ABOUT THE BOOK
THE KING tells the story of a king who is cruel to his people and cause s many of them to flee their country. The young prince is baffled by the king's conduct and asks the king why he is treating his people so harshly. When the prince ascends the throne, he invites those who have fled to return to their country, promising them that they will be kindly treated. This is an apt story for our times.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in Israel (then called "Palestine"), Judith Weinshall Liberman came to the United States in 1947 to pursue higher education. She earned four American university degrees including two in law, a
J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and an LL.M. from the University of Michigan Law
School. After settling in the Boston area in 1956, she studied art and creative writing. Beginning in
the early 1960s, and for four decades thereafter, Ms. Liberman created numerous series of artworks.
Her art has been widely exhibited, and is represented in the collection of museums and other public
institutions. During her long career in visual art, Ms. Liberman wrote several books, among them
some picture books. Her book THE BIRD'S LAST SONG (Addison-Wesley, 1976), which she also
illustrated, won a citation as one of the "fabulous books of the year." Since 2012, she has published
several additional picture books, including ICE CREAM SNOW, THE LITTLE FAIRY, COLOR IN
OUR WORLD, THE VERY OLD PAINTER AND HER HUSBAND, HAIFA, ANGEL'S PUPPIES,
THE GIANT HOUSE, THE BEE AND THE BUTTERFLY, THE MOUNTAIN, THE TUNNEL, THE
OLD DOLL, FIFTEEN FABLES, TWELVE MORE FABLES, A PARAKEET FOR ERIC, TALES
OF HUMAN FOIBLES, IN THE MILITARY CEMETERY, MORE TALES OF HUMAN FOIBLES,
MICHAEL AND THE FLAG, IF I HAD THE POWER, IF I WERE RICH, THE WHIRLPOOL, THE
LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET, TALE OF THE ROMAN NUMERALS, THE BRIDGE, GRANDMA'S
GLASSES, ANNE FRANK IN MY ART, RUTHIE AND HER ANCESTORS, AN INTRODUCTION TO
MY JUDAICA ART, HEAVENLY GARDENS, HOLOCAUST PAINTINGS, HOMO SAPIENS, SELF
PORTRAITS OF A HOLOCAUST ARTIST, THE RAINBOW, THE TRAIN, THE WAILING WALL,
THE BLANKET, EXPULSION, THE SINKING OF THE PATRIA, BEN AND THE BISHOP, and THE
VISIT TO LATRUN. Judith Weinshall Liberman's archives can be found in the Arts Department of
the Boston Public Library and at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
THE KING is the fifteenth book on which Judith Weinshall Liberman, the author, has collaborated
with Cindy Nguyen, a Gau Family Studio illustrator. The two had previously collaborated on THE
LITTLE SONGBIRD, THE BIRD WHO WENT TO HEAVEN, THE GIRL AND THE PIGEONS,
WHAT WILL I BE?, LUCY AND THE SNOWMAN, IF I HAD A LITTLE SISTER, IF I WERE A
MOM, THE SECRET, SHOP AND SHOP, RONNIE'S ALARM CLOCK, YOUR GRANDPA, MY
BIRTHDAY, THE FUTURE, and on QUEEN ESTHER. Since Ms. Liberman did not feel that, in view
of her deteriorated eyesight, she could do justice to illustrating THE KING herself, she turned to
Gau Family Studio to create the illustrations under the author 's guidance. In the present book, Ms.
Nguyen beautifully captures the spirit of the story and of its characters.
