The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

One of The Shmooze's co-admins, Heidi Rabinowitz, is the host of The Book of Life Podcast. Heidi interviewed fellow co-admins Susan Kusel and Chava Pinchuck, about The Sydney Taylor Shmooze, and you can listen to the episode below. Other mock award bloggers from Calling Caldecott, Heavy Medal, and Guessing Geisel shared their thoughts, and you'll find a bonus episode with more of that conversation HERE , where you'll also find transcripts and links to lots more information about mock awards.

It's time once again to meet your Sydney Taylor Shmooze admins! Three friends run this blog: Susan Kusel (whose brainchild it was) and her partners in crime, Chava Pinchuck and Heidi Rabinowitz. You can read a bit about us in the About section but we thought you might like to get to know each of us a little better. In this final installment, it's Susan's turn. Susan Kusel visiting the Yiddish Book Center 1. Describe a day in your professional life.  Library at Temple Rodef Shalom, Falls Church,VA I love being a solo synagogue librarian because so many different things could happen in one day. I answer reference questions on every topic from board books to Talmuds, and have patrons every age from 2 to 92. I work with our volunteers, religious school, nursery school, clergy, adult education and temple book clubs. I select new books, buy, process and catalog them. I sort through boxes of donations and see what can be added to the library. I do story times. Oh, ...

Once again, it's time to meet your Sydney Taylor Shmooze admins! Three friends run this blog: Susan Kusel (whose brainchild it was) and her partners in crime, Chava Pinchuck and Heidi Rabinowitz. You can read a bit about us in the About section but we thought you might like to get to know each of us a little better. Today it's Chava's turn. Chava Pinchuck 1. Describe a day in your professional life. My professional life is very quiet compared to Heidi's . I am usually sitting at my desk, working on the computer. I spend a good portion of the day doing research and looking at book reviews. 2. Talk about your experience on the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee.  L-R: Chava Pinchuck with 2010 STBA winner April Halprin Wayland My time on the committee was one of the best experiences of my life, both personally and professionally. I read so many great books (and a few duds), I learned so much about Jewish Children's Literature and secular children...

It's time to meet your Sydney Taylor Shmooze admins! Three friends run this blog: Susan Kusel (whose brainchild it was) and her partners in crime, Chava Pinchuck and Heidi Rabinowitz. You can read a bit about us in the About section but we thought you might like to get to know each of us a little better. Today it's Heidi's turn. Heidi Rabinowitz 1. Describe a day in your professional life. Purim puppet show Things I hear every day: "Miss Heidi, what are we reading about today?" "Another book, please!"  "I'm going to Disney World tomorrow!" "I have a dog!" "The! End!" "I love you, Miss Heidi." Things I say every day: "Everybody say 'Hi, Miss Heidi!'" "Do you hear the rhyming in this book?" "You get what you get and you don't get upset." "Take your finger out of your nose." "What a good question!" "I love you too." Things...

Hi, I'm Heidi Rabinowitz, one of your editors at The Shmooze. I'm also the host of The Book of Life Podcast , where I've been interviewing Real Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee chairs for many years. I'd like to share with you the last three years of "big reveal" podcast episodes, in which that year's chair announces and discusses the winning Sydney Taylor Book Award titles.Getting familiar with past winners may help you in your quest to figure out what will win this year!

Anya and the Dragon by Sofia Pasternack (Middle Grade Honor Book) is a historical magical fantasy set in 10th century Russia. Dissenter on the Bench by Victoria Ortiz (YA Honor Book) is a biography of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Both have strong female leads who care passionately about justice. What 2020 books about strong girls or women are you looking forward to? Leave us a comment. Anya and the Dragon at From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle Grade Authors Dissenter on the Bench at Jewish Books for Kids And the traditional Blog Tour finale, a virtual roundtable with the whole gang: Blog Tour Wrap-Up at The Whole Megillah The Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour February 9-13, 2020 Click here for full blog tour schedule 

Two out-of-the-box books are featured on the blog tour today. Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz (YA Honor Book) is a romance with two Jewish leads, a disability #ownvoices story, a sicklit book in which nobody dies - all unusual traits. Games of Deception by Andrew Maraniss tells the unexpected true story of the invention of basketball and its intersections with Jewish history. Are there any 2020 Jewish kids' books coming out that you think break the mold? Tell us about them in the comments. Today's Blog Tour stops: Sick Kids in Love at Good Reads with Ronna Games of Deception at A Fuse #8 Production at School Library Journal The Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour February 9-13, 2020 Click here for full blog tour schedule

Lesléa Newman and Amy June Bates received a Sydney Taylor Honor in the Picture Book category for Gittel's Journey . They are both past Sydney Taylor Book Award winners, having received the gold medal in 2016 for Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed . Lesléa also has quite a few Notable Books to her name:  Here Is the World in 2015, A Sweet Passover in 2013, Runaway Dreidel in 2002, and Fat Chance in 1994. Even more special, Lesléa was named a Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award winner this year for her overall contributions to the genre of Jewish children's literature. You can see past Body-of-Work Award winners here . Who else do you think would make a good Body-of-Work Award recipient? Today on the blog tour: Gittel's Journey on Mr. Schu Reads All the Authors and Illustrators on The Children's Book Podcast The Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour February 9-13, 2020 Click here for full blog tour schedule

One more gold medalist is interviewed today on the Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour, and then we move on to silver medalists. These two books have interesting settings: Shanghai for Someday We Will Fly by Rachel DeWoskin (the YA gold medalist), and Bosnia for The Key From Spain by Debbie Levy (an Honor picture book). What benefits or hurdles do you think might accrue to an author if they are not from the place where their book is set? Leave your thoughts in the comments. Someday We Will Fly at Out of the Box at The Horn Book The Key from Spain at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast The Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour February 9-13, 2020 Click here for full blog tour schedule

It's the first day of the 2020 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour! These interviews with the most recent winners of the Real Award provide a great opportunity for us to see the qualities the Real Committee is looking for. Today we look at the gold medalists in the Picture Book and Middle Grade categories, respectively, The Book Rescuer by Sue Macy with pictures by Stacy Innerst, and White Bird by R.J. Palacio of Wonder fame. The Book Rescuer at 100 Scope Notes at School Library Journal   White Bird at The Paper Brigade Daily at The Jewish Book Council These are both stories about various kinds of rescue: saving books, saving human beings, saving language, saving culture. Does Jewish children's literature perform a rescuing function in the world? Do book awards? Please leave a comment below and let us know what you think. The Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour February 9-13, 2020 Click here for full blog tour schedule