Publishing: Clarion, New York, 1996
Awards: Caldecott Medal Winner
Description: When the Jews in Prague are in danger and forced into a ghetto, the chief rabbi creates a mythical creature out of clay. His name is Golem, and his sole purpose is to protect the Jews. The rabbi tells Golem that he should pick up their enemies and turn them in unharmed to the authorities. However, when a mob storms the ghetto, Golem becomes destructive. The emperor promises the Jews safety as long as Golem is destroyed, and Golem returns to the earth as the clay he originated from.
Programming: Students might research further into the practices of Judaism or other periods in history where Jews were persecuted, such as the holocaust. They might learn to write their names in Hebrew.
The Very Hungry Bookworm 