The Evolving Mission of The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

 

When we began The Sydney Taylor Shmooze in 2020, we framed it as a mock award blog that would predict which books might win the Real Sydney Taylor Book Award. However, our content soon eclipsed our original scope. As a new year of reviewing approaches, we took stock and realized it was time to embrace what the Shmooze has become. As of 2025, we are no longer a mock award blog, but a book review source that considers the vast majority Jewish children's books published each year.

We will continue to provide critiques of new Jewish board books, picture books, middle grade books, and young adult books that are eligible for the Sydney Taylor Book Award, although we will no longer hold a mock award vote. The Sydney Taylor Book Award is the only literary prize that focuses solely on Jewish children's literature, and The Sydney Taylor Shmooze is the only review source with that same narrow focus.

We deeply appreciate all the dedicated volunteer reviewers who have contributed to the Shmooze for the last five years and continue to contribute, and we are grateful to all of you who read, share and comment on our reviews. Thank you for celebrating Jewish children's literature with us!