult books, particularly the ones that tell tales of mysticism which can be rather complex for children, and was pleased that this book really hit the mark for youngish kids. The illustrations are lovely and add to the pleasure of the book.