This lighthearted picture book recounts the adventures of a little Jewish boy who immigrates to America with his family from the old country where “people didn’t like [them] much because [they] were different.” Even Golem, the giant mud monster created by the boy’s rabbi father, couldn’t protect them.
The little boy feels scared in this new country where “everything [is] big, and crowded, and strange,” so he makes his own golem to protect him. However, the golem proves a hindrance, until the monster helps the neighborhood kids and the young immigrant become friends.
Through an amusing story and charming, highly detailed illustrations, American Golem articulates the fear of every newcomer: that they won’t fit in. The book’s lesson — that it’s important to be open to new experiences and people — is timely, and its writing is accessible to young people. The book includes a meaningful author’s note which further expands upon this topic.
Recommended for ages 6 to 9.
