Madelyn Travis seeks Jewish children’s stories

Literature enthusiast Madelyn Travis needs your help. A PhD student at Newcastle University’s Children’s Literature department, she is researching the portrayal of Jews in children’s books.

So far, she has come across only one children’s book written by Jewish writers during the years before the Second World War — Story Time by Arthur Super and Joseph Halpern, and hopes JC readers may be able to help.

Mrs Travis tells People: “As an American I grew up with images of Jewish children in the books I was reading and wondered if my son would have the same experience. I could not think of any British books with Jewish children in them.”

She says many depictions of Jews in children’s literature are by non-Jewish authors, and draw on early stereotypes. “One might expect to find a greater degree of cultural authenticity in books by British-Jewish authors, but they write about Jewish subjects infrequently unless it is in relation to World War.”