Shmuel is eager to help support his poor family, but no one in town is interested in hiring a ten-year-old boy. One day, the village installs new electric lamps, bringing light to their square and dazzling away the dark. Until a lamp breaks during a storm—and Shmuel is the only one who can fix it. Will Shmuel be able to conquer his fear of heights and bring light back to his town?
A gentle tale of bravery, empowerment and community, and the thrill of transformation.
October 1, 2024
Grades 1-3 This inspiring story, based on an incident in the family history of co-author Baslaw, offers a unique view of a small, Jewish, East European town--a shtetl. Though the book draws on the typical motifs of poverty and hard work, it also offers a telling glimpse of modernity, thereby avoiding a portrait of the shtetl as a static place bound only by tradition. In the story, a fascinated young boy, named Shmuel, watches workers install an electric light in the town square. When the workers depart, they leave their extra supplies with Shmuel, the person in town who best understands the working of the electric light. After a storm, the rabbi calls upon Shmuel to bravely climb the lamppost, replace the bulb, and make repairs. For his brave work and understanding, he receives much-needed money to help his family, as well as gifts from the grateful townsfolk. Priestley's gentle illustrations evoke both the traditional shtetl lifestyle and the wonders of electric light. A luminous tale!
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December 6, 2024
Gr 1-3-In the early 1900s, a family living in a shtetl, or Jewish village, in Russia, suffers from poverty and hunger. Things come to a head quickly when the mother announces, "We can't go on like this." Schmuel, the main character, goes to the village square to fetch water and observes several men installing electric lights-something the village has never experienced. Schmuel speaks with the men and watches them, ultimately learning how the lights work. By the end of the story, Schmuel is employed by the village to fix wiring and to replace burned-out lightbulbs, thus helping his family make ends meet. The art is warm and exudes a sense of comfort and wholesomeness. Varying perspectives and angles add an element of visual excitement. In an emotional author's note, Levine reveals that her father, also born in a shtetl and named Schmuel, became a light keeper, and was the inspiration for the story. It's a journey that is sure to inspire and encourage readers, in a setting that is usually associated with the more negative context of the pogroms. VERDICT A welcome tale about persistence and optimism in the face of hardship.-Benjamin Ludwig
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