Stories for Children

As Singer noted in his 1984 Foreword, "in the beginning was the Logos, the power of the word." He had never believed he could write for children, but editor Elizabeth Shub convinced him otherwise in the early 1960s. Twelve volumes of children's books followed, from which these 36 tales are gleaned. Young readers should remain eternally grateful. This collection opens in Chelm, the village of idiots young and old. Even the people have funny names--Gronam Ox, Dopey Lekisch, Zeinvel Ninny, Shmendrick Numskull and Feyvel Thickwit. The way they speak and act is still funnier. Gronam, for example, would have been a happy man, but for the elders who regularly visited--to whom he regularly spoke nonsense. His first wife Genendel would reproach him, to which he replied, "In the future, whenever you hear me saying something silly, come into the room and let me know. I will immediately change the subject." She refused. "If they learn you're a fool, you'll lose your job as head of the council." Instead, each time he said anything silly, she offered to hand him the key to their strongbox. "Then you'll know you've been talking like a fool."That year, the town met with a scarcity of sour cream, which was sorely needed for the coming Pentecost, a holiday on which the townsfolk normally ate a lot of it. Gronam had the solution. He proposed making "a law that water is to be called sour cream, and sour cream is to be called water." Given the wells full of water, he noted, all the women would have barrels full of sour cream as a result.Sender Donkey, Treitel Fool and their most foolish compatriots all heartily approved. So the new law was written. But Genendel shortly appeared with the strongbox key. When Gronam explained their arrangement, the elders grew enraged. How dare a woman suggest she knew better when wisdom or silliness had been spoken. They in turn changed another law: When Genendel believed Gronam's pronouncements silly, she should give the elders the strongbox key and let them decide. If they disagreed, she would double their portions of blintzes, cakes and tea. From that day forward, Gronam spoke freely, and Genendel hardly said a word: She was not about to serve blintzes generously.Then there is Shlemiel, also of the fabled Chelm, and as fine a businessman as the town could offer. He married Mrs. Shlemiel, whose father gave him a dowry, with which he bought a goat in Lublin. But en route home, he left the goat tethered to a tree while he went into an inn for some brandy, chopped liver and onions and a plate of chicken soup and noodles. The innkeeper (not surprisingly) switched his old blind billy goat for Shlemiel's milking goat. Lots more fun and some Chelmnick wisdom followed. Readers also encounter "Shrewd Todie and Lyzer the Miser." The former had a wife Shaindel and seven children and never earned enough to feed them. He had such poor luck working at trades that he decided if he should make candles, the sun would never set. During an especially c

I sometimes read these to my sick and elderly dad at bed time. He loves them. When he's not doing well, is worried about his health, is afraid to close his eyes, the stories work their magic. As I read, he sometimes clucks, murmers "oh, yes," and makes other happy and endearing sounds--just great to hear. If he's still awake at the end, he goes to sleep, fearlessly, with a smile on his face.

Although this set of 36 stories is recommended for reading level 4 to 8 years old, Singer would rightly say that story tellers "write not only for children but also for their parents, they too are serious children." Singer considers children as the best readers of genuine literature, by nature inclined to mysticism, and with their own particular logic and clarity they rely on nothing but their own taste. With an array of supernaturral characters (devils, gnomes, hobgoblings, prophets, imps, saints, and demons) Singer fulfils a mosaic of fantastic imagination, colored by a rich folklore, addressing moral issues that concern the child and the adult as well. Stories such as "Zlateh the Goat," "Popiel and Tekla," "The Power of Light," amongst others, have a universal appeal because they address eternal questions. For Singer, now matter how young a child might be, he is a philosopher and seeker of God. An adult will surely enjoy these tales, and if he can share them with a child then his pleasure will be doubled!

Over the years I've read this book to my daughter several times. As most children, she has her favorites and never tires of those. You've got demons and witches and holy men who fight evil. You've got moral lessons that teach without preaching. All written with compassion and a deft hand. Adventure abounds. Excitement rules the day. You'll find yourself speaking with a Yiddish accent in spite of yourself! And, me, an African American woman! Good books know no color. Pure magic.

I had read Isaac Bashevis Singer in high school and enjoyed him. I picked up Stories for Children at the library and read it to myself straight through and found it very enjoyable. I thought my 4 and 5 year old might like it too so I read Zlateh the Goat since we're getting a lot of snow. You have to understand that basically the author has transcribed oral legend onto paper. It's the difference between reading Shakespeare and watching Hollywood doing Henry V. I have never so vividly experienced this as when I read the this story to the kids. They were rolling on the floor when the goat says Maaaa. At the end of the story the author ends one word short. Both kids shouted it out. I completely missed it when I read the book to myself silently.