Kai and the Golem by Carol Matas with illustrations by Elisa Vavouri; Minneapolis, Minnesota: Kar-Ben Publishing; (c) 2025; ISBN 9798765-619902; 32 pages; $19.95; publication date: November 4, 2025.
SAN DIEGO — Kai, an elementary school student, is constantly disappointed. When he wants sunny days, it rains; when he wants pancakes for breakfast, his dad serves him oatmeal, and when he wants to play soccer in school, the teacher choses gymnastics.
But most of all, he doesn’t want his bubbe (grandma) to be in the hospital; he’d prefer she be home, reading to him.
When Kai reads to himself stories about the golem, he takes them literally. He has trouble getting to sleep. Maybe the golem is making all the bad things happen.
The next morning, dad arranges for Kai to speak by telephone to his bubbe. It’s raining again, but now instead of grumbling, he notices how the rain traces patterns on his window. When his dad served him oatmeal for breakfast again, Kai doctored it with maple syrup and it tasted good. And when he bicycled to school in the rain, he realized how much fun it was to do so with his dad. When he returned home, instead of grumbling about not being with bubbe, he made a get-well card for her.
Now, Kai imagined, it was golem’s turn to be unhappy. But Kai cheered golem up by offering to become friends. In fact, he invited golem to accompany him to the hospital to visit bubbe!
This teaches several lessons for readers, aged 4 to 7. There’s a bright side to life depending on your perspective. It’s a mitzvah to cheer up hospitalized patients. Helping others can brighten your outlook on the world, dispelling your personal gloom.
*
Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World.
Thank you so much for this wonderful review! I very much appreciate how well you understand Kai!