The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

My First Book of Famous Jews by Julie Merberg, illustrated by Julie Wilson  Downtown Bookworks, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Ronna Mandel Buy at Bookshop.org “Can we talk?” If little ones don’t recognize this signature question from the late comedian Joan Rivers, perhaps parents or grandparents reading the book to them will. Rivers is just one of the more than three dozen famous Jews presented in this board book that I wish I’d written! Told in rhyme, My First Book of Famous Jews is a fabulous introduction to the talented individuals who have made lasting and significant contributions to science, literature, music, film, politics and the judiciary—even activism, an important inclusion. It’s never too soon to start sharing the broad impact Jewish people have made in every field. This book sings the praises of everyone from Anne Frank to Helen Frankenthaler, from Steven Spielberg to Gloria Steinem in their respective categories. The vibrant art throughout this book brings ...

A Tribute by Miriam Udel A sister of my soul is no more. So many of us are devastated at the inconceivably sudden passing of Paula Cohen Martin , the artist who became my partner in creating HONEY ON THE PAGE: A TREASURY OF YIDDISH CHILDREN’S LITERATURE , and who was on the cusp of releasing her own delightful first picture book, BIG DREAMS, SMALL FISH (Levine Querido). As befits an old-timey Yiddish project, our union was arranged by matchmakers human and divine. Paula attended the TENT workshop at the Yiddish Book Center for authors and illustrators of Jewish children's books, where I was teaching. Program alumna Joanne Levy (author of SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS and herself no stranger to grieving) knew I was completing a crazy-ambitious anthology for which I was seeking an illustrator. Knowing Paula had a huge love for and curiosity about Yiddish culture, she connected us. I adored Paula's work and sensed immediately that its comic energy would infuse the book with the lively ...

Aviva vs. the Dybbuk by Mari Lowe Levine Querido, 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Leah Cypess Buy at Bookshop.org Aviva lives with her mother in the apartment above the town’s mikvah (ritual bath). Aviva’s mother never leaves the apartment, and Aviva herself leaves only to go to school, where she has no friends but is at least good at sports. At home, she does her best to care for her mother, who has sunken deeply into depression since her father died. On top of all that, she has to deal with an exasperating dybbuk – a sometimes friendly, sometimes vengeful spirit who delights in wreaking havoc upon Aviva’s careful, quiet life. When rivalries at school begin to spiral out of control, and vandalism of the synagogue fills the Jewish community with fear, Aviva may be the only one who can make things right. But first she will have to face some hard truths about her present, her past, and what the dybbuk really wants. Aviva vs. the Dybbuk is a gem of a middle grade book. The fully fl...

The Association of Jewish Libraries & StoryTime Solidarity Present:  How to be an Ally to Jewish Patrons and Students (Even in a Non-Jewish Neighborhood) ~~~~~ Sunday, March 20, 2022 1:00PM PT / 4:00PM ET Two of your Shmooze admins, Heidi Rabinowitz and Susan Kusel, will be participating in a special workshop, and you are invited. As someone who cares about Jewish children's literature, please come and please invite your friends! Description: The FBI reports that 60% of all religious hate crimes target Jewish people despite the fact that only 2% of America’s population identifies as Jewish. As librarians and educators, how can we push back against this injustice? Join Storytime Solidarity and the Association of Jewish Libraries for a free workshop on standing in solidarity with the Jewish community. Get answers to the questions you didn’t know you wanted to ask, learn about Jewish diversity, and find out what actions you can take and what books you can buy to help the Jewi...

In the Market of Zakrobat by Ori Elon, illustrated by Menahem Halberstadt Green Bean Books, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Ruth Horowitz Buy at Bookshop.org The plot of In the Market of Zakrobat will likely be familiar to many Jewish readers. It’s based on a the much-told story of Yosef Moker Shabbos, which itself is based on a tale from the Talmud. The author’s name might also be familiar. Ori Elon co-created the popular Israeli TV show/Netflix series Shtisel , and he brings the same winning combination of deep Jewish rootedness and up-to-date storytelling sensibility to this delightful picture book.    Stingy Baltosar lives alone, hoarding his chests of gold coins. His impoverished neighbor Yosef so cherishes Shabbat that he spends his few pennies purchasing the finest foods to welcome the Sabbath. When Baltosar dreams that his coins are running away to Yosef’s hut, he trades them all for a single diamond, which he sews into the lining of his hat. The h...

Wayward Creatures by Dayna Lorentz Clarion Books (imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Shirley Reva Vernick Buy at Bookshop.org Twelve-year-old Gabe feels unmoored by the stress of his father’s unemployment and the shifting friendships of junior high. He acts out by setting off fireworks in the park, accidentally causing a forest fire that destroys acres of public land. When Gabe enters a restorative justice program, he gets the chance to repair some of the damage he has caused. It’s through this program that he gets to know and help Rill, a young coyote who was seriously injured in the fire. Told in the alternating first-person voices of Gabe and Rill, this story agilely explores relationship dynamics, community, self-empowerment, and ecology. Lorentz imbues her faced-paced story with relatable characters who possess both humor and heart. Hard truths about consequences and responsibility are balanced by uplifting messages of personal transformat...

The Chocolate King by Michael Leventhal, illustrated by Laura Catalán Green Bean Books  (distributed in the US by Apples & Honey), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Cynthia Levinson Buy at Bookshop.org Little Benjamin, who immigrated to France from Spain with his family when he was a baby, longs to be a Chocolate King, just like his grandfather, Marco. But, in 1630, no one in France had tasted chocolate—and, when they did, they hated it. Still, Benjamin loves to hear Marco’s tales of life in Spain before they were forced to become conversos. Trying to learn the family trade, Benjamin sneaks into the kitchen, stumbles, makes a mess of the chocolate cooking on the stove, and literally slips out the door, landing in front of the carriage of the real King of France. Whereupon, the king downs four cups of cocoa and declares it delicious. From then on, the French people love chocolate, and the family prospers. Back matter contains “A Bite-Sized History of Chocolate” and depicti...

On this final day of the 2022 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour, we have two wrap-up posts for you. The Book of Life: A Podcast About Jewish Kidlit (Mostly) features a group audio interview with this year's four gold medalists: Susan Kusel and Sean Rubin ( The Passover Guest ), Veera Hiranandani ( How to Find What You're Not Looking For ), and Aden Polydoros ( The City Beautiful ). The Whole Megillah: The Writer's Resource for Jewish-themed Story: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry , has been hosting a virtual panel discussion as a blog tour wrap-up for many years , and this year is no exception. Here are the final two blog tour stops for this year: Gold Medalists on The Book of Life Virtual panel of gold/silver authors and illustrators on The Whole Megillah The Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour February 7-11, 2022 Click here for full blog tour schedule

Two more Sydney Taylor Honor Books are featured on today's Blog Tour stops. In the Picture Book Category: Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued written and illustrated by Peter Sís , an illustrated biography of a Righteous Gentile. In the Young Adult Category: The Last Words We Said by Leah Scheier , an exploration of grief among a Modern Orthodox group of friends. Here are today's blog tour stops: Nicky & Vera at Vivan Kirkfeld's Blog The Last Words We Said at Kayla Reads and Reviews The Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour February 7-11, 2022 Click here for full blog tour schedule

Today's Blog Tour stops bring you three more Sydney Taylor Honor Books. In the Picture Book category: The Christmas Mitzvah by Jeff Gottesfeld , illustrated by Michelle Laurentia Agatha , a holiday story of bridge building across religions. In the Middle Grade category: The Genius Under the Table by Eugene Yelchin , a whimsically illustrated memoir of life behind the Iron Curtain. In the Young Adult category: The Summer of Lost Letters by Hannah Reynolds , a summer romance and the discovery of family history. Here are today's blog tour stops: The Christmas Mitzvah at Pragmatic Mom The Genius Under the Table at Jewish Books for Kids The Summer of Lost Letters at Bookishly Jewish The Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour February 7-11, 2022 Click here for full blog tour schedule

On Day 2 of the 2022 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour, we meet three of our Honor Books. In the Picture Book category: Dear Mr. Dickens by Nancy Churnin , illustrated by Bethany Stancliffe , a historical tale of a single activist reader impacting the writing of Charles Dickens. In the Middle Grade category: Linked by Gordon Korman , a contemporary story of kids banding together to fight antisemitism. In the Young Adult category: Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero by E. Lockhart , illustrated by Manuel Preitano , a graphic novel that introduces a new Jewish teen superhero with canine powers to Batman's hometown. Here are today's blog tour stops: Dear Mr. Dickens at Good Reads with Ronna Linked at 100 Scope Notes at School Library Journal Whistle at A Fuse #8 Production at School Library Journal The Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour February 7-11, 2022 Click here for full blog tour schedule

We kick off the 2022 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour with the gold medalists! In the Picture Book category: The Passover Guest by Susan Kusel , illustrated by Sean Rubin , a retelling of I.L. Peretz's "The Magician."  In the Middle Grade category: How to Find What You're Not Looking For by Veera Hiranandani , an exploration of Jewish intersectional identity set during the Civil Rights movement. In the Young Adult category: The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros , a gothic fantasy thriller. Here are today's blog tour stops: The Passover Guest at the Horn Book's Out of the Box blog How To Find What You're Not Looking For at Mr. Schu Reads The City Beautiful at the Jewish Book Council's blog, The Paper Brigade The Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour February 7-11, 2022 Click here for full blog tour schedule

The Sydney Taylor Book Award will be showcasing its 2022 gold and silver medalists with a Blog Tour, February 7-11, 2022! Interviews with winning authors and illustrators will appear on a variety of Jewish and kidlit blogs. Interviews will appear on the dates below, and will remain available to read at your own convenience. Below is the schedule for the 2022 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! MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2022 Susan Kusel and Sean Rubin , author and illustrator of The Passover Guest Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Picture Book Category at Out of the Box at The Horn Book Veera Hiranandani , author of How to Find What You're Not Looking For Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Middle Grade Category at Mr. Schu Reads Aden Polydoro s, author of The City Beautiful Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Young Adult Category at Paper Brigade Daily at The Jewish Book C...