From the archives of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, a collection of traditional Yiddish folksongs by highly regarded ethnomusicologist Ruth Rubin, presented with added commentary from music scholars Chana Mlotek and Mark Slobin.

Winner of the National Jewish Book Award In 1921, photographer Alter Kacyzne was comissioned by the New York Yiddish daily, Forverts, to document images of Jewish life in the "old country." Kacyzne's assignment was to become a ten-year journey across "Poyln," as Poland's three million Yiddish-speaking Jews called their home, from the crowded ghettos of Warsaw and Krakow to the remote villages of Otwock and Kazimierz. Candid and intimate, tender and humorous, Kacyzne's portraits-- of teeming village squares and primitive workshops, cattle markets and spinning wheels, prayer groups and summer camps-- tell the story of a way of life that is no more. For the last sixty years, Kacyzne's Forverts photographs-- the sole fragment of his vast archive to survive World War II-- lay unseen. Now the work of this lost master is restored to the world in a volume of extraordinary force and beauty.

From the winner of the 2004 Caldecott Medal comes a memorable new work, a novel of singular insight and imagination that transports readers to the Old Country, where "all the fairy tales come from, where there was magic -- and there was war." There, Gisella stares a moment too long into the eyes of a fox, and she and the fox exchange shapes. Gisella's quest to get her girl-body back takes her on a journey across a war-ravaged country that has lost its shape. She encounters magic, bloodshed, and questions of power and justice -- until finally, looking into the eyes of the fox once more, she faces a strange and startling choice about her own nature. Part adventure story and part fable; exciting, beautifully told, rich in humor and wisdom, The Old Country is the work of an artist and storyteller at the height of his powers.

Decade after decade, Yiddish proverbs continue to capture the humor, warmth, and traditions of Jewish life. Now, the beloved Yiddish Wisdom (more than 100,000 copies sold) has been expanded with even more proverbs and fresh illustrations to be cherished by a new generation. With more than 150 folk sayings translated in Yiddish and English—from the whimsical and witty (Dress up a broom and it will also look nice/Az men batziert a bezem iz er oich shain) to the poignant (When one must, one can/Az me muz, ken men) and practical (When you look to the heights, hold on to your hat/Az du kukst oif hoicheh zachen, halt tsu dos hitl)—this treasured volume is the perfect gift for any celebration.