Bilderbuch (Picture Book)

Adele Sandler

ca. 1905

[Picture 1]

I am king Solomon 
With scepter and crown 
Pikkolo is my chancellor. 
He stands near my throne. 

[Picture 2]

Look at Bubi, how cleverly
He and Ruth are decorating the sukkah!
Flowers, wreath, beautiful fruits,
Pictures, flags, and colorful lanterns.
In the evening, when the candles are lit
It will all be wonderful.

[Picture 3]

Liese spreads her doll’s clothes
Out on the meadow
Mother sun looks on and laughs:
Child, you did well.

[Picture 4]

Dear, good Mistress Meier1
Your basket contains a hundred apples,
One can see them gleam from far away,
I would love to have one!
Thank you, thank you very much
Come on now, little calf, we must go.
Illustration of two children greeting a man at the door to a dining room, where the table is set with flowers, cake, and lit candles.
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Illustration from the children’s book Bilderbuch (Picture Book), published in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, in 1905.

[Picture 5]

Mama already set the table
And lit the Sabbath candles
She fetched the flowers and cake
And dressed up her boy and girl
Now all are waiting for Papa—
“Gut shabbes,” he calls, “I am here!”

[Picture 6 of Noah’s Ark]

Illustration of giraffe, lion, mouse, geese, parrot, and several other small animals, and German text in bottom left corner.
Tooltip info icon

Illustration from the children’s book Bilderbuch (Picture Book), published in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, in 1905.

[Picture 7]2

The Negro thinks: In the great heat
It is good to sit in the shade.
The band of monkeys is in high spirits
They eat good things and turn somersaults
And the youngest of them thinks:
Isn’t it wonderful in Africa?

[Picture 8]

Look at the two of them
Under grandma’s umbrella!
While talking about this and that
They get soaked to the skin.
The bird twitters: Run home quickly
And take off your wet dresses!

[Picture 9]

Little Ruth has a piece of cake
And is looking forward to eating it.
Just then a tall man is arriving
Tired from his journey
“Dear man, have a bite;
Mama’s cake is delicious.”

[Picture 10]

Look Peter, come look at that!
Is that really possible?
Swift like a bird
A human being flies through the air!
All four of them are amazed
And the spitz barks terribly.

[Picture 11]

Simchas Torah—what joy!
Boys are waving flags today
And sing loudly
Little Raphael too!

[Picture 12]

Dance merrily in a circle
On Purim one must be merry!
Esther, King, and Mordecai
All three of them are dancing
Haman sits in the middle
And is begging for mercy.
It will not help you, will not help you,
Because you are a villain.

[Picture 13]

Black man and white man
Who is the better sweeper?
The black man swelters in the chimney
The white man freezes in ice and snow.

[Picture 14]

Fritz and Franz are racing boldly
One-two-three down the hill.
Max thinks: I can do that too.
Oops, he lands flat on his belly.

[Picture 15]

We are building Jerusalem
Out of colorful blocks
Bibi is dancing hopsa-hopsa-hop
And trumpets: I look forward to it.

[Picture 16]

Chanukah, Chanukah!
The beautiful holiday has come again.
In the evening the children are standing mute
Around the big table.
Joy lights up their faces.
Oh, how beautiful are our lights!

Translated by
Susanne
Klingenstein
.

Notes

[Meierin—is both a name and an occupation. A Meierei is a large estate producing fruit, poultry, and milk products (mostly the latter); the Meierin is the wife of the man who owns (or more likely administrates) the place. The Yiddish equivalent would be the arendar’s wife.—Trans.]

[The image (not included) and language of this illustration reflect attitudes at the time of its publication.—Eds.]

Credits

Adele Sandler, Das jüdische Bilderbuch [Picture Book] (Frankfurt am Main: Jüdischer Volksschriften-Verlag, 1911).

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 7.

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Creator Bio

Adele Sandler

1883–1946

Born Adelheid Straus into an Orthodox banking family in Karlsruhe, Germany, Adele Sandler was an artist and illustrator who became part of Hermann Struck’s German Zionist circle in Berlin in 1912. Sandler moved to Palestine in 1934 with her physician husband; she died in Jerusalem.

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