The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

The Real Sydney Taylor Book Awards were announced on January 22, 2024! Let's see how our Mock Awards compare to the Real Awards... PICTURE BOOKS Mock and Real Awards agree: the picture book gold medalist is Two New Years   by   Richard Ho , ill.   Lynn Scurfield .  There was also agreement between Real and Mock Awards that a silver medal should go to Hanukkah Upside Down   by   Elissa Brent Weissman , ill.   Omer Hoffman . MIDDLE GRADE The Mock Awards gave a middle grade bronze medal to The Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman   by   Mari Lowe , but the Real Awards gave it the gold! Both Real and Mock Awards agreed that The Jake Show   by   Joshua S. Levy should get a silver medal. YOUNG ADULT The Mock Award young adult gold went to Impossible Escape: A True Story of Survival and Heroism in Nazi Europe   by   Steve Sheinkin , which was a Real silver medalist. Real and Mock Awards agreed that a silver medal should go to Going Bicoastal   by   Dahlia Adler . Mock Award bronze medalis

We are pleased to announce our fourth year of Mock Sydney Taylor Book Awards! The top Jewish juvenile books published in 2023 were chosen from our shortlist by popular vote. Thank you to the many people who helped us select these titles! Links to more information below. PICTURE BOOKS MOCK WINNER  Two New Years   by   Richard Ho , ill.   Lynn Scurfield Chronicle published 8/8/23 ISBN 978-1797212814 Review:   Sydney Taylor Shmooze   MOCK HONOR Hanukkah Upside Down   by   Elissa Brent Weissman , ill.   Omer Hoffman Abrams published 9/19/23 ISBN 978-1419762963 Review:   Sydney Taylor Shmooze   MOCK NOTABLE Rivka's Presents   by   Laurie Wallmark , ill.   Adelina Lirius Random House Studio published 7/11/23 ISBN 978-0593482070 Review:   Sydney Taylor Shmooze   MIDDLE GRADE MOCK WINNER  Two Tribes   by   Emily Bowen Cohen Heartdrum published 8/15/23 ISBN 978-0062983596 Review:   Sydney Taylor Shmooze   MOCK HONOR The Jake Show   by   Joshua S. Levy Kat

Round 2 Voting: Wednesday-Friday, January 10-12, 2024 Loading…

Round 1: Sunday-Tuesday, January 7-9, 2024 Anyone may vote for the 2024 Mock Sydney Taylor Book Awards (except for current members of AJL's Sydney Taylor Book Award committee). Voters may select one title in each of three categories (Picture Books, Middle Grade, Young Adult). Please vote for the titles you think are most worthy of receiving the Sydney Taylor Book Award. Criteria are here: https://www.sydneytaylorshmooze.com/p/criteria.html . Round 2 voting will take place Wednesday-Friday, January 10-12, 2024. Mock Award results will be announced on Tuesday, January 16, 2024. Real Award winners will be announced at ALA's LibLearnX Youth Media Awards event on Monday, January 22, 2024. To read reviews of all titles on the ballot, please see: https://www.sydneytaylorshmooze.com/p/mock-award-program.html Loading…

We want to thank our dedicated team of volunteer book reviewers! They've been doing an incredible job evaluating Jewish children's and YA books for The Sydney Taylor Shmooze throughout 2023. Read their reviews so you'll be ready to VOTE for the Mock Sydney Taylor Book Awards, starting January 7, 2024! If you're interested in joining our reviewing team, CLICK HERE . Todah Rabah to: Laurie Adler Sarah Aronson Dena Bach Freidele Biniashvili Belinda Brock Jeannette Brod  Merle Carrus Leah Cypess Meira Drazin Judy Ehrenstein Ronda Einbinder Karin Fisher-Golton Claire Freeland Rachel Fremmer Beth Gallego Jeff Gottesfeld Judy Greenblatt  Rebecca Greer Suzanne Grossman Kathryn Hall Bridget Hodder Jacqueline Jules Rebecca Klempner Ann Koffsky Melissa Lasher Cindy Marshall Linda Marshall Heather Matthews Naomi Morse Stacy Mozer Stacy Nockowitz Chava Pinchuck Heidi Rabinowitz Stacie Ramey Stacey Rattner Doreen Robinson Marcia Rosenthal Emily Roth Sarah Sassoon Arlene Schenker

Listen, Sh'ma by Rabbi Alyson Solomon, illustrated by Bryony Clarkson Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Belinda Brock Buy at Bookshop.org Author Alyson Solomon and illustrator Bryony Clarkson, the same team who created Thank You: Modeh Ani , are back with the equally lovely picture book Listen: Sh'ma . The cover with its sweet sleepyheads tucked into beds against a starry sky (continued on the end papers) lets us know that this is a bedtime story. A note in the front tells us that sh'ma means "listen" in Hebrew and the book is inspired by the Jewish prayer about oneness and love, traditionally said before going to sleep (as well as in the morning and on other occasions). The book breaks down the word sh'ma into its individual soothing sounds and relates them to a young child's comforting bedtime routine: a warm bath, fresh jammies, cuddles, and many more moments of calm and contentment. The various

Like the Sea and the Sky: A Mysterious Mollusk and Its Magical Blue Ink by Jordan Namerow, illustrated by Michelle Simpson Brandylane Publishers, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Doreen Klein Robinson Buy at Bookshop.org We first meet Zinni while under the warmth and comfort of her mom’s tallit, with its dangling fringes that remind her of the arms of jellyfish. While her mom, a rabbi, offers a morning prayer of thanks, Zinni daydreams about the her favorite sea creatures – the mollusks that hide inside beautiful shells. When Zinni misses the school bus, we learn that she mixes up letters and numbers and is afraid to ask for help. Zinni’s mom shares that sometimes being a rabbi feels scary, too. This makes Zinni feel better, until she gets teased at recess for drawing sea creatures in her notebook. On the bus ride home, Zinni wishes she could be one of the sea creatures that squirts colorful clouds of ink to scare away its predators. At home, Zinni’s mom tells her about an ancien