Product Description

A folktale heard in synagogues, mosques and churches across Near East and beyond, the story of how the city of Jerusalem came to be has been passed along for hundreds of years. In this gorgeously illustrated book, storyteller Chris Smith shows how two brothers find peace by seeing themselves in each other.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #144017 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781846860423
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
Framed by a story of King Solomon that deals with two squabbling brothers, this tale tells of two other, quite different brothers. They live in two villages, sharing the land between them. For years, they have divided their harvest. One abundant year, the elder brother, who has a wife and children, worries that his unmarried brother needs to save for his old age. Secretly he brings extra grain to his brother s storehouse. Yet the next morning, the elder brother seems to have the same amount of grain as before. Meanwhile, the younger brother has been worrying, too; his elder brother has a family to be fed. He is secretly bringing grain to his sibling, then finding his own storehouse still full. The mystery is solved when the brothers meet on the hilltop, each with a donkey laden with grain. The blessed spot where they meet becomes Jerusalem. Based on a folktale told by both Jews and Arabs, this picture book beautifully captures the spirit of brotherhood and gives both readers and listeners hope for what could be if people thought more about one another than about themselves. The accomplished folk-style artwork, in shades of verdant green, heavenly blue, and harvest orange and yellow, does more than illustrate the story; it adds an air of peace and hope to which children will respond. --Booklist (Starred Review), Oct. 1, 2007

About the Author
Chris Smith is a storyteller who has also worked with UNICEF and Oxfam on the West Bank and in Gaza. The power of traditional stories is a source of inspiration for Chris, and he wrote this book to combine his love of story with the wish for the people of Israel and Palestine to find peace. Chris has two daughters, and lives in Oxford, England.

Customer Reviews

A lesson we all should learn...
As we are raising our children in an increasingly diverse world, we come in contact with other cultures, ideas, customs, and actions that seem foreign and even frightening. At its heart, this book soothes those fears and builds on the foundation of brotherhood, kindness, and looking beyond the mark to something better.
A good tale about two brothers and their concern for each other- as well as its ramifications into the future. I have never heard this folktale before and was quite enchanted with it. My two daughters loved it and it served to reinforce the values that we are striving to teach them.
The story flowed nicely, with words that were well chosen and added a great pace to the story. The artwork is vivid and unique, a style all its own with great visual impact. This is a great book to have and i am so pleased that i was able to add it to my collection a little earlier than most! :) Highly reccomended!

One City, Two Brothers

When two brothers come to Solomon with a dispute about land inheritance, the king tells them the story of two other brothers who secretly transfer grain, each from his own stock to add to his brother's storehouse in the night. In the morning, they are puzzled and dismayed to find their own stores undiminished and, the next night, try again. On the third night, each bearing more sacks of grain for the other, they meet and embrace. This spot becomes the site of the holy temple and the very city of Jerusalem. The legend about Jerusalem has been widely told in English collections of Jewish folklore for generations. What makes this telling different is that Smith, who spent time working in Gaza and the West Bank, now casts it as a Palestinian Arab tale. He steps neutrally through the narrative, except that God is not mentioned as blessing the spot where the two brothers meet. No synagogues are present in any of the city scapes. Asterisks appear near proper names, such as Solomon, where Muslim readers might want to add "may peace be upon him." The production is certainly lovely. Stately Arab brothers move through acrylic blues and greens and reds that fill each page with rich color and simply illuminate the action. Smith took liberty to wrap the story of two loving brothers within the frame of two squabblers, which reinforces the theme of sharing. With his best wishes for peace, it is also unfortunate that Smith gives no sources for his claims in the afterward that this story belongs to both Arabs and Jews. Was it first told by an Arab farmer to a traveler? Is it now told by Arabs who live around Jerusalem? Right now, with Waldman's and Freedman's picture books out of print, this is the only illustrated retelling of the tale. It is a beautiful tale of unselfishness, though not presented here as a Jewish one. For ages 4-8. Reviewed by Sharon Elswit

I Can't Say Enough Good About this Book
Two brothers are fighting about the land their father has left them. They go to King Solomon to seek help. The king tells the brothers a fable about two brothers, much like themselves, who lived in different villages, but who worked their father's land together.

One brother lived alone and the other was married and had many children. After one very good crop, the married brother thought that since his brother lived alone that he might need some extra grain late at night, so he loaded three sacks on his cart and travelled to his bother's village and left it at his brother's. The next day when he counted his sacks of grain, the three sacks were back. This happened two more nights, because the single brother thought that because his married brother had so many mouths to feed that he deserved the extra grain.

On the third night the moon was full, the stars bright, the night clear and the brothers ran into each other on the top of a hill as they were taking each other extra grain. Without speaking each brother understood the reason for his brother's journey and their hearts were full of love and joy. And it is said that this is the hill where Jerusalem began.

When King Solomon finished the tale the two fighting brothers looked at each other, then stood in silence and they never fought again and this is the kind of story you want to be reading to your children. I can't say enough good about this book, the brief synopsis above says it all.