Renowned Israeli Author and Poet Yehuda Atlas Dies at 89

Yehuda Atlas, a celebrated Israeli author and poet, known for his seminal children's book "And This Child is Me," passed away on Thursday at Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv. He was 89.

Atlas's family remembered him as "an eternal child until his last moments," adding that in his later years, he wrote about at-risk children out of a sense of mission. He was described as an editor, children's author, and translator who acted out of a desire to help others.

Born in 1937 in Ein Iron, Atlas worked in journalism, including as an editor for Yediot Ahronot, before gaining fame as a children's author. His first children's book, "And This Child is Me," published in 1977 with illustrations by Dani Kerman, resonated with generations of Israeli children. The book, written in simple, everyday language, gave voice to children's thoughts and feelings about parents, friends, fears, and anger, including emotions often absent in children's literature of the time.

The success of "And This Child is Me" led to four sequels, including "This Child is Also Me." Atlas often drew inspiration from his own childhood memories and his children's experiences, acknowledging the difficulties of childhood and the dependence of children on adults. He stated in past interviews, "I write about the moment a child has a problem; small or large, complex or simple."

Beyond his children's books, Atlas translated literature and researched children's literature. He authored the "Big Children" series about international authors and illustrators and published a memoir about his youth. His contributions were recognized with awards such as the Ze'ev Prize for Children's and Youth Literature, the Leah Goldberg Prize, and the ACUM Lifetime Achievement Award.

In 2021, Atlas released "Children of Nobody," a collection of approximately 170 poems about at-risk children and youth, created in collaboration with the Haruv Institute. This work followed years of listening to their stories, aiming to give a voice to silenced children.