The Brothers Schlemiel

by Mark Binder

Book Overview

At last in hardcover, the classic collection of stories for parents and young readers Turn bed time into fun family time Accompanied by classic illustrations, the stories are retold in an... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0827608659
• ISBN13: 9780827608658
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Jewish Publication Society of America
• Length: 247 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.3" x 10.4"
• Age Range: 7 to 10 years
• Grade Range: Grades 2 to 5

Customer Reviews

Brothers Schlemiel

In The Brothers Schlemiel, Mark Binder tries to capture the community of Chelm in all its innocence, foolishness and humor. "In this work of fiction, history lives in the footnotes," he declares in his author's note. When history gets in the way of the story, it is easily modified. So it's clear from the start that there is nothing factual about this book, which traces the lives of the Schlemiel family and the community that surrounds them. Divided into 45 chapters that were originally serialized in various Jewish newspapers in North America, the book's individual chapters work well on their own, making this a good bedtime read for adults and young readers. But it's the adults who will really get the humor written between the lines. "Only in Chelm could a father get so lost going to fetch the midwife that he misses the birth of his first child," Binder writes, poking consistent fun at the antics and idiocy of those who call Chelm home. It seems that everyone in the town is in slow mode, so the mix-ups are many and the potential for laughter abundant. Zevi Blum adds colorful caricatures to the pages that help make this lengthy book a light-hearted, whimsical, read. Reviewed by Lauren Kramer

Newly Created Folkore

Mark Binder is an American treasure. As a storyteller, Mark is completely engaging. The Brothers Schlemiel is Mark in print. Having heard Mark perform on several occasions, I can hear Mark spinning these tales, and each chapter pulls you right into the tension of the moment, anxiously awaiting the resolution at the end. Grandparents rarely sit and tell their children stories any more. These are the kinds of stories children love to hear and beg for "just one more" for hours. This book contains newly created folklore, chronicling the birth and life of two Jewish twins living in the all-too-close-to-home imaginary village of Chelm, where all of the archetypical characters we come to love and expect in tales of this genre live and interact with them. It's about small towns, families, and growing up in a culture that never changes. A great read for all. Worth savoring and rereading.