World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Uri Shulevitz

ウリ・シュレヴィッツ

Uri Shulevitz

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1935-02-27 （Warsaw, Poland）
Died
2025-02-15 （New York City, United States） age 89
Nationality
American
Languages
English, Hebrew
Residence History
Warsaw, Poland → Białystok, Poland → Turkestan, Central Asia → Paris, France → Israel → Ein Gedi kibbutz, Israel → New York City, United States

Career

Occupations
Illustrator, Writer
Active Years
1963-2025
Influenced By
Eastern European folktales, Yiddish literature and storytelling tradition

Education

Brooklyn Museum Art School
Period: 1959–1962
Country: United States
Studied painting.

Awards

Caldecott Medal
1969
Work: The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
Organization: American Library Association (ALSC)
Result: 受賞
Caldecott Honor
1980
Work: The Treasure
Organization: American Library Association (ALSC)
Result: 受賞（オナー）
Charlotte Zolotow Award
1999
Work: Snow
Result: 受賞
Golden Kite Award
1999
Work: Snow
Category: 絵本イラストレーション部門
Organization: Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
Result: 受賞
Caldecott Honor
1999
Work: Snow
Organization: American Library Association (ALSC)
Result: 受賞（オナー）
National Jewish Book Award
2005
Work: The Travels of Benjamin of Tudela
Category: 挿絵付き児童書部門
Organization: Jewish Book Council
Result: 受賞
Caldecott Honor
2009
Work: How I Learned Geography
Organization: American Library Association (ALSC)
Result: 受賞（オナー）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Moon in My Room

1963 Children's picture book

A lyrical picture book presenting the moon from a child's perspective.

ImaginationChildhoodNature

The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship

1969 Children's picture book (Eastern European folktale)

A picture book based on Arthur Ransome's retelling of an Eastern European folktale, in which a simple protagonist overcomes obstacles to obtain a flying ship.

AdventureIngenuityCompanionshipGoodness

The Treasure

1978 Children's picture book

An allegorical picture book praised for its illustration and composition, centered on themes of discovery and quest.

QuestDiscoveryImagination

Snow

1998 Children's picture book

A simple, poetic picture book depicting scenes of a snowy day; it won multiple awards in 1999.

SeasonsNatureObservation

How I Learned Geography

2008 Children's picture book / memoir

Against the backdrop of displacement and refugee experience, it follows a young protagonist learning about the world through maps; it received a 2009 Caldecott Honor.

MigrationGeographyLearningMemory

Chance: Escape from the Holocaust

2020 Memoir (children's)

A memoir recounting the author's childhood escape and survival during the Holocaust, chronicling his family's flight and wartime memories; it was listed by the Wall Street Journal among the 20 best children's books of the past 20 years.

HolocaustSurvivalMemoryFamily

The Sky Was My Blanket

2025 Memoir / historical

A forthcoming (2025) work focusing on the author's uncle who fought in the Spanish Civil War and the French Resistance, exploring themes of war and resistance.

WarResistanceFamilyHistory

Bibliography

  • The Moon in My Room (1963)
  • The Mystery of the Woods (1964) (written by Mary Stolz)
  • A Rose, a Bridge, and a Wild Black Horse (1964) (written by Charlotte Zolotow)
  • The Second Witch (1965) (written by Jack Sendak)
  • The Twelve Dancing Princesses (1966)
  • The Carpet of Solomon (1966) (written by Sulamith Ish-Kishor)
  • The Month Brothers (1967) (written by Dorothy Nathan)
  • Runaway Jonah, and other tales (1967) (written by Jan Wahl)
  • One Monday Morning (1967)
  • The Silkspinners (1967) (written by Jean Russell Larson)
  • My Kind of Verse (1968) (edited by John Smith)
  • The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship (1969) (written by Arthur Ransome)
  • Rain Rain Rivers (1969)
  • The Wonderful Kite (1970) (written by Jan Wahl)
  • Oh What a Noise! (1971) (written by William Brighty Rands)
  • Soldier and Tsar in the Forest (1972) (written by A N Afanas'ev)
  • The Magician (1973) (adapted from the Yiddish of Isaac Leib Peretz)
  • The Fools of Chelm and Their History (1973) (written by Isaac Bashevis Singer)
  • Dawn (1974)
  • The Touchstone (1976) (written by Robert Louis Stevenson)
  • The Treasure (1978)
  • Hanukah Money (1978) (written by Sholem Aleichem)
  • The Lost Kingdom of Karnica (1979) (written by Richard Kennedy)
  • The Golem (1982) (written by Isaac Bashevis Singer)
  • Writing With Pictures (1985)
  • The Strange and Exciting Adventures of Jeremiah Hush (1986)
  • Toddlecreek Post Office (1990)
  • The Diamond Tree (1991) (written by Howard Schwartz and Barbara Rush)
  • The Secret Room (1993)
  • The Golden Goose (1995)
  • Hosni the Dreamer (1997) (written by Ehud Ben-ʻEzer)
  • Snow (1998)
  • What Is a Wise Bird Like You Doing in a Silly Tale Like This (2000)
  • Daughters of Fire (2001) (written by Fran Manushkin)
  • The Travels of Benjamin of Tudela (2005)
  • SoSleepyStory (2006)
  • How I Learned Geography (2008)
  • When I Wore My Sailor Suit (2009)
  • Dusk (2013)
  • Troto and the Trucks (2015)
  • Chance (2020)
  • The Sky Was My Blanket (2025)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Concise, lyrical proseRich watercolor and line-based illustrationsAllegorical and dreamlike expression
Recurring Motifs
JourneysDisplacement and exileMemory and familyNature (light and shadow)

Health

  • Complications of influenza and pneumonia
    2025年2月
    Complications worsened, leading to hospitalization and death.

Legacy

Uri Shulevitz was regarded as an influential writer and illustrator in children's literature, receiving numerous international awards. His distinctive lyrical prose and illustrative style have been admired across generations.

Archives

  • Library of Congress

In Popular Culture

  • Works widely used in schools and libraries.
  • The memoir Chance was listed by the Wall Street Journal among the 20 best children's books of the past 20 years.

Trivia

  • Born in Warsaw in 1935.
  • His family's flight during World War II — via Białystok, Turkestan and Paris to Israel — informed later works.
  • Served in the Israeli Army in 1956 and joined the Ein Gedi kibbutz.
  • Moved to New York in 1959 and studied painting at the Brooklyn Museum Art School.
  • Published his first picture book, The Moon in My Room, in 1963.
  • Won the 1969 Caldecott Medal for The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship.
  • In 1999 he received multiple awards for Snow, including the Charlotte Zolotow Award, Golden Kite Award and a Caldecott Honor.
  • Won the National Jewish Book Award in 2005 for The Travels of Benjamin of Tudela (Illustrated Children's Book category).
  • Received a Caldecott Honor in 2009 for How I Learned Geography.
  • Died on February 15, 2025 in New York City from complications of influenza and pneumonia at age 89.
  • Spouse: Paula Brown.