The Book of Life

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    The Book of Life’s Canadian Correspondent Anne Dublin spoke to author Anne Renaud after she won the 2018 Canadian Jewish Literary Award for Fania’s Heart , a Holocaust picture book for older readers. It’s the true story of a heart-shaped birthday card created in Auschwitz at great personal risk by women prisoners, from scraps of fabric, stolen materials, and glue made out of bread and water, for the 20 th birthday of fellow prisoner Fania Landau Fainer. The real heart is now in the Montreal Holocaust Museum , and it’s one of the few surviving objects created by prisoners of Auschwitz. Be sure to check out this documentary , which was the inspiration for Renaud to write this book. For a book about Fania, aimed at teen readers, see Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott. CREDITS: Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel   Theme music: The...

READ THE ARTICLE     🕮    I wrote an article for Multicultural Kid Blogs about Jewish Kidlit Awards, and you can read it here . It gives details about the Sydney Taylor Book and Manuscript Awards, the National Jewish Book Award, and the Canadian Jewish Literary Awards. If I do say so myself, it's a good comprehensive round-up.

Lesléa Newman and Amy June Bates, author and illustrator of   Ketzel, the Cat who Composed , Aharon Appelfeld, Philippe Dumas and Jeffrey M. Green, author, illustrator and translator of  Adam and Thomas , and Laura Amy Schlitz, author of   The Hired Girl , are the 2016 winners of the Sydney Taylor Book Award. The Sydney Taylor Book Award honors new books for children and teens that exemplify the highest literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience.  The award memorializes Sydney Taylor, author of the classic   All-of-a-Kind Family series.  The winners will receive their awards at the   Association of Jewish Libraries Conference in Charleston, South Carolina this June. Newman and Bates will receive the 2016 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Younger Reader category for   Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed , published by Candlewick Press.  This delightful picture book tells the true story of musician M...

I will be attending BookExpo America this year and I'm very excited! As in past years, I'll be recording interviews for The Book of Life , and I'll be talking to publishers about the Sydney Taylor Book Award (I'm past chair of the award committee, so I like to promote it whenever I can). Here's a message from the current awards chair, Diane Rauchwerger, for all you publishers out there: Entries are now being considered for the 2015 Sydney Taylor Award, which recognizes the best children's literature of Jewish content. We would like to invite you to submit any children's books with a 2014 copyright that meets the criteria below. In order to be considered, a review copy must be sent to each of the nine members of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee. No application form is necessary; simply mail the books to each member in a package labeled "Sydney Taylor Book Award Submission." The awards will be announced in January, 2015. To e...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST    |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    The Book of Life's Canadian Correspondent, Anne Dublin , interviews author Sharon McKay , winner of the Canadian Jewish Book Award in the Children and Youth Literature category for Enemy Territory . The Canadian magazine Resource Links says "McKay weaves a story of depth and understanding, a beautiful portrait of reluctant friendship, of overcoming profound prejudices, misconceptions, and deep-seeded anger, even hate."   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 String Band   Facebook: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast    Twitter: @bookoflifepod   Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    Emily Bergman, member of the Sophie Brody Award committee, discusses the ins and outs of choosing the best Jewish book of the year. The award is presented for Jewish literature by RUSA, an arm of ALA. See  http://www.ala.org/rusa/awards/brody  for more info. 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 String Band  Facebook:  facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast Twitter:  @bookoflifepod   Photo: Emily Bergman Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to  bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com  or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473. 

Michael J. Rosen and Robert Sabuda , author and artist of Chanukah Lights , Susan Goldman Rubin , author of Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein , and Robert Sharenow , author of The Berlin Boxing Club , are the 2012 winners of the prestigious Sydney Taylor Book Award. The awards were announced at the mid-winter meeting of the School, Synagogue and Community Center Division of the Association of Jewish Libraries. The Sydney Taylor Book Award honors new books for children and teens that exemplify the highest literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience. The award memorializes Sydney Taylor, author of the classic All-of-a-Kind Family series. The winners will receive their awards at the Association of Jewish Libraries convention in Pasadena, California this June. Rosen and Sabuda will receive the 2012 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Younger Readers Category for Chanukah Lights , published by Candlewick Press . This exquisite boo...

Here is a press release from the Association of Jewish Libraries about the newest winners of the Sydney Taylor Book Award! Please note that The Book of Life has an interview with Barry Deutsch, winner in the Older Readers Category for Hereville , posted below. Interviews with some of the other recognized authors were recorded in 2010 and are in the queue to be released on the podcast in the coming year. ~~~ Howard Schwartz and Kristina Swarner , author and illustrator of Gathering Sparks , Barry Deutsch , author and illustrator of Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword , and Dana Reinhardt , author of The Things a Brother Knows are the 2011 winners of the prestigious Sydney Taylor Book Award. The Sydney Taylor Book Award honors new books for children and teens that exemplify the highest literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience. The award memorializes Sydney Taylor, author of the classic All-of-a-Kind Family series. The winners will receive their ...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    I met Barry Deutsch , author of Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword , at Miami Book Fair International in November, 2010. Hereville is the 2011 winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Older Readers Category, the first graphic novel ever to win this prestigious literary prize. 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 String Band Facebook: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast Twitter: @bookoflifepod   Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    The Book of Life's Canadian Correspondent Anne Dublin interviews winners of the 2010 Helen & Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Awards at the gala ceremony in Toronto. For the full list of 2010 winners, click here . Anne spoke with: Eva Wiseman, author of Puppet (Youth Literature category) Goldie Sigal, author of Stingy Buzi and King Solomon / Der karger Buzi un Shloymeh Hameylekh (Yiddish category) Robin McGrath, author of The Winterhouse (Fiction category) Mystery writer Howard Engel (Special Achievement Award) 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 String Band Facebook fan page: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast Twitter: @bookoflifepod   Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number...

The Book of Life just received a Beautiful Blogger Award from the lovely folks at the Jewish Publication Society. Thanks, JPS! To claim the award, I have to share seven little-known facts about The Book of Life and pass the award on to seven other blogs. Seven Little-Known Facts. (Actually, if you've been paying dorkily close attention you might already know some of these.) 1. The Book of Life was once used as a vehicle for two 3rd grade girls to get credit for a book report on Marc Chagall! Rather than present to the class, they presented their book report on the podcast . 2. Coolest audio project I've participated in: being one of the five voices in the librarian episode of the QN Podcast . 3. Favorite gig I got as a result of being a podcaster: getting to introduce Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief , when he spoke at our local indie, Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida. (You can hear his talk in the episode Meet Markus .) 4. Episode that was the mos...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    I will be attending Book Expo America 2008 in Los Angeles, CA to record material for The Book of Life podcast and to promote the Sydney Taylor Book Award for Jewish children's literature. If YOU will be at Book Expo too, drop me a line at bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com ! (If we meet up, I'll even give you a shiny gold Sydney Taylor Book Award lapel pin! As always, background music is provided by The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band. And also as always, The Book of Life is a production of the Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel , with additional support from the Association of Jewish Libraries .

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    This January 2008 episode offers themes of empowerment with these interviews: > Raz Godelnik, founder of Eco-Libris , planting a tree for each book you read > Chana Rothman , whose debut album We Can Rise shows off her "female-fronted earthy groove" > Linda Silver, creator of The Jewish Values Finder, a database and book identifying values in Jewish children's books > Rachel Kamin, chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, describing the 2008 winners of this award for Jewish lit for kids and teens NEWS: February 7, 2008, 3-4pm EST The Book of Life will host a live call-in show on the theme "Funny, That Book Doesn't Look Jewish!" Pam Ehrenberg , author of the middle-grade novel Ethan, Suspended , will be our guest, and we'll take calls for YOU, the audience! Please join us by calling in - instructions for particpating will appear on our web site: www.bookoflifepodcast.com CR...

The winners of the 2008 Sydney Taylor Book Awards for the best in Jewish literature for children and teens have just been announced! Rachel Kamin, award committee chair, will be our guest on the January episode of The Book of Life. While you are waiting for that interview, please enjoy this video announcement of the awards! More info at www.SydneyTaylorBookAwards.org or www.SydneyTaylorBookAward.blogspot.com .

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    In this episode of The Book of Life, a show about Jewish people and the books we read, we celebrate traditional radio and the new media revolution of podcasting and blogging that was born from it. > We interview Harold Augenbraum , director of the National Book Foundation , about the Foundation's choice of Terry Gross, host of NPR's Fresh Air , for the 2007 Literarian Award . > We talk to David & Susan Siegel about the history of Jews in radio. They are the authors of Radio and the Jews : The Untold Story of How Radio Influenced America's Image of Jews, 1920's - 1950's . > We meet literary blogger and synagogue librarian Marie Cloutier at the Podcast & New Media Expo . Marie's blog is The Boston Bibliophile . NEWS: Be sure to check back later in November 2007 for our Thanksgiving Special podcast! This bonus episode will include interviews with musician Todd Herzog and with Maryann Kovalski ...

The Book of Life has won the Bronze Medal in the Best Jewish Podcast/ Audio Blog/ Video Blog category of the 3rd Annual 2007 Jewish & Israeli Blog Awards ! Gold went to Lazer Beams Emunah Outreach Videos , and Silver went to Sameach Music Podcast. Thanks SO MUCH to everybody who voted and helped make this medal a reality for The Book of Life!!!