Lemuel sails off in search of the city of his dreams, returns home without realizing it, and is astonished that all the people and places look so familiar! A droll, gentle story, beautifully illustrated. ( )

Uhlberg, Myron. Lemuel the Fool. Sonja Lamut, Illus. Peachtree, 2001.

Summary: This book is based on an old Jewish Folktale about a foolish man named Lemuel. He is a fisherman who lives in a village with his wife, Essie, and his son, Sol. He dreams of sailing over the horizon to find a wonderful city on the other side. One day he decides to build a boat and leave. On his journey he navigates by aiming the boat towards a scarf that he put on the prow of the boat. This method, of course, only gets him lost, and after surviving a terrible storm, he comes back to his own town. He manages to convince himself that he is in the city of his dreams even though he stays in his own house with his wife and son. That night he sneaks back to his boat and sails, so he thinks, back home. In the end he is happily reunited with his family.
Age: This book would be perfect for 2nd and 3rd graders because of the simplicity of the sentences would enable to grasp the few humorous plot points, like how Lemuel follows his own scarf to navigate the ship.
Artwork: The artwork is painted with mostly dull colors which help the viewer to sympathize with Lemuel’s desire to leave his town. However, the colors are also very homely, which also help the viewer to understand Lemuel’s desire to return home.
Usage: I would talk with the kids about the value of being home. I also might try a craft where the children can make their own paper boats and see what happens when they try and follow the prow of the ship.