Kai and the Golem

K-Gr 3–Nothing is going right for Kai: when he wakes up, instead of sunshine, he sees rain. Instead of Bubbe’s signature banana chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup, Dad makes boring old oatmeal. It soon becomes clear that Kai’s bad day stems from missing Bubbe, who is ill and in the hospital. To cope with his big feelings, he remembers that Bubbe told him about Golem, or mythical creatures from Jewish folklore, and wonders if “maybe, maybe there is a creature that makes bad things happen. A creature that wrecks everything! And I’ll call him Golem!” Golem takes the form of a scary monster who is depicted multiple ways in Kai’s nightmares; when he calls Bubbe on the phone, and is surprised when he feels better. Suddenly things are looking up: even his oatmeal tastes better. Pitched as a SEL title, the story’s tenuous connection between the monster and Bubbe makes it less successful in this category than as an introduction to Jewish folklore and terms like “mitzvah” and “Bubbe.” Adding to the confusion is Golem’s eventual transformation into Kai’s friend (and changes his name to Pete). Nonetheless, with a pleasantly muted color palette and full bleed drawings, the story might spark some productive (if guided) conversations about big feelings and connection.