A Yiddish and English book for young kids, just in time for Hanukkah

When choosing a present to give your favorite little kids for Hanukkah, consider a unique picture book that was recently translated into Yiddish and English.

The book, Gevald! (Uh-Oh! in English) was originally published and illustrated by Jenny Kjærbo in Faroese — an Old-Norse-based language similar to Icelandic. Faroese is still spoken on several Danish-held islands north of Scotland and west of Scandinavia.

Jenny Kjærbo, who was raised on the island of Suðuroy in the Faroe Islands, is a graphic designer based in Copenhagen. Her children’s books have appeared in Faroese, Danish, Hungarian, and Spanish. This is the first time any of her books has been published in Yiddish and English.

Gevald! tells the story of a wayward young puffin who has a series of misadventures when he’s left in charge of his baby brother’s egg. It was translated into Yiddish by Arun Schaechter Viswanath, the Yiddish translator of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

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