Levin Kipnis facts for kids
Levin Kipnis (born August 1, 1894 – died June 20, 1990) was a famous Israeli author and poet. He wrote many stories and poems especially for children. Most of his work was in Hebrew and Yiddish. In 1978, he won the important Israel Prize, which is a big award in Israel.
About Levin Kipnis
Levin Kipnis was born in a town called Ushomyr. This town was in what is now Ukraine. He grew up in a large family with 12 children. His father, Pessach, was a religious leader. He sent Levin to a traditional Jewish school called a Cheder. Levin didn't really like the strict rules there.
From a young age, Levin loved art. He enjoyed painting and carving wood. His father saw his talent. He encouraged Levin to become a sofer stam. This is someone who writes holy texts. Levin even wrote special scrolls called mezuzot to help his family earn money.
When he was 13, Levin decided he wanted to be a writer. He saw a Hebrew children's magazine called "Haprachim" (meaning "the flowers"). This inspired him. He started his own magazine in his attic. He wrote, drew pictures, and made the magazine himself! Later, he sent one of his stories, "The Sick Child," to the real children's magazine. It was published in 1910.
Kipnis continued his studies in other cities. Then he returned to his hometown. There, he started an "improved Cheder." He also created a Hebrew library. He even wrote and directed plays for people to watch.
In 1913, he moved to Ottoman Palestine. This was before Israel became a country. He kept studying art there. He noticed there weren't many stories or songs for young children. So, he decided to write songs for preschoolers.
During World War I, Kipnis started a publishing company. It was called "Little Library for Children." At the same time, he had to do farm work for the Ottoman military. After the war, he went back to Jerusalem. He was asked to write and edit materials for young children. He published many story and song collections. He also started the first magazine for preschool teachers. It was called "Ganenu," meaning "our garden."
In 1921, he helped manage an orphanage in Safed. The next year, he traveled to Berlin, Germany to learn more about art. He even published three books in German there. He came back in 1923. He started teaching at a college in Tel Aviv.
In 1928, Kipnis helped create a children's theater. It was later known as "Teatron Hagananot." This means "the preschool-teacher theater." Famous performers acted in his plays there.
Levin Kipnis stopped working as a teacher in 1956. After that, he spent all his time writing.
His writing style was light and happy. It was also very rich and beautiful. He wrote about 800 stories and 600 poems in Hebrew. He also wrote many songs, like "Shanah Tova." Kipnis also wrote children's books in Yiddish. His books were translated into many languages. These included English, French, German, Russian, and Arabic. He was a writer for 80 years, from 1910 until he passed away in 1990.
Levin Kipnis died in Tel Aviv in 1990.
Today, you can find his work at the Levin Kipnis Center for Children's Literature. This center also gives out an award named after him. It is for research about children's literature. In 2020, a poem he wrote when he was young was found.
Awards and Honors
Levin Kipnis received several important awards for his work:
- In 1962, he won the Yatsiv Prize for Children's Literature.
- In 1976, he received the Lamdan Prize for Children's Literature.
- In 1978, he was given the Israel Prize. This is one of the highest honors in Israel. He received it for his amazing contributions to children's literature.
There is also a street named after him in the city of Be'er Sheva.
Books Published in Hebrew
Levin Kipnis wrote many, many books for children. Here are a few examples of his published works:
- Aleph-Beit (1923)
- The Story of the Chick Who Wanted a New Mother (1923)
- Hasty Goat (1926)
- The Oil Jar (1930)
- What Do Animals Say? (1942)
- My Kindergarten (1949)
- Eliezer and the Carrot (1964)
- The Daffodil's Crown (1969)
- Milli Loves Flowers (1971)
- Stories From the Bible (1976)
- Scarecrow the King (1979)
- The Golden Nut (1983)
- My Faithful Dog (1990)
Books in Translation
Some of Levin Kipnis's books were translated into other languages:
