Special Collections
Author Set: Isaac Bashevis Singer
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Stories for Children
by Isaac Bashevis Singer[Back Cover] The author wrote that, "In our time, when the literature for adults is deteriorating, good books for children are the only hope, the only refuge. Many adults read and enjoy children's books. We write not only for children but also for their parents. They, too, are serious children...." Even though the stories were written so that children could understand and relate to them, adult readers will also be intrigued by the writer's moral insights and great wisdom. "This volume presents the lion's share of the children's stories Isaac Bashevis Singer has written since his first work for children, Zlateh the Goat, a 1966 Newbery Honor Book. Also included are a brief introduction and an epilogue, 'Are Children the Ultimate Literary Critics?' "
A Day of Pleasure
by Isaac Bashevis SingerMr. Singer has created out of remembered fragments of his own childhood a place instantly familiar where life is not neat and orderly.
Winner of the National Book Award
The Collected Stories of Isaac Bashevis Singer
by Isaac Bashevis Singer47 stories from the 150 written by the Nobel Prize for Literature winner.
Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories
by Isaac Bashevis Singer and Elizabeth ShubFrom two masters who need no introduction comes a handsome reprint of the classic Newbery Honor book Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories. With wit and whimsy, Maurice Sendak illustrates seven tales about the legendary village of fools, Chelm, written by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Silly, outrageous, and sometimes poignant, the stories (translated from the Yiddish) reflect the traditions, heroes, and villains of middle European folklore. The devil makes an appearance more than once, as do the ever-so-foolish yet highly revered Elders of Chelm. In "The Mixed-Up Feet and the Silly Bridegroom," four sisters wake one morning to discover that their feet have become mixed up in the bed they share. A wise Elder advises their mother to whack the bed with a big stick, thus causing each girl to grab her own feet in pain and surprise. When their feet are sorted out, he then recommends, the sisters should be married off as soon as possible, to reduce the possibility of similar mix-ups in the future. Of course, none of them count on the breathtaking stupidity of the first bridegroom. Another not-so-clever fellow stars in "The First Shlemiel." When this man's wife asks him to do three things for her, he promptly and accidentally proceeds to breach each one of his promises, resulting in a baby with a bump on his head, an escaped rooster, and an emptied pot of jam. Somehow, though, possibly because ignorance is bliss, fools always come out on top in these wonderful stories, making for terrific read-aloud, laugh-aloud fun for the entire family. (All ages) --Emilie Coulter
The Parakeet Named Dreidel
by Isaac Bashevis Singer and Suzanne Raphael BerksonWhen young David and Mama and Papa are celebrating Hanukkah one frosty winter evening in Brooklyn, Papa sees a parakeet sitting on the window ledge. He lets the parakeet in and everyone is delighted to find that it speaks Yiddish. They name it Dreidel and it becomes part of their family. Many years later, when David is in college, he is at a party one night and tells Dreidel's story-only to discover that Zelda, a young woman at the party, owned the bird herself as a child. Papa and Mama are worried that they will have to give their beloved pet back, but then David and Zelda decide to get married after college, and everyone agrees that they should take Dreidel with them as they start their own family.