He decided to become a writer at the age of 13, after seeing the Hebrew children's magazine "Haprachim" ("the flowers"). In his attic, he wrote, illustrated and produced his own magazine, later submitting one of his stories, "the sick child" to the children's magazine. The story was published in 1910. Kipnis completed his education in Jitomir and Warsaw, then went back to his hometown, where he founded an "improved Cheder," established a Hebrew library and wrote and directed plays. In 1913, he emigrated to Ottoman Palestine and continued his arts education at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. The lack of content for children of kindergarten age convinced him to write songs suited for preschoolers.[3]
With the outbreak of World War I, Kipnis established the "Little Library for Children" publisher in Jaffa, while concurrently doing agricultural forced labor for the Ottoman military. After the war he returned to Jerusalem at the invitation of Bezalel to write and edit content for preschoolers and published story and song collections for children as well as the first magazine for preschool teachers "Ganenu" ("our garden" or "our kindergarten").
In 1921, he managed an orphanage in Safed. In 1922, he traveled to Berlin, Germany for advanced studies in art and craftsmanship. There he published three books in German. He returned in 1923 and began teaching at the Levinsky Teacher's College in Tel Aviv.
In 1928, Kipnis wrote plays and participated actively in the foundation of a children's theater, later known as "Teatron Hagananot" ("the preschool-teacher theater"), where some well known Hebrew performers such as Bracha Zefira and Sara Levi-Tanai participated.[4]
In 1956, he retired from his job as an educator and dedicated his time to writing.
Kipnis's writing is characterized by a light and happy style, devoid of pathos, yet rich and aesthetic. His collections in Hebrew encompass about 800 stories and 600 poems. Kipnis also wrote songs in Hebrew, including Shanah Tova. He also wrote children's books in Yiddish, publishing a collection in 1961. His work was translated into English, French, German, Russian, Arabic and Yiddish. He was active as a writer for 80 years, from 1910 to 1990.
Kipnis died in 1990 in Tel Aviv.
The archive of his work is at the Levin Kipnis Center for Children's Literature, Levinsky Teachers' College. The center awards a bi-annual prize named after Kipnis for a research project about children's literature.[5] In 2020 a poem, written by Kipnis as a boy in 1905, was found in the Boris Schatz Archives at the Information Center for Israeli Art.[6]
Awards and honors
Memorial plaque to Levin Kipnis in Tel Aviv
In 1962, Kipnis was awarded the Yatsiv Prize for Children's Literature.
In 1976, he received the Lamdan Prize for Children's Literature.
In 1978, he was awarded the Israel Prize, for children's literature.[7]
Street are named after him in Be'er Sheva and Tel Aviv
Bibliography
Books published in Hebrew
Children
By the Ancestor's Grave, Berlin-Hasefer, 1923 [Le-Kever Avot]
Aleph-Beit, Berlin-Hasefer, 1923 [Aleph-Beit]
A String, Omanut, 1923 [Mahrozet]
The Story of the Chick Who Wanted a New Mother, Omanut, 1923 [Ma'aseh Be-Efroah She Halach Levakesh Em Aheret]
Shele-Pele, Dvir, 1925 [Shele-Pele]
Shulamita, Dvir, 1925 [Shulamita]
Velvet and Her Puppies, Dvir, 1925 [Ketifah Ve-Gureha]
Listen and I Will Tell You, Dvir, 1925 [Shim'u Va-Asapera]
Hasty Goat, Dvir, 1926 [Iza Peziza]
The Compassionate Donkey, Dvir, 1926 [He-Hamor He-Rahum]
The Exiled Palm Branch, Dvir, 1926 [Ha-Lulav Ha-Goleh]
The Queen of Geese, Dvir, 1926 [Malkat Ha-Avazim]
The Scarecrow, Dvir, 1927 [Ha-Dahlil]
Country Children, Dvir, 1927 [Yaldei Sadeh]
The Story of the Wandering Apple, Dvir, 1927 [Ma'ase Be-Tpuah She-Halach Lasuah]
Four and a Bulb, Dvir, 1928 [Arba Benei Peka'at]
The Story of a Paper Rose, Dvir, 1928 [Ma'ase Be-Vered Shel Nyar]
Zamzuma, Dvir, 1928 [Zamzuma]
The Tiger Who Almost Changed Its Spots, Dvir, 1928 [Ha-Namer She-Halach Lahafoch Havarburotav]
Counting, Dvir, 1929 [Sefirah]
Purim Spiel, Stybel, 1929 [Mishak Purim]
The Sea's Gift, Stybel, 1930 [Matnat Ha-Yam]
The Story of the Harbor, Stybel, 1930 [Ma'ase Be-Namal]
The Oil Jar, Stybel, 1930 [Kad Ha-Shemen]
Butterflies, Dvir, 1930 [Parparim]
Who Is That? Dvir, 1930 [Mi Zeh?]
What Is That? Dvir, 1930 [Ma Zeh?]
Chanukah for Toddlers, L. Kipnis, 1932 [Hanukah Le-Tinokot]
First Fruits, Kupat Hasefer, 1932 [Bikurim]
The Blue Collection, I. Shimoni, 1939 [Ha-sifriah Ha-Kehulah L'Yeladim]
The Western Wall, Sion, 194- [Ha-Kotel Ha-Ma'aravi]
Lit up Candles, Dfus Arieli, 1940 [Nerot Dolkim]
Dew, I. Shimoni, 1941 [Tal]
David and Goliath, Fisher, 1941 [David Ve-Goliat]
What Do Animals Say? Fisher, 1942 [Ha-Hayot Ma Omrot]
^His identity card and his tombstone record his year of birth in 1894, but evidence was found in his handwriting that his date of birth is 1 August 1890. This can be seen in a letter to the Bezalel School (now in the Bezalel Archive) in which he writes his age with the date, and dedication of a picture to his uncle where he writes his age with the date. See the back of the picture that appears in Leah Naor's book, "The King of Children," published by Yad Ben Zvi. Information from Hebrew Wikipedia page on Levin Kipnis
