Doctor Esperanto and the Language of Hope

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.

• The author is a fluent speaker of Esperanto and uses it almost daily in her professional and social interactions.

• Esperanto is spoken by over 2 million people around the world and is the most widely-used constructed language.

• While the book does include a brief description and visual example of how the language is constructed, the heart of the story is about world peace and understanding.

About the Author

Mara Rockliff is the author of many books for children, including the picture books Mesmerized, an Orbis Pictus Honor Book; Around America to Win the Vote; Anything But Ordinary Addie; Chik Chak Shabbat; and Me and Momma and Big John, a Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book and Golden Kite Award winner.

Mara lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

About the Illustrator

Zosia Dzierzawska studied illustration in Milan, Italy. She has published throughout the world, and her work has appeared in the New York Times. Doctor Esperanto and the Language of Hope is her American picture book debut.

Zosia lives in Warsaw, Poland.