The Book of Life

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT     |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    Gail Carson Levine is the author of more than 20 book for young readers and adult writers, including the Newbery Honor book Ella Enchanted , which was made into a major motion picture. Her new middle grade book A Ceiling Made of Eggshells is a historical novel about a Jewish family during the Spanish Inquisition, based on Gail's own family history. During our interview, I asked Gail about her house, which she describes on her website. You can learn more about her lovely home here .   CREDITS: Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel   Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band     Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast      Twitter: @bookoflifepod   Support t...

The Book of Life will return to our regular in-depth interviews with our next episode, which drops on Sunday May 17, 2020. You'll hear an interview with author Gail Carson Levine about her middle grade novel, A Ceiling Made of Eggshells. To celebrate, I made this trailer on Headliner. Enjoy, and feel free to share the video!

"Books in the Time of Coronavirus" Series The Book of Life (TBOL): Sharon, please introduce yourself. Hello, I’m Sharon Kirsch from Toronto, author of The Smallest Objective. My publisher is New Star Books in Vancouver, Canada, but the story itself takes place mostly in Montreal, home to one of Canada’s largest Jewish communities, and where I was born and raised. After delays linked to the pandemic, the e-book of The Smallest Objective has just been made available, and the print edition has been confirmed for a May 28th release. The Toronto and Montreal launches, both originally planned for May, have had to be postponed indefinitely.  TBOL: What is The Smallest Objective about? The Smallest Objective is a book of narrative non-fiction for adults—a hybrid of memoir and biography. At the heart of the story is my mother’s loss of memory and inevitable departure from the family home, leading me, her only child, to recover and discover objects and people little or neve...

Our special series, Books in the Time of Coronavirus, has proven to be quite popular. Between March 26-April 29, 2020 we posted ten episodes in the series. Authors whose spring promotional events were cancelled shared their books, their inspiration, and their tikkun olam suggestions with us. We heard from authors of books for children and adults, fiction and nonfiction, poetry, short story, and memoir.  As of May 2020, we are returning to our regularly scheduled programming of in-depth audio interviews with creators of Jewish kidlit. Any subsequent entries in the series will be published in written format on The Book of Life blog at www.bookoflifepodcast.com . If you are an author of a spring 2020 Jewish book and you would like to participate, please fill out this interview form . You can listen to the 10 audio episodes in the Coronavirus series here: 1. No Entry by Gila Green (YA fiction) 2. Worse and Worse on Noah's Ark by Leslie Kimmelman (picture book) 3. Welcomi...

I am so pleased that my August 2019 interview with Sadaf Siddique, Sister Religion/Sister Kidlit has grown up to be an article in March/April issue of The Horn Book Magazine! It's called We Need Diverse Jewish and Muslim Books: A Conversation because Sadaf and I interviewed each other, continuing the discussion we began on the podcast and recommending Jewish and Muslim titles for all readers. The Horn Book is a distinguished children's literature review journal established in 1924, so I am more than honored to have my name within its pages. READ THE ARTICLE HERE Our conversation was followed by a recommended reading list of Jewish/Muslim interfaith kidlit. I've included that list below, with Book of Life affiliate links to Indiebound or Bookshop.org if available. Any purchases you make will benefit the podcast. Recommended Interfaith Books    The following titles present interfaith Muslim-Jewish friendships. For the additional booklists discussed in thi...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |     READ THE TRANSCRIPT     |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    In response to the pandemic, The Book of Life is hosting a special series, Books in the Time of Coronavirus . Authors or illustrators of new Jewish books, whose promotional events have been cancelled due to quarantine, are invited to promote their books on the podcast. Author Amy Grossblatt Pessah discusses her guide Parenting on a Prayer : Ancient Jewish Secrets for Raising Modern Children.   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 Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast      Twitter: @bookoflifepod   Support the Podcast: Ways to Donate    ...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT    |     BUY THE BOOK     🕮    In response to the pandemic, The Book of Life is hosting a special series, Books in the Time of Coronavirus . Authors or illustrators of new Jewish books, whose promotional events have been cancelled due to quarantine, are invited to promote their books on the podcast. David B. Levy shares his family genealogical work Gluskin Family History , published through Lulu. This is volume 7 in his series of ten books on librarianship and Jewish topics. CREDITS : Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel   Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band     Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast      Twitter: @bookoflifepod   Support the Podcast: Ways to Donate    Your feedback is appreciat...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT    |     BUY THE BOOK     🕮    In response to the pandemic, The Book of Life is hosting a special series, Books in the Time of Coronavirus . Authors or illustrators of new Jewish books, whose promotional events have been cancelled due to quarantine, are invited to promote their books on the podcast. Michelle Cameron shares her adult historical novel, Beyond the Ghetto Gates , published by She Writes Press. CREDITS: Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel   Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast      Twitter: @bookoflifepod   Support the Podcast: Ways to Donate    Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail number ...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT     |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    In response to the pandemic, The Book of Life is hosting a special series, Books in the Time of Coronavirus . Authors or illustrators of new Jewish books, whose promotional events have been cancelled due to quarantine, are invited to promote their books on the podcast. Bernice Lerner shares her family history, All the Horrors of War: A Jewish Girl, A British Doctor, and the Liberation of Bergen-Belsen , published by Johns Hopkins University Press.  And a big shout-out to Dianne Siekmann for becoming a monthly Book of Life supporter on Patreon.com/BookofLife .Thanks, Dianne! CREDITS:   Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel    Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band   Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens   Facebook Page: fac...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT     |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    In response to the pandemic, The Book of Life is hosting a special series, Books in the Time of Coronavirus . Authors or illustrators of new Jewish books, whose promotional events have been cancelled due to quarantine, are invited to promote their books on the podcast. Erika Dreifus shares her poetry collection Birthright , published by Kelsay Books. A portion of the proceeds from sales of Birthright is being donated to Sefaria to support its “free, ever-growing library of Jewish texts.” CREDITS: Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel   Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast      Twitter: @bookoflifepod   Support the Podcast: W...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT     |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    In response to the pandemic, The Book of Life is hosting a special series, Books in the Time of Coronavirus . Authors or illustrators of new Jewish books, whose promotional events have been cancelled due to quarantine, are invited to promote their books on the podcast. Jeremy Benstein shares his nonfiction adult book Hebrew Roots, Jewish Routes: A Tribal Language in a Global World , published by Behrman House. CREDITS: Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel   Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast      Twitter: @bookoflifepod   Support the Podcast: Ways to Donate    Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to booko...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT      |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    In response to the pandemic, The Book of Life is hosting a special series, Books in the Time of Coronavirus . Authors or illustrators of new Jewish books, whose promotional events have been cancelled due to quarantine, are invited to promote their books on the podcast. Sidura Ludwig shares her adult short story collection, You Are Not What We Expected , from House of Anansi Press. CREDITS: Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel   Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast      Twitter: @bookoflifepod   Support the Podcast: Ways to Donate    Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or ca...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT     |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    In response to the pandemic, The Book of Life is hosting a special series, Books in the Time of Coronavirus . Authors or illustrators of new Jewish books, whose promotional events have been cancelled due to quarantine, are invited to promote their books on the podcast. Lesléa Newman shares her picture book Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail from Charlesbridge.  And a big shout-out to Tziporah Cohen for becoming a monthly Book of Life supporter on Patreon.com/BookofLife . Thanks, Tzippy!   CREDITS: Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel   Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast      Twitter: @bookoflifepod ...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      |   READ THE TRANSCRIPT      |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    In response to the pandemic, The Book of Life is hosting a special series, Books in the Time of Coronavirus . Authors or illustrators of new Jewish books, whose promotional events have been cancelled due to quarantine, are invited to promote their books on the podcast. Leslie Kimmelman shares her picture book Worse and Worse on Noah's Ark from Apples & Honey Press. CREDITS: Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel   Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast      Twitter: @bookoflifepod   Support the Podcast: Ways to Donate    Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or call our voi...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT     |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    In response to the pandemic, The Book of Life is hosting a special series, Books in the Time of Coronavirus . Authors or illustrators of new Jewish books, whose promotional events have been cancelled due to quarantine, are invited to promote their books on the podcast. The first episode in this special series features Gila Green , author of No Entry , a novel for youth about elephant poaching in South Africa, starring a Jewish eco-heroine. CREDITS: Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel   Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast      Twitter: @bookoflifepod   Support the Podcast: Ways to Donate    Your feedback is apprecia...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |     READ THE TRANSCRIPT     🕮    Today my husband Matthew joins me to help me run a Book of Life "Family Meeting." We've got a lot on the agenda. Listen for all the details and click the links here to get more information. Books in the Time of Coronavirus Love Your Neighbor List #6: Passover Stand Up Transcripts - click on the transcript link for each episode Support Feedback Jewish Kidlit Mavens The Sydney Taylor Shmooze The Book of Life Trailer We will soon be bringing you recordings from authors whose spring book tours have been cancelled, as part of the Books in the Time of Coronavirus series, but we'll also be publishing some of our regular in-depth interviews, recorded before the virus crisis. Watch for episodes about A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi & Laura Shovan, and A Ceiling Made of Eggshells by Gail Carson Levine. CREDITS: Produced by: Feldman Children's Library ...

Mia Wenjen is the co-founder of Multicultural Children's Book Day , the blogger at Pragmatic Mom , and the author of the picture book Sumo Joe and the resource guide Best #OwnVoices Children's Books . When I learned about her #OwnVoices guide, I was excited to see whether Jewish books were included. I was glad to find that there were Jewish titles among her recommendations, but disappointed that they represented only the Holocaust experience. Luckily, Mia was open to further recommendations. She expressed some frustration in identifying the Jewish background of authors to determine whether their books qualified as #OwnVoices, and was glad of assistance. I sent Mia a list of Jewish #OwnVoices titles that I thought she might like, and the result is this lovely post in which she reviews the books in her own voice! I'm so pleased that I was able to help Mia bring some worthy Jewish titles to a wider audience. CLICK HERE TO READ MIA'S POST!

If you have written or illustrated a new Jewish book, I invite you to take part in The Book of Life's COVID-19 response, Books in the Time of Coronavirus.  I know the coronavirus closures are affecting many book launches with cancelled tours, school visits, book birthdays, etc. If you are an author or illustrator in that situation, I invite you to virtually promote your book on The Book of Life Podcast. Here's how: I will supply a few questions for you to answer. You record yourself and send me the audio file.  During this crazy pandemic, I'm glad to find a way to do something constructive. Thanks for participating in this podcasting project! Please read all instructions below and let me know if you have any questions. Thanks! - Heidi FAQ This project is meant to help those whose promotional events got cancelled due to coronavirus shutdowns. For now, I'm looking for those who were planning to promote new books at events March-May. If the shutdow...

The Jewish Book Carnival is a monthly roundup of Jewish literary links from across the blogosphere. Here at The Book of Life, I am pleased to present the March 2020 Jewish Book Carnival! The Association of Jewish Libraries invites Jewish and non-Jewish bloggers to participate in a new anti-bias project, Through the Window: A Diversity Exchange . At Life Is Like a Library, Chava Pinchuck reviews the new English translation of Kalman Samuels' book, Dreams Never Dreamed . Howard Lovy interviewed author Roberta Kwall in Publishers Weekly about her book Remix Judaism . Shira Yael Klein reviewed the novel Don't Tell Ima on The Rachack Review. On her My Machberet blog, Erika Dreifus routinely compiles news of Jewish literary interest. Here's one recent post. On her blog, Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb, Deborah interviewed author Anita Abriel about her new historical novel, The Light After the War . Ever thought about creating a space for writers where you li...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT     |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    " No Steps Behind [by Jeff Gottesfeld and illustrated by Shiella Witanto ] is the unlikely story of Beate Sirota Gordon, just a girl when her Russian-Austrian-Jewish family found refuge in 1930s Japan. Beate became fluent in Japanese, loved the nation’s culture and people, but hated its treatment of women and proverbs like “Women walk three steps behind.” After World War II, putting her language and cultural skills to use, she returned to Japan and fought for equal rights for women to be enshrined in the post-war Japanese post-war constitution. Though she won that battle, and remains a Japanese national hero, she is little known outside that country." -- Creston Books  I spoke with author Jeff Gottesfeld about Beate Sirota Gordon, and about the adventure of writing this picture book biography in order to...