Doctor Esperanto and the Language of Hope

by Mara Rockliff

Zosia Dzierzawska (Illustrator)

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Book cover for Doctor Esperanto and the Language of Hope

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Meet the boy who made up his own language — and brought hope to millions.

Once there was a town of many languages but few kind words. Growing up Jewish in Bialystok, Poland, in the late 1800s, young Leyzer Zamenhof was surrounded by languages: Russian, Yiddish, German, Polish, and many others. But the multiethnic Bialystok was full of mistrust and suspicion, and Leyzer couldn’t help but wonder: If everyone could understand each other, wouldn’t they be able to live in peace? So Zamenhof set out to create a new language, one that would be easy to learn and could connect people around the world. He published a book of his new language and signed it Dr. Esperanto — “one who hopes.” Mara Rockliff uses her unique knack for forgotten history to tell the story of a young man who saw possibility where others saw only barriers, while Polish illustrator Zosia Dzierzawska infuses every scene with warmth and energy, bringing the story of Esperanto to life.
  • ISBN10 0763689157
  • ISBN13 9780763689155
  • Publish Date 12 March 2019
  • Publish Status Active
  • Publish Country US
  • Imprint Candlewick Press,U.S.