The Golem: The Giant Made of Mud

by Mark Podwal

A retelling of the Jewish legend of the golem created by the Rabbi to defend the Jews of Prague

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 31, 1995

About the author

Mark Podwal was an American artist, author, filmmaker and physician. He may have been best known initially for his drawings on The New York Times Op-Ed page. In addition, he is the author and illustrator of numerous books. Most of these works—Podwal's own as well as those he has illustrated for others—typically focus on Jewish legend, history and tradition. His art is represented in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Israel Museum, the National Gallery of Prague, the Jewish Museums in Berlin, Vienna, Stockholm, Prague, New York, among many other venues.

Reviews

[Viviane Elbee]

This is a retelling of a legend from Jewish folklore. There’s an emperor who believes in magic and a rabbi who can do miracles. The emperor gives the rabbi a magic spoon. Many years later, the rabbi creates a golem from mud using this spoon. The golem is supposed to protect the people living in a Jewish ghetto, but it grows out of control.

[Melissa Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the ending of this book.