(This was the time of the Blood Lie, when hostile gentiles claimed that Jews were mixing the blood of Christian children with the flour and water of matzo.) David Wisniewski's cut-paper collage illustrations-which earned him the Caldecott Medal in 1997-are the ideal medium for portraying the stark black-and-white forces of good and evil, pride and prejudice, as well as the gray area that emerges when the tormented clay giant loses control of his anger. According to Jewish legend, the renowned scholar and teacher Rabbi Loew used his powers to create a Golem from clay in order to protect his people from persecution in the ghettos of 16th-century Prague. A fact-filled final note concludes this mesmerizing book." Kirkus Reviews with Pointers, Golem is the Hebrew word for shapeless man. There is menace and majesty in Wisniewski's use of color, and he finds atmosphere and terror in a scissor's stroke. Wisniewski died on September 11, 2002."The cut-paper collages are exquisitely produced and exceedingly dramatic.
The illustrations for that book won an important award called the Caldecott Medal in 1997. Golem (1996) is a Jewish legend about a giant made of clay that comes to life. Another book, Sundiata: Lion King of Mali (1992), retells a legend from Africa. The book is set in ancient Japan and tells the story of two brothers who each want to be the new emperor.
Wisniewski’s first book was The Warrior and the Wise Man. He cut shapes from pieces of paper and combined them to make the illustrations. Wisniewski and his wife stopped performing their puppet shows when their children were born.
He married another member of the theater, and they set up their own company. In 1976 he went to work for a puppet theater. After that, he worked as a circus clown for several years. Wisniewski attended college at the University of Maryland for one year. He also enjoyed performing and thought he might want to be an actor. The young Wisniewski became interested in drawing at an early age. His books present folk tales from cultures throughout the world.ĭavid Wisniewski was born on a military base in England on March 21, 1953. David Wisniewski was an illustrator and author of award-winning books for children.
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