The Book of Life

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    |    VISIT THE INSTITUTE OF SOUTHERN JEWISH LIFE     🕮    Author Debra Winegarten and oral historian Josh Parshall of the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life talk about the Jewish experience of living in Texas, recorded in Houston, TX at the 2013 Association of Jewish Libraries conference.  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   Photos: Debra Winegarten and Heidi Estrin Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    Karen Propp discusses her work in progress, Freestyle , a story of Jewish female swimming champs in Europe during WWII. The unpublished work won the 2013 Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award from the Association of Jewish Libraries.  Freestyle is based on the true story of champion swimmer Judith Deutsch and the Viennese Hakoah swim team of the 1930s, familiar to some from the documentary film  Watermarks . Despite being selected by Austria to swim in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Deutsch and her teammates boycotted the Olympics to protest the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany. The novel covers two years in the life of Elly Hirsch,  Propp’s fictional incarnation of Deutsch. The Award committee felt that Freestyle with its strong sense of history, sympathetic characters, and little known story, would appeal to a wide audience and epitomize the ideals of Sydney Taylor’s All of a Kind Family series. Fr...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    On May 18, 2014, The Seminar on Jewish Story will take place at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan, New York. This day-long event will be a celebration of Jewish literature in its many forms, from fiction to memoir, poetry to children's books. I spoke to organizer Barbara Krasner, who told me some of the exciting highlights of the Seminar, which is a co-production of the Whole Megillah and the Association of Jewish Libraries. Click here to learn more about the Seminar on Jewish Story , or email Barbara directly at barbarakrasner [at] att [dot] net. Act soon, because she's running a $99 special on registration! I'll be at the event, and I hope to see you there.... 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  Twit...

I am pleased to bring you the March 2014 edition of the Jewish Book Carnival , a monthly roundup of Jewish literary links from across the blogosphere! If you blog about Jewish books, you can play too! Visit the Jewish Book Carnival HQ for info about submitting your links to upcoming carnivals. I'd like to draw your attention to an earlier post here on The Book of Life , when I interviewed editor Steven Bergson about The Jewish Comix Anthology . The Kickstarter campaign to fund this project was successful, with 289 backers raising CAD$52,777, so we can look forward to reading this amazing collection soon. In March, Jill at Rhapsody in Books reviewed One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper, about a rabbi's son who is not convinced his life has any meaning. At once both tragic and funny, this story captures the essence of family and the various bonds among family members. The Whole Megillah welcomed a guest post by Seminar on Jewish Story fiction panelist...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    BUY THE BOOK      🕮    The Jewish Comix Anthology is a project that brings together the work of 47 artists, featuring both previously published and brand-new bespoke comic creations. It's the brainchild of Steven M. Bergson, an expert on the representation of Jews in comics, and an old friend of mine from the Association of Jewish Libraries. A Kickstarter campaign is running now through March 5, 2014 to fund the publication of The Jewish Comix Anthology. Contribute now to pre-order a copy of the book, and to get other exciting rewards like original art! I spoke to Steven about the project and the Kickstarter by Skype, at his home in Toronto, Canada. 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/bo...

The 2014 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour draws to a close with one last gold-medal winner, and a virtual roundtable with the whole group. It's been great! Thanks to all who participated! Patricia Polacco , author and illustrator of The Blessing Cup Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Older Readers Category At Ann Koffsky's Blog Blog Tour Wrap-Up with All Authors and Illustrators At The Whole Megillah

Cosei Kawa , illustrator of Rifka Takes a Bow Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category At Jewish Books for Children Elisabeth Leyson and Dr. Marilyn J. Harran , contributors to The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible...on Schindler’s List Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category At The Interlace Place

Neal Bascomb , author of The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World's Most Notorious Nazi Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Teen Readers Category At Randomly Reading Carol Matas , author of Dear Canada: Pieces of the Past: The Holocaust Diary of Rose Rabinowitz Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category At Pen and Prose

Exciting interviews today with the author and illustrator of the gold medalist Passover picture book The Longest Night , and the silver medal novel for teens, Dancing in the Dark ! Laurel Snyder , author of The Longest Night Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers Category At Geo Librarian Catia Chen , illustrator of The Longest Night Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers Category At Holy Sparks Robyn Bavati , author of Dancing in the Dark Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Teen Readers Category At Bildungsroman

The first round of interviews for this year's Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour have been posted! Follow the links to read all about it! Renee Londner , author of Stones for Grandpa Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category At The Write Stuff Martha Aviles , illustrator of Stones for Grandpa Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category At Practically Paradise Aline Sax , author, Caryl Strzelecki , illustrator, and Laura Watkinson , translator of The War Within These Walls Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Teen Readers Category At The 3 R's: Reading, 'Riting, Research

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST    |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    Wallenberg was a Swedish humanitarian who worked in Budapest during World War II to rescue Jews from the Holocaust. Author Louise Borden , inspired by Raoul as a person and as a historical figure, created a stunning biography, His Name Was Raoul Wallenberg , which won the 2013 Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Older Readers Category. This interview with Louise took place at the 2013 Association of Jewish Libraries conference in Houston, Texas, where she received her 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: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast  Twitter: @bookoflifepod   Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473.

The Sydney Taylor Book Award will be celebrating and showcasing its 2014 gold and silver medalists with a Blog Tour, February 16-20, 2014! Interviews with winning authors and illustrators will appear on a wide variety of Jewish and kidlit blogs. For those of you who have not yet experienced a Blog Tour, it’s basically a virtual book tour. Instead of going to a library or bookstore to see an author or illustrator speak, you go to a website on or after the advertised date to read an author’s or illustrator’s interview.  Below is the schedule for the 2014 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour. Please follow the links to visit the hosting blogs on or after their tour dates, and be sure to leave them plenty of comments! SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2014 Renee Londner , author of Stones for Grandpa Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category At The Write Stuff Martha Aviles , illustrator of Stones for Grandpa Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Youn...

Laurel Snyder and Catia Chien , author and illustrator of The Longest Night: A Passover Story , Patricia Polacco , author and illustrator of The Blessing Cup , and Neal Bascomb , author of The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World’s Most Notorious Nazi , are the 2014 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 Las Vegas, Nevada this June.  Snyder and Chien will receive the 2014 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Younger Readers category for T he Longest Night: A Passover Story , published by Schwartz & Wade, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books. Written in ...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST    |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    An interview with author Linda Glaser and illustrator Adam Gustavson , creators of the picture book Hannah's Way which won the 2013 Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Younger Readers Category. After Papa loses his job during the Depression, Hannah’s family moves to rural Minnesota, where she is the only Jewish child in her class. When her teacher tries to arrange carpools for a Saturday class picnic, Hannah is upset. Her Jewish family is observant, and she knows she cannot ride on the Sabbath. What will she do? A lovely story of friendship and community. UPCOMING PROJECTS FOR LINDA AND ADAM:  Bim! Sings the Baby by Linda Glaser Charlie Bumpers vs. the Teacher of the Year , illustrated by Adam Gustavson CREDITS: Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel   Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries ...

NEW SERVICES NOW AVAILABLE TO WRITERS OF JEWISH LITERARY FICTION AND NONFICTION Popular blog is now a new company aimed at nurturing Jewish writers SOMERSET, NJ, January 9, 2014— Jewish writers now have a prepublication, publication, and post-publication advocate for their work. The Whole Megillah LLC has been formed specifically to help shape, nurture, and promote Jewish story. “This is a natural expansion of The Whole Megillah blog that debuted in 2010. Followers and workshop participants asked for more services. The Whole Megillah LLC can now provide them,” says president and publisher Barbara Krasner. The Whole Megillah LLC offers Jewish writers: Editorial services to help writers shape and refine their stories A publishing program for middle grade through adult literary fiction and nonfiction through print-on-demand and e-book platforms. Conferences, retreats, and writing workshops Marketing services, including marketing plans, blog tours and press release...

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     🕮    I first made friends with author Laurel Snyder in 2008, when I interviewed her for the Book of Life episode "2 Jews, 3 Opinions." She crops up on this blog every now and then (do a search for her name), usually because we are having some kind of friendly argument. When she stopped by Florida in 2012 I recorded a wide-ranging conversation with her. She is certainly an outside-the-box thinker in the world of Jewish kidlit. 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: Laurel Snyder Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473. 

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST    |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    An interview with Maggie Anton , author of Rav Hisda's Daughter , Book I: Apprentice: A Novel of Love, the Talmud, and Sorcery. Maggie has a lot of interesting background information to share, including some actual spells! 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: Maggie Anton Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number at 561-206-2473.

2013 Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee with winning authors and illustrators The Sydney Taylor Book Award is like the Newbery Medal of Jewish children's literature. As past Chair of the award committee, I am excited to announce that there will soon be three openings for Jewish kidlit lovers. To learn how to apply for a position on this prestigious committee, please read this announcement from current Chair Aimee Lurie:  Dear Friends:  Three positions on the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee will be available beginning January 1, 2014. Applicants should be members of AJL, familiar with the scope of Judaic children’s literature, experienced in writing critical reviews, willing and able to read and review over 120 books during the course of a year, and able to meet deadlines.  Committee members are expected to attend annual conventions and to participate in committee-sponsored events, including speaking at the Committee’s annual presentation. The...