The Book of Life

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT     |    PURCHASE OR BORROW THE BOOK     🕮    In September 2023, I zoomed with Elissa Brent Weissman from across the world, to record an interview about her new picture book, Hanukkah Upside Down . It's the story of a cousin in New York and a cousin in New Zealand, and how they connect during this wintertime AND summertime holiday.  LEARN MORE: Elissa Brent Weissman's website Illustrator Omer Hoffman's website BONUS HANUKKAH FUN: #JewishJoy posts Interview: The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming  Hanukkah Book Bingo Love Your Neighbor series Hanukkah booklist 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 Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook P...

Play along with Hanukkah Book Bingo to celebrate the holiday! Print the image, read books from these categories to mark your Bingo card, and try to get 3 in a row. Suggested titles are below to make it easy for you. Happy Hanukkah! MOVABLE BOOKS Pop-up books, lift-the-flap books, and other books with movable parts or special features. Chanukah Bugs by David A. Carter Spin the Dreidel by Alexandra Cooper I Love You a Latke: A Touch-and-Feel Book by Joan Holub Where Is Baby's Dreidel? by Karen Katz Eight Nights of Lights by Leslie Kimmelman Flip Flop Hanukkah by Danny Paller Chanukah Lights by Michael J. Rosen My First Menorah by Selina Yoon JEWS OF COLOR Books with protagonists or side characters who are Jews of Color. Antlers with Candles by Chris Barash Queen of the Hanukkah Dosas by Pamela Ehrenberg Celebrate Hanukkah: With Light, Latkes, and Dreidels by Deborah Heiligman The Eight Knights of Hanukkah by Leslie Kimmelman Hanukkah at Monica's by Varda Livney The Extraordinar...

The Association of Jewish Libraries and the Jewish Book Council present the third annual reading challenge for readers of all ages, Readukkah! To participate, all you have to do is post about any #JewLit book (any book of Jewish interest) on the Facebook event discussion board—or share a link to your review anywhere online—and use the hashtag #Readukkah to connect with other readers! By sharing your Readukkah posts, your participation in this reading challenge helps spread the word about worthwhile titles, bringing them to the attention of more readers and supporting the publication of Jewish books!   JOIN THE EVENT HERE

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    Storyteller Joel Ben Izzy branches out from his live stage performances with this semi-autobiographical middle grade novel, Dreidels on the Brain , that takes place over the eight days of Hanukkah. You can read my review of the book in School Library Journal here . You can listen to Joel telling the story about an orange that inspired a key scene in this book on public radio's Snap Judgement here . Listen carefully to the podcast to hear Joel's explanation of how you can win a copy of his CD Lights & Laughter: Joel Ben Izzy Spins Hanukkah Tales . When you've got the answer to his question, email him at joel@storypage.com . Joel Ben Izzy, then and now CREDITS: Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel   Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries     Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer St...

BUY THE BOOK       🕮    I'm a sucker for animal stories so it was a given that Mazel the cat would appeal to me, but it seemed at first like a pretty typical historical fiction picture book. Some of the tropes here are old hat: a lonely person whose life is improved when a new pet wanders in, a poor person whose generosity is unexpectedly rewarded by a stranger, and so on. Nothing wrong with that, but nothing unique either.  Then I came to the part where, lacking candles, Misha the artist paints a menorah and adds flames to the candles each night. When he runs out of yellow paint he keeps on going with fire of blue, orange, and red. I was inspired by his ongoing resourcefulness and creativity, his willingness to keep trying in the face of deprivation. While his paint supply does not miraculously increase, I did hear echoes of the Maccabees' perseverance and reward in Misha's story. That's the part that stands out for me, and that I'll rem...

Welcome to our second annual Hanukkah for Kids blog hop, sponsored by Multicultural Kid Blogs ! Be sure to visit all the participating blogs for ways to share this special time of year with kids. Plus you can find all these and more on our Hanukkah Pinterest board ! (And don't miss last year's series !)   Participating Blogs Kelly's Classroom on Multicultural Kid Blogs Moms & Crafters | The Squishable Baby Kid World Citizen | Discovering the World Through My Son's Eyes | The Book of Life "HANUKKAH PAST" AND "HANUKKAH YET TO COME" ON THE BOOK OF LIFE December 2005 The Book of Life's very first episode was a Hanukkah Celebration. In December 2005, I interviewed Eric Kimmel about the classic Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins and talked to Rebecca Tova Ben-Zvi about her new book Four Sides, Eight Nights: A New Spin on Hanukkah. I also got a contributor review of Craig Taubman's CD The Hanukkah Lounge. December 2006 ...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    The new picture book Shmelf the Hanukkah Elf by Greg Wolfe was brought to my attention by Rachel Kamin and Kathy Bloomfield during the 2016 Association of Jewish Libraries conference in Charleston, SC. They had some major concerns about the message it conveys to young readers, and they were so impassioned about it that I sat down with them to record their conversation. I later contacted author Greg Wolfe to invite his feedback, but to date have received no response. Rachel Kamin is the Director of the Gray Cultural & Learning Center at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El in Highland Park, IL. She is the Children's and Teens' Book Review Co-Editor for AJL Reviews , and a past Chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee. Rachel has left a review of Shmelf on Amazon , Barnes & Noble , and GoodReads . Please read her review and add your own comments at those locations and/or here at The Book of Life . Ra...

READ THE ARTICLE     🕮    I was very pleased when Multicultural Kid Blogs invited me to write a guest post about Hanukkah. MKB is a collective of blogs from around the world "for families and educators raising world citizens, through arts, activities, crafts, food, language, and love."  Because the post was for a general audience, I started with a roundup of facts about Hanukkah. Because of the diversity emphasis of MKB, I focused my reading list on books that show the diversity of the Jewish experience by posting about Hanukkah books with Sephardic characters, Jews of color, Jews with disabilities, and interfaith families.  You can read Hanukkah Books: A Diverse Dozen here! Enjoy!

The Association of Jewish Libraries kicks off its first reading challenge with #Readukkah during Hanukkah, December 6-14, 2015. It's easy! Anyone can participate, including kids. All you have to do is:  Read one Jewish book  Review it online (include hashtag #Readukkah)  During Hanukkah, December 6-14, 2015  You pick the book - any reading level, fiction or nonfiction, Jewish in any way you choose to define it.  Review your book anywhere online: on a blog, GoodReads, Amazon, Facebook, YouTube, or even on AJL's listserv, Hasafran. Use the hashtag #Readukkah somewhere in your review to help readers find you!  By sharing your #Readukkah reviews of Jewish books, you will help spread the word about worthwhile titles, bringing them to the attention of more readers, increasing the market and supporting the publishing of Jewish books!  GIVEAWAY Sign up to participate in #Readukkah! All participants will be entered into a ...

VIEW HANUKKAH BOOKLIST     🕮    Over at "People of the Books" (the blog of the Association of Jewish Libraries), they've posted a list of recommended Hanukkah books for children .  NEW BOOKS There are brand new books listed, like one I'm especially excited about: Honeyky Hanukkah by Woody Guthrie, illustrated by Dave Horowitz, and accompanied by a Klezmatics CD. I interviewed Nora Gurthrie in 2006 about the Klezmatics CD Happy Joyous Hanukkah based on Woody's work, and I interviewed Dave Horowitz in 2007 about his hilarious picture book Five Little Gefiltes . I'm thrilled to see them come together to create this new picture book! OLD BOOKS The AJL post also lists Hanukkah-themed books that have been recognized by the Sydney Taylor Book Award as gold or silver medalists or with a Notable Book designation. The Sydney Taylor Book Award has been in business since 1968, so there have been quite a few Hanukkah-related winners over the ye...

The Association of Jewish Libraries has created “Hanukkah Read Up!,” a list of Hanukkah books for children recommended by the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee. The colorful 2-page flyer is available on the AJL website . All the titles on the list have been recognized by the award committee as gold or silver medalists or as “Notable Books.” A special section is devoted to the Hanukkah works of prolific author Eric A. Kimmel, a past Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award winner. The list should prove interesting and useful for families seeking Hanukkah titles for their children, to read together or buy as gifts, as well as for librarians who wish to purchase titles for their holiday shelves. AJL members and friends are welcome to distribute the list, digitally or printed out, to their own library patrons. Happy Hanukkah and Happy Reading!

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    The final installment of interviews with publishers and authors from the show floor at Book Expo America 2009 . This episode highlights Jewish books for kids and teens. Guardian Angel House by Kathy Clark from Second Story Press The White Space Between by Ami Sands Brodoff from Second Story Press Tell Me a Story, Tell Me the Truth by Gina Roitman from Second Story Press Shavua Tov by Michelle Abraham, illustrated by Ann Koffsky from URJ Press Baxter the Pig Who Wanted to Be Kosher by Laurel Snyder from Tricycle Press Hanukkah Lights by David Martin from Candlewick The House on the Roof by David Adler (being reprinted!) from Holiday House The Importance of Wings by Robin Friedman from Charlesbridge The Mysteries of Beethoven's Hair by Russell Martin from Charlesbridge How to Ruin Your Boyfriend's Repution by Simone Elkeles from Flux The Tushy Book by Fran Manushkin from Feiwel and Friends The Rabbi and...

The Book of Life's first-ever episode was posted in December, 2005, which means that we've been podcasting for three whole years! Here are the Chanukah episodes for 2008, 2007, 2006, and 2005, so you can enjoy them all at once. Makes great background listening while you are wrapping presents or frying latkes!  

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    The Book of Life celebrates Chanukah! > Sylvia Rouss tells us about her Sammy Spider series of picture books, which began with Sammy Spider's First Hanukkah . We also hear about the upcoming Sammy Spider's First Simchat Torah, Sammy Spider's First Day at School , and an entry in Sylvia's "Littlest" series, The Littlest Maccabee . > FYI: You can now download mp3 audiobooks of The Chanukah Guest, Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins , and The Magic Dreidels , read by author Eric Kimmel himself. Find them at Anansi's Store at www.ericakimmel.com . > Musician Josh Nelson (of The Josh Nelson Project ) tells us about the part he played in Craig Taubman's Lights Hanukkah concert, and about his own debut CD, Lift . Scroll down to watch a YouTube video of Josh performing L'Dor Vador during the Lights concert. And click to learn how you can get the CD of Lights , and find listings for the TV special . Note t...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    What's new in Jewish books for older kids and teens? Follow me around the 2008 Book Expo America conference to listen in on publishers and authors talking about their new and forthcoming titles! This series includes four episodes: In Part 1 we heard about Jewish pictures books. Part 3 will be about adult books, and Part 4 will be about books (for all ages) relating to the Holocaust. Again, thanks to all the publishers who graciously agreed to be interviewed on the spot! By the way, many of these books have not yet been published, so you may not be able to find the individual titles online. I've provided links to the publishers so you can keep an eye on until the books become available! Part 2, Jewish Books for Kids & Teens: Jewish Kidlit Blogger Barbara Bietz Annick Press The Apprentice's Masterpiece, A Story of Medieval Spain by Melanie Little Roaring Brook Press Penina Levine Is a Potato Pancake by Rebecca O'Co...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    This episode marks the 2nd year anniversary of The Book of Life! In this show, we celebrate the holiday of Hanukkah . > Illustrator Ann Koffsky describes her snowflake " Jerusalem of Peace ," created for Robert's Snow for Cancer's Cure . We also learn about her illustrations for My Cousin Tamar Lives in Israel by Michelle Shapiro Abraham, and her new Joyfully Jewish 2008 calendar . > Author Sarah Marwil Lamstein and illustrator Neil Waldman discuss their picture book Letter on the Wind: A Chanukah Tale . > Kenny Ellis , cantor and performer, riffs on his CD Hanukkah Swings! You can also check out Kenny's MySpace page, and download "Swingin' Dreidel" as a ringtone. > Author Barbara Bietz talks about her chapter book Like a Maccabee , as well as her kidlit blog and her new position on the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee , where she'll help choose the best Judaic children's books of...

Barbara Bietz, kidlit blogger, incoming member of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, and author of Like a Maccabee , interviewed me for her blog! Click here to read the interview. Turn about is fair play, so I'll be interviewing Barbara for the December 2007 episode of The Book of Life. Her entertaining chapter book is about Hanukkah, family... and soccer. (Who knew?) Keep up with Barbara Bietz at http://www.barbarabietz.com/ or at barbarabbookblog.blogspot.com .

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    Congratulations to Jason Gaines , winner of The Book of Life holiday book drawing! An autographed copy of Celebrate Hanukkah with Light, Latkes and Dreidels is on the way! Listen to an interview with the author in this month's podcast. SHOW NOTES: This episode of The Book of Life, a show about Jewish people and the books we read, celebrates the holiday of Hanukkah. We'll hear from: > Stephen Krensky and Greg Harlin , author and illustrator of Hanukkah at Valley Forge , a historical picture book about George Washington's encounter with a Jewish soldier > Nora Guthrie, Woody Guthrie's daughter and director of the Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives, about the new Klezmatics CD Woody Guthrie's Happy Joyous Hanukkah . > Deborah Heiligman , author of the new nonfiction picture book Celebrate Hanukkah with Light, Latkes and Dreidels

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    This brief "addendum" to The Book of Life offers timely information about a new book list of Hanukkah stories for children. The Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee of the Association of Jewish Libraries has created the list Great Hanukkah Books for Kids , a recommended reading-and-shopping list for families, teachers, and librarians. The list has space at the bottom of the front page for libraries or booksellers to add local information, turning the list into a promotional tool for you!