The Bridge

ABOUT THE BOOK THE BRIDGE tells the story of a girl who leaves her home town in search of a place where she can thrive. In order to reach her destination, she has to climb a long, steep bridge. Despite obstacles, she perseveres and eventually reaches her destination. The story of the girl's perseverance will encourage the reader, young or old, to pursue a worthwhile goal despite seemingly insurmountable difficulties. 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, THE LITTLE SONGBIRD, FIFTEEN FABLES, TWELVE MORE FABLES, THE BIRD WHO WENT TO HEAVEN, A PARAKEET FOR ERIC, TALES OF HUMAN FOIBLES, IN THE MILITARY CEMETERY, THE GIRL AND THE PIGEONS, MORE TALES OF HUMAN FOIBLES, MICHAEL AND THE FLAG, WHAT WILL I BE?, IF I HAD THE POWER, IF I WERE RICH, LUCY AND THE SNOWMAN, THE WHIRLPOOL, THE LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET, and TALE OF THE ROMAN NUMERALS. 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 BRIDGE is the twentieth book on which Judith Weinshall Liberman, the author, has collaborated with Gail Davis, the illustrator. Since Ms. Liberman did not feel that, in light of her deteriorated eyesight, she could do justice to illustrating THE BRIDGE herself, she selected a fine artist, Ms. Gail Davis, to create the illustrations under the author's guidance. The two had previously collaborated on THE LITTLE FAIRY, on THE VERY OLD PAINTER AND HER HUSBAND, on ANGEL'S PUPPIES, on THE GIANT HOUSE, on THE MOUNTAIN, on THE TUNNEL, on THE OLD DOLL, on FIFTEEN FABLES, on TWELVE MORE FABLES, on A PARAKEET FOR ERIC, on TALES OF HUMAN FOIBLES, on IN THE MILITARY CEMETERY, on MORE TALES OF HUMAN FOIBLES, on MICHAEL AND THE FLAG, on IF I HAD THE POWER, on IF I WERE RICH, on THE WHIRLPOOL, on THE LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET and on TALE OF THE ROMAN NUMERALS. In the present book, Ms. Davis creates a memorable character who struggles to ascend from darkness into light.