Shmuel is eager to help support his poor family, but no one in his shtetl is interested in hiring a ten-year-old boy. One day, the village installs new electric lamps, bringing light to their square and dazzling away the dark. Until a lamp breaks during a storm—and Shmuel is the only one who can fix it. Will Shmuel be able to conquer his fear of heights and bring light back to his town?
A gentle tale of bravery, empowerment and community, and the thrill of transformation.
"This inspiring story, based on an incident in the family history of co-author Sheila Baslaw, offers a unique view of a small, Jewish, East European town—a shtetl. Though the book draws on the typical motifs of poverty and hard work, it also offers a telling glimpse of modernity, thereby avoiding a portrait of the shtetl as a static place bound only by tradition. In the story, a fascinated young boy, named Shmuel, watches workers install an electric light in the town square. When the workers depart, they leave their extra supplies with Shmuel, the person in town who best understands the working of the electric light. After a storm, the rabbi calls upon Shmuel to bravely climb the lamppost, replace the bulb, and make repairs. For his brave work and understanding, he receives much-needed money to help his family, as well as gifts from the grateful townsfolk. Priestley's gentle illustrations evoke both the traditional shtetl lifestyle and the wonders of electric light. A luminous tale!"