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New Faces: Leila Sales at Kar-Ben Publishing

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LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT     |    VISIT KAR-BEN     🕮    Kar-Ben Publishing has been producing Jewish children's books for over 50 years. After the recent retirement of 20-year veteran Joni Sussman, we've got new leadership at Kar-Ben with Editorial Director Leila Sales. Here's my conversation with Leila about the behind-the-scenes transition at the beloved institution that is Kar-Ben. This is Part 1 in my 2-part "New Faces" series. Part 2 will introduce you to the new owner of Behrman House and Apples & Honey Press, Derek Stordahl. Episode drops July 16, 2026. Author Jane Yolen z"l passed away recently at age 87. She was the incredibly prolific author of 450 books, both secular and Jewish. She wrote the landmark 1988 Holocaust novel The Devil's Arithmetic , and she was the winner of the 2022 Sydney Taylor Body of Work Award. I interviewed Jane Yolen in 2018, along with her co-author Barba...
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A Practical Guide to Dating a Demon

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  LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT     |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    A Practical Guide to Dating a Demon is Hannah Reynolds' first foray into fantasy, following a string of contemporary romances. It's a fun, swoony, slow burn romantasy set at a school of magic in an immersive Jewish fantasy realm. I really enjoyed it and I think it will make a great beach read this summer! LEARN MORE:  Hannah Reynolds’ website and Instagram Buy A Practical Guide to Dating a Demon The Jewish Book Garden’s Summer Reading Club BookBub (Hannah’s day job) Bonus content on Substack  CREDITS: Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel Co-sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sister podcast: Nice Jewish Books Theme Music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Newsletter: bookoflifepodcast.substack.com Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: Facebook.com/boo...
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The Jewish Book Garden

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LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT     |    VISIT THE JEWISH BOOK GARDEN     🕮    My friend Susan Kusel has all the Jewish literary bases covered. She's an author, she's a synagogue librarian, she's been a buyer for a bookstore, and like me, she's a past chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee. We are basically Best Book Buddies, and we do a lot of projects together to promote Jewish kidlit. Our newest project is The Jewish Book Garden, a website/newsletter on Substack. In this episode, Susan and I break down what The Jewish Book Garden is, who it's for, and what you can expect to find in your inbox when you subscribe to it. Don't miss our announcements about our Summer Reading Club and our new Zoom discussion group!  LEARN MORE: The Jewish Book Garden The Jewish Book Garden Summer Reading Club Jewish American Heritage Month | Canadian Jewish Heritage Month Heidi's Tikkun Olam suggestion: support...
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Candles & Memories

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LISTEN TO THE PODCAST    |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT     |    BUY ALISON'S & RICHARD'S BOOKS     🕮    I recently heard a piece on NPR about the little jars that hold yarhzeit memorial candles, and how some people repurpose these glasses to hold juice or to use as cookie cutters. It was an interesting look at how death is treated as a part of life in the Jewish tradition. That concept is very beautifully conveyed by the two picture books we'll be talking about in this episode. My guests are Alison Goldberg, author of The Remembering Candle, and Richard Ho, author of A Flame Burns On.  LEARN MORE: Alison Goldberg’s website and Instagram Richard Ho’s website and Instagram Buy The Remembering Candle | Eighteen Flowers for Grandma Buy A Flame Burns On | Two New Years Suggested read-alikes: Goodbye: A First Conversation About Grief , Something Sweet: A Sitting Shiva Story , I Wish That You Knew Tikkun olam suggestion...
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The Passover Pet Surprise

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LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT     |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    Argentine author Ana María Shua has written over 100 books and is super famous in Latin America but The Passover Pet Surprise is her first Jewish children's book. As you'd expect from such an accomplished writer, it's a well told, heartwarming story with a hint of ambiguity, which works well during a holiday where we are commanded both to retell and to inquire! LEARN MORE:  Author Ana María Shua’s website (in Spanish) Illustrator Ángeles Ruiz’s website Buy The Passover Pet Surprise or La gran sorpresa de Pésaj Read Heidi’s review of The Passover Pet Surprise on The Jewish Book Garden Tikkun Olam suggestion: support Magen David Adom Bonus content for this episode on Substack   CREDITS: Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel Co-sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sister podcast: Nice J...
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Trouble Finds Evie Lefkowitz

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LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT   |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    If you enjoy a good heist story, here's one with a lot of heart. Trouble Finds Evie Lefkowitz is a middle grade novel about a Jewish girl who gets into good trouble in order to right a wrong. Banding together with friends and frenemies helps her expand her thinking and bring more generosity into the world.  LEARN MORE:   Diana Harmon Asher’s website , Instagram , and Facebook Buy Trouble Finds Evie Lefkowitz , Sidetracked , and Upstaged Diana’s Tikkun Olam suggestion: donate to food banks at community colleges CREDITS: Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel Co-sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sister podcast: Nice Jewish Books Theme Music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Newsletter: bookoflifepodcast.substack.com Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: Facebook....
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Shabbat Shalom, Let's Rest and Reset

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LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT     |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    If you've ever read books to a baby or toddler, you're familiar with board books, those small sturdy books with stiff cardboard pages that can withstand drool and rough handling. But just because these books are designed for babies doesn't mean they are baby-ish. Suzy Ultman's deceptively simple storytelling in board book format has brought about a historic moment. For the first time ever, a board book has won a Sydney Taylor Book Award. Among the four Jewish board books Suzy has created so far, the one that got her the gold was Shabbat Shalom, Let's Rest and Reset. Her signature bright, quirky, cheerful art, paired with reassuring, calming text, invites us to stop all the doing and just be. If you need to give a baby gift, I highly recommend one or all of Suzy's Jewish board books... but you might actually want to get copies for yourself...
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