I have reviewed many books from the British publisher, Green Bean Books.* Specializing in “original and inspiring Jewish stories for children,” their releases are most notable for an impressive range of authors and illustrators from different countries and backgrounds. When Green Bean Publisher Michael Leventhal conceived the idea for a mural as a memorial to his mother, Elizabeth Leventhal (Z”L), who died in 2023, reading was at the center of his vision. He explained the specific ideal of creating a children’s area in London’s Muswell Hill Synagogue, where his family worships, as a place that would evoke “the mental picture” of his mother reading to his young sons. His commitment to preserve both that moment and her legacy has found its perfect form, where the importance of reading becomes more than an abstract idea.
Literacy is nourished in families, as well as in the larger community. The Muswell Hill Murals, by acclaimed artist and Green Bean Illustrator Omer Hoffmann creates a lively scene of lively intergenerational reading in an imaginary library. (This is not a scene of quiet contemplation, but rather, in the Jewish tradition of discussion of debate, an homage to Jewish authors from as wide a range as possible. Classic Yiddish authors I.L Peretz and Sholem Aleichem are there, as are foundational Israeli writers S.Y. Agnon and Hayim Nahman Bialik. The beloved American creator of the K’tonton series and What the Moon Brought, Sadie Rose Weilerstein, is joined by censorship-defying Judy Blume and unforgettable illustrator and author Amy Schwartz. There are British authors and artists and Americans, novelists and poets, some still writing and others now gone, but never forgotten. Uri Shulevitz, Maurice Sendak, and Lore Segal, who kept working until the end of their lives, are joined by Jane Yolen, Ruth Behar, Richard Michelson, Joann Sfar, and others whose latest works are eagerly awaited by readers. If you are looking for H.A. and Margret Rey, creators of Curious George, and Sydney Taylor, whose All-of-a-Kind Family series revolutionized Jewish-themed books for children, they are all here.
There are also cameo appearances by Leventhal, Omer Hoffman himself, and the London designer, Carl Gilbert, who created the seating in the children’s area. Most important, Elizabeth Leventhal is present, reading to her grandson. Many of us remember parents, grandparents, and other adults who, by their generosity and love, promoted the idea of finding refuge in books. The Hebrew expression, “L’dor Vador,” referring to the unbroken chain linking one generation to the next, is given concrete expression in the Muswell Hill Murals. A pamphlet with more details can be downloaded here.
*See, for example, here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here!
Imaginary Elevators 