Sadie Rose Weilerstein facts for kids

Sadie Rose Weilerstein (born July 28, 1894 – died June 23, 1993) was an American writer who created books for children. She is famous for stories like What the Moon Brought. She also wrote a series of books about a tiny boy named K'tonton. K'tonton was the size of a thumb and had many adventures. These stories often taught about Jewish holidays and Jewish culture. Her K'tonton books shared important values, both Jewish and general human kindness. Throughout her life, Sadie Rose Weilerstein supported Zionism, which is the idea of a Jewish homeland. She was also an environmentalist, caring deeply about nature.

Early Life of Sadie Rose Weilerstein

Sadie Rose Weilerstein was born in Rochester, New York. Her parents, Bernard and Tillie Rose, were Jewish immigrants from Lithuania. They came to America about ten years before Sadie was born. Their home followed kosher rules. In America, her father, Bernard, owned a factory. Her mother, Tillie, was active in groups like Hadassah. She also worked with the Women's Suffrage movement, helping women get the right to vote. Tillie even worked with famous leader Susan B. Anthony. Sadie had three sisters and one brother.

After finishing college at the University of Rochester, Sadie became a teacher. She taught at the Rochester School for the Deaf. In 1920, she married B. Rueben Weilerstein, who was a rabbi. The couple first lived in Brooklyn. Later, they settled in Atlantic City. They had one son and three daughters. Sadie often told stories to her children.

Sadie Rose Weilerstein's Writing Career

Sadie Rose Weilerstein's mother helped her start her writing career. She took some of Sadie's stories to a publisher called Bloch. Six months later, Sadie's first book, What Danny Did (1928), was published. It received good reviews.

In 1930, she began publishing stories about K'tonton. K'tonton was a boy as small as a thumb. These stories first appeared in the Jewish magazine Outlook. All the K'tonton stories were later put together into a book. This book, The Adventures of K'tonton, came out in 1930. Jeannette Berkowitz drew the pictures for it.

Another book, Dick: the Horse That Kept the Sabbath, was published in 1955. It tells about a Jewish family in the city. Their horse, Dick, gets hurt. He is then taken to a family in the countryside. There, he won't have to walk on hard city streets. The country family promises to let Dick continue the Jewish tradition. This means he won't work on the Sabbath, a day of rest.

In 1961, she published Ten and a Kid. This story was inspired by her mother's tales. Her mother grew up in a Jewish village, called a shtetl, in Lithuania. Janina Domanska illustrated this book. Ten and a Kid was written for slightly older elementary school children.

K'tonton in Israel shows Israel as a land that is both old and new. It describes a place where ancient traditions and modern life exist together. For example, it mentions Bedouin hospitality, like the open tent of Abraham from the Bible. It also talks about kibbutzniks (people living on a kibbutz, a type of community farm) who make the desert bloom.

In 1976, Sadie wrote another K'tonton book. It was called K'tonton on an Island in the Sea. This book showed her deep love for nature. It also highlighted her growing interest in protecting the environment. Mike Berenstain drew the pictures for this book. Sadie Rose Weilerstein also helped create a children's nature preserve in Atlantic City. This project was very successful.

Some of the best K'tonton stories were put into a special collection. This collection, The Best of K'tonton, came out in 1980. It celebrated 50 years of K'tonton stories. Marilyn Hirsh created new illustrations for it. Experts have said that while some stories might seem old-fashioned today, Sadie's K'tonton books were very important. They helped create a tradition of American stories for children about Jewish holidays. Her books played a key role in the history of American Jewish children's literature. In the 1990s, several K'tonton stories were published as separate books for very young children.

Selected Works

• What Danny Did: stories for the wee Jewish child, illustrated by Sol Aronson (1928) – also illus. Jeanette Berkowitz Robinson (1944)
• The Adventures of K'tonton: a little Jewish Tom Thumb , illus. Jeannette Berkowitz (1930)
• What the Moon Brought, illus. Mathilda Keller (1942)
• Little New Angel, Mathilda Keller (1947)
• Molly and the Sabbath Queen, Anne Ferril Folsom (1949)
• Dick: the horse that kept the Sabbath, Jessie B. Robinson (1955)
• Ten and a Kid, Janina Domanska (1961)
• K'tonton in Israel, Elizabeth Safian (1964)
• K'tonton on an Island in the Sea: a hitherto unreported episode in the life of the Jewish thumbling [...], Michael Berenstain (1976)

Awards and Recognition

• 1962: National Jewish Book Award for Ten and a Kid
• Yovel Award of the National Women's League of the United Synagogue of America