The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

The Sydney Taylor Book Awards recognize the best Jewish children's/YA books each year. The mock awards will be announced January 21 and the real awards will be announced on January 25. Attend this free Zoom event to get background on the real award and learn about the Sydney Taylor Shmooze mock award blog and how you can vote for the mock awards. Presented by: The Association of Jewish Libraries When: Wednesday, January 6, 2021, 7:30pm ET Where: Please preregister for this free event at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYvdO6prjsiHNejZCjixxgpYN3V3pkPR5Jh/success?user_id=MNB0BrgSThOaOFFqWidcaQ&timezone_id=America%2FLos_Angeles

  We want to thank our dedicated team of volunteer book reviewers! They've been doing a great job evaluating Jewish children's and YA books for The Sydney Taylor Shmooze throughout 2020. Read their reviews so you'll be ready to VOTE for the Mock Sydney Taylor Book Awards, starting January 4, 2021! If you're interested in joining our reviewing team, CLICK HERE .   Todah Rabah to:   Laurie Adler Sarah Aronson Freidele Biniashvili Kathy Bloomfield  Belinda Brock Anna Caplan  Leah Cypress Meira Drazin Michelle Falkoff Karin Fisher-Golton  Rachel Fremmer Beth Gallego  Jeff Gottesfeld Judith Greenblatt Bridget Hodder Ruth Horowitz  Rachel Kamin Mirele Kessous Jane Kohuth Stacy Mozer Stacy Nockowitz  Gigi Pagliarulo Fern Richardson Sylvie Shaffer Rachel Simon Lila Spitz A.R. Vishny Sandy Wasserman Meg Wiviott

If I Lived with Noah by Pamela Moritz, illustrated by MacKenzie Haley Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Belinda Brock Buy at Bookshop.org This playful twist on the Bible story of Noah and the Ark is told in rhyme that children will enjoy listening to and adults will find fun to read. As the book opens, a young boy is comforting his stuffed animals as they all shelter under a blanket tent during a fierce rainstorm. He begins to tell his animals a story, inviting them (and the reader) to imagine themselves seeking passage on Noah’s Ark. The book goes on to relate the story of their successful voyage. Although this is a simple story that preschoolers will like, many discussion-worthy themes run through this book: how to connect, collaborate, contribute, and communicate during challenging times. In fact, while not intentional, this book offers timely lessons for periods of quarantine. Of course, all is not work on this voyage—time is also devoted to the clever ways the boy and the animals ...

It's My Party and I Don't Want To Go by Amanda Panitch Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Rachel Simon Buy at Bookshop.org Ellie Katz has a plan. Well, many plans. Her bat mitzvah is coming up and she does not want to have it. Sometimes she can’t breathe when she has to do things in front of people, like when she went up to light the candles at her sister’s bat mitzvah two years ago. She can’t imagine having to read from the Torah, say the blessings, and give a speech at her own bat mitzvah. So together with her best friend Zoe, Ellie devises ways to make sure her bat mitzvah doesn’t happen. From canceling the venue to shocking the DJ to starting a food fight to deter the caterer, Ellie’s sure her bat mitzvah won’t go through. But when her parents find out what is going on and she and Zoe get into a fight, Ellie finds a way to make sure she does her bat mitzvah...her way. This middle grade book examines the themes of the Jewish rite of passage of becoming a woman in the community...

A Basket Full of Figs retoldby Ori Alon, illustrated by Menahem Halberstadt Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili Buy at Bookshop.org Originally published in Hebrew, A Basket Full of Figs is a retelling of a Midrashic tale, in which Emperor Hadrian visits a quiet little village. He sees an old man, who is nearly one hundred years old, planting a fig tree sapling. Emperor Hadrian is astonished at this as he tells the old man he won’t be alive to eat the fruit from the tree. The old man tells him, “Well if I don’t, then my children will. The tree that I am planting is a gift. For years to come, children will visit this place and find a fig tree full of sweet fruit.” He goes on to explain that when he came in to the world, he found lots of trees, wonderful gifts from earlier generations. But the story doesn’t end there. Three years pass and Emperor Hadrian revisits the village, and the old man. The reader then gets to see what indeed happened with the fig tre...

Beni's War by Tammar Stein Category: Middle Grade Admin's Note: The reviewer for this book submitted their notes anonymously, not wishing to be credited because they did not have time to compose a critique that met their own satisfaction. However, in order to assist readers preparing to vote for the Mock Award, we are sharing these impressions of Beni's War with you. Buy at Bookshop.org This gripping, intense Upper Middle Grade novel, focused on the experience of an Israeli boy during the Yom Kippur War, is complex, immersive and relatable. Twelve-year old Beni is being bullied in his new neighborhood, a remote collective farm in Israel. His heroic older brother Motti, who is in the army, has to save Beni from a violent beating, as Beni cannot defend himself. Beni wishes he could be like Motti...yet Beni is about to discover his own, quieter brand of heroism. When Israel is invaded by a coalition of Arab nations right in the middle of Yom Kippur, his life changes forever. I...

Bear and Fred: A World War II Story by Iris Argaman, illustrated by Avi Ofer, translated by Annette Appel Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Karin Fisher-Golton Buy at Bookshop.org I keep an eye out for books that inform children about the Holocaust and can engage their emotions without overwhelming them (which can lead to numbing out). Bear and Fred: A World War II Story is one such book. It is based on the true story of a teddy bear that belonged to a boy named Fred Lessing. Decades after he survived the Holocaust, Mr. Lessing generously gifted the bear to Yad Vashem’s museum. Captivated by their story, author Iris Argaman wrote this picture book in Hebrew, and Annette Appel translated it into the English version I review here. Told from the bear’s point of view, Bear and Fred follows the two titular characters as Fred’s family must abruptly leave their home in Delft, Holland and Fred spends the rest of the war in hiding, separated from his family. Ultimately Fred’s family reunites...

Hillel Builds a House by Shoshana Lepon, illustrated by Ángeles Ruiz Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Laurie Adler Buy at Bookshop.org Hillel builds houses everywhere- out of boxes, pillows, sheets, or whatever is on hand. This book by Shoshana Lepon takes us on a tour through the Jewish year as Hillel seeks out the perfect Jewish holiday in which to indulge his passion. No festival is quite right until, predictably, the holiday of Sukkot arrives, and Hillel can construct a sukkah, or temporary dwelling. Sukkot is indeed the perfect time to build a house. This straightforward story has enough details about each Jewish holiday to save it from being a niche book about Sukkot. The standout illustrations by Ángeles Ruiz, full of soft blues and vivid oranges, keep the reader engaged by showing Hillel's interactions with his family and his multiracial Jewish community. Hillel Builds a House was originally published in 1993, but was redesigned this year with new ...

Calling Cobber by Sheri Sinykin Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacy Nockowitz   Buy at Bookshop.org   Early on in Sheri Sinykin’s middle grade novel,   Calling Cobber , 11-year-old Jacob “Cobber” Stern’s English teacher asks him to compose a haiku about himself and his family history. Cobber writes:   Me? I am nothing./No culture, no heritage./I am just Cobber . He is a boy adrift, without an anchor to steady him in his uncertain world. Cobber doesn’t know how to communicate with his emotionally distant, workaholic father since his mother’s death six years ago. He’s not sure if his friendship with BFF Boolkie Berman can survive now that Boolkie has “abandoned” him for Hebrew School and bar mitzvah studies. And he feels increasingly responsible for his great-grandfather, his Papa-Ben, who still lives on his own but is becoming more and more forgetful. All of this uncertainty leaves Cobber feeling grief-stricken, fearful, and defeated. Underpinning Cobber’s troubles...

  A Sweet Meeting on Mimouna Night is a story of friendship between Jewish and Muslim characters, so I thought it would be interesting to draw your attention to this review written from a Muslim point of view. It's by Sadaf Siddique at Lantern Reads, a website that focuses on South Asian and Muslim children's literature. Sadaf and I have worked together several times: first I interviewed her on The Book of Life podcast ; then we co-wrote an article for The Horn Book ; more recently we presented a workshop together for EMIERT on fighting antisemitism and Islamophobia through children's literature. To hear her perspective on A Sweet Meeting on Mimouna Night , please READ HER REVIEW HERE . -- Heidi Rabinowitz, co-admin, Sydney Taylor Shmooze

A Sweet Meeting on Mimouna Night by Allison Ofanansky, illustrated by Rotem Teplow Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Sandy Wasserman Buy at Bookshop.org A lovely historical fiction picture book about a lesser known and more recent tradition to the cycle of Jewish holidays- mimouna, following the end of the Passover holiday, often celebrated in North African Jewish communities, particularly in Morocco. We meet Miriam and Jasmine, a Jewish girl and a Muslim girl and their relationship, though tentative at first, is quickly warm and friendly as they get to know each other, and as they bond over the necessary flour for making moufletas for mimouna. Even after Miriam and her family make aliyah, she thinks back to her Muslim friend back in Morocco. The illustrations are entrancing- both the scenes in Morocco and then in Jerusalem seem like familiar photos. The recipe for moufletas at the end is an usual addition to the typical Passover picture book. This is a Passover book with a twist! This...

Striker Boy by Jonny Zucker Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Laurie Adler Buy at Bookshop.org After touring the world for seven years, thirteen-year-old Nat Levy and his father finally return to England to settle down. It is rough going at first; they live in a dump, and have no money, family, or friends. The one constant in Nat's life is soccer, or rather, football, as it's referred to in this British novel. Nat's amazing soccer skills are scouted at a community event for his favorite team, and, incredibly, the team's management illegally arranges for young Nat to get a place on the first team squad. But will Nat be able to save the struggling Hatten Rovers from bankruptcy? There are suspicious, even illegal, undercurrents behind the team's poor performance, and Nat must face danger both on and off the field in order to save his beloved team.  Striker Boy 's strength is as a sports novel, with lots of play-by-play commentary. There is suspense and some espio...

D.I.J. Do It Jewish: Use Your Jewish Creativity by Barbara Bietz, illustrated by Daria Grinevich Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacy Nockowitz Buy at Bookshop.org A celebration of creativity with a Jewish bent,   DIJ: Do It Jewish   inspires kids ages 8-12 to take a fresh look at some of their favorite endeavors and to try something new, as well. This debut middle grade offering from Jewish publisher Intergalactic Afikomen,   DIJ: Do It Jewish   covers seven categories: filmmaking, songwriting, art, cooking, graphic novels and cartooning, midrash, and Judaica. Each chapter offers encouragement and advice from a Jewish expert in that field, as well as ideas on how to begin to tackle a new project and see it through. The book uses appealing, jewel-toned colors and Daria Grinevich’s lovely illustrations to complement the upbeat, easy-to-read text.   Chapters are divided into two sections. The first helps get the creative juices flowing as a successful practition...

A Zombie Vacation by Lisa Rose, illustrated by Ángeles Ruiz Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Lila Spitz Buy at Bookshop.org Everyone needs a break from their daily routine now and then, especially when you are not yourself. That’s why you might go on a vacation. But sometimes it is hard to know where to go to rejuvenate yourself. In A Zombie Vacation by Lisa Rose, the undead Israeli narrator takes readers on a tour throughout Israel to find the perfect place to relax. The zombie visits tourist destinations in Israel such as the Sea of Galilee, the Israel Museum and Luna Park in Tel Aviv. But they are all too beautiful or joyful for the Zombie to relax. Then, the undead traveler sees an advertisement for the Dead Sea in a tourist magazine, and eureka, the perfect vacation destination has been found. Upon arriving at the Dead Sea, the zombie delights in the decay of his temporary dwelling when he describes, “The hotel was crumbling into a sinkhole. Roaches roamed the lobby. My bed was...

Latkes for Santa Claus by Janie Emaus, illustrated by Bryan Langdo Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rachel Simon   Buy at Bookshop.org   Latkes for Santa Claus by Janie Emaus and illustrated by Bryan Langdo is a sweet story of an interfaith household. Jewish Anna is excited when she realizes Santa will come to her house for the first time this year. Her new Christian stepbrother Michael is sure Santa will eat his homemade cookies, but Anna has other ideas. She thinks Santa would love the Jewish food her family has -- from Bubbe Sadie’s matzo ball soup to noodle kugel to tzimmes. But all of those delicious foods aren’t quite the finger food Santa needs, so she finally figures out Santa can eat latkes and not make a mess. The illustrations are bright and cheerful, and I particularly loved the images of Santa with latkes high in his bag on his sleigh. The book represents many interfaith families today, who partake in Christmas and Hanukkah. In addition, Latkes for Santa Claus ...

The Book of Secrets by Mat Tonti Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Gigi Pagliarulo Buy at Bookshop.org Author and illustrator Mat Tonti takes readers on a wild and unexpected ride in this fresh graphic novel take on traditional Jewish stories, embedding Jewish tales and folklore from a wide range of sources within a thoroughly modern narrative. Jewish siblings Ben and Rose are pulled into a dangerous mystery when they receive a mystical message from their missing Bubbe. As they discover the mysterious Book of Secrets, they become deeply immersed in its chapters -- a series of stories that will lead them along the path to rescuing their grandparents and preserving the history of their people -- if the Book’s characters themselves don’t take over first! The cryptic and powerful Doughlem, a Golem-like creature with the Hebrew word אמת baked into a crust atop his forehead, is a crucial throughline in this genre-traversing book, which weaves in tales from the Mishnah, the Midrash, Chasidim, ...

The Peddler and the Baker by Yael Molchadsky, illustrated by Liora Grossman Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Sandy Wasserman Buy at Bookshop.org Beautiful book with a powerful message, with the text and illustrations flowing along like instruments in a concert, each enhancing the other. 'The best things in life are free,' words often said, though in this book this message leaps out to both the poor skinny peddler and the stout baker. The message comes through clearly to the reader as it does to the children who peer and eavesdrop from the staircase in the wise rabbi's house as he gives his decree on the situation presented to him: Do we need to pay for what our senses offer up to us in this world, including the wafting aroma of freshly baking bread? A book to read over and over to remind us of all that we can enjoy in life that is free in the world. The illustrations in this book take us a journey all on their own, with glorious endpapers of baking tools. A tale of simple...

Night Lights: A Sukkot Story by Barbara Diamond Goldin, illustrated by Amberin Huq Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Heidi Rabinowitz Buy at Bookshop.org Night Lights was originally published in 1995 by Harcourt Brace with illustrations by Louise August. This new edition, published by Apples & Honey Press, has been heavily edited, and has been reillustrated by Amberin Huq. The basic storyline remains the same: Daniel is nervous about spending a night in the dark in the family sukkah, even with big sister Naomi for company. After being spooked by noises and shadows, he almost heads inside, but Naomi points out the "night lights" in the sky, the same stars and moon that were seen by their ancestors when they slept in similar huts. The revised text is much tighter than the original. It's been slightly simplified and streamlined in a way that will make it more accessible to young readers. It's also been made more egalitarian: mom helps build the sukkah and dad helps p...

Does Your Dog Speak Hebrew? A Book of Animal Sounds by Ellen Bari, illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Sandy Wasserman Buy at Bookshop.org A delightful very beginner picture book, of five Hebrew words for the youngest set! How humorous it is, that words for animal sounds differ among languages. Preschoolers love to imitate animals and how clever they will feel as they learn to speak the Hebrew of these five animals. Artful illustrations set the scene for the both the American and Israeli locations where the animals reside; one is never to young to learn a bit of geography and know some famous American and Israeli pastimes and locales! Child and parent both will meet a dog, a rooster, a frog, a bird, and of course a cow. And how convenient for all that a cow says 'moo' in every language. The illustrations very subtly and creatively are a child's first glimpse into the American landscape and Israel's, too! We see the dog at the Capitol, a...

  The Prettiest by Brigit Young Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Heidi Rabinowitz Buy at Bookshop.org The middle school is abuzz when a list is published on social media, ranking the 50 prettiest girls in the eighth grade. Shy Eve is catapulted from obscurity to notoriety by landing in first place on this list, garnering her much unwanted attention. Popular girl Sophie is horrified that's she's been placed in spot #2. Eve's best friend Nessa doesn't make the list at all, presumably because she's not classically thin. This scenario creates a platform for a fascinating exploration of the ways people judge each other and the assumptions people make about each other, of gender dynamics and sexism, and of other prejudices such as antisemitism and racism (though these last are touched on only briefly). Chapters switch between the points of view of Eve, Nessa, and Sophie, who eventually form an alliance to find the author of the list and bring them to justice, or at least...

Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Kathy Bloomfield Buy at Bookshop.org The characters from "Anya and the Dragon" – Anya (the girl), Ivan (the fool), and Håkon (the dragon) – are back, this time on a quest to find Anya's Papa and return him home. Finding themselves unexpectedly in Kiev, they agree to rid the kingdom of the Nightingale, a forest elf who is causing a lot of damage. Upon further research, they discover that the Nightingale, whose name is Alfrecht, is trying to free his brother, Wielaf, from the Kiev castle dungeon. The trio, now with Alfrecht, find their way into the dungeons, locate Wielaf, and are met with an angry, evil monster they must defeat in order to leave. The battle is vicious, frightening, and ultimately successful. While reading the first book is not mandatory, it would be helpful just to know the characters and their backgrounds (which are only slightly reviewed.) In addition, there are a lot of loose...

Benny Feldman's All-Star Klezmer Band by Allison & Wayne Marks Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Sandy Wasserman Buy at Bookshop.org This book has 'everything' in it! Everything wonderful! ... Friendship, Judaism, life lessons, music of all kinds, angst of sixth grade first love, shyness, overcoming stage fright, honoring family, how to deal with bullies, jealousy... and even redemption. And all of this 'wonderfulness' is via music, and Benny's ragtag band of friends, who come together in amazing ways. It's about the love of music and how "All music is connected... and how music connects us all." (Even and especially klezmer music) There is so much about Judaism and Jewish history in this fiction book! Via Benny's Uncle Maxwell, he comes to realize his love of, and talent for klezmer music which finds him and binds him to his new friends... and even helps him earn the respect of his arch enemy from a miserable second grade Hebrew school expe...