Lemuel is a fisherman and a fool. He dreams of building a boat that will take him across the sea to the enchanted, magical city that he is sure must lie just beyond the horizon. As time passes, his dream grows stronger and despite his wife's protests, Lemuel sets out on his journey. How will he know he's going the right way? He ties a red scarf on the bow and a rope to the stern; as long as the scarf waves before him and the rope trails behind, he knows he'll be heading in the right direction.

Disoriented after a storm, Lemuel lands near a strange new village-except that it's strangely familiar, from the boats drawn up on the dock, to the hissing cats in the street, to the woman who looks and talks exactly like his own dear wife and lives in a house exactly like his own. The strange woman even calls him by name and makes him come home for dinner-where the furniture looks just like that in his home and the clothes he changes into fit him quite well. Later that night, a very confused Lemuel sets sail for home, telling himself, "I've had enough of this madness." With the red scarf before him and the rope trailing behind, he's confident he'll arrive at home again-and be safely back among the familiar.

A great fan of Jewish folklore, especially the rich tradition of "fools" and stories of Chelm, Myron Uhlberg also looked to his own family for inspiration when writing Lemuel the Fool. His maternal grandfather, John, was consumed by wanderlust and "was always looking for the next great adventure, the next opportunity, the next place he could prosper-which was always somewhere else." Young readers will enjoy the silly charm of Lemuel's journey, beautifully illustrated by Sonja Lamut.