The Sydney Taylor Book Award

STBA Convention Podcasts

2009-06-23T12:23:00.006-04:00

Each year at the Association of Jewish Libraries convention, the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee gets together to do a panel review of recent Jewish books for kids and teens. It takes the whole morning, and there are usually at least 100 people in attendance. It's a lively event in which committee members praise books, deconstruct books, disagree with each other, and share lots of honest opinions. The session usually includes guest appearance by recent award winners as well.

At the 2008 Association of Jewish Libraries convention in Cleveland, Ohio, we recorded the committee's presentation, as well as the talks given by Sarah Gershman & Kristina Swarner (author & illustrator of The Bedtime Sh'ma, which won a gold in the Younger Readers category) and Sonia Levitin (author of Strange Relations, which won gold for Teen Readers). These recordings (and many others) are available via the AJL Podcast at jewishlibraries.org/podcast.

Click here for the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee's panel "Adventures in Book Reviewing"

Click here for Sarah Gershman and Kristina Swarner (The Bedtime Sh'ma)

Click here for Sonia Levitin (Strange Relations)

The 2009 AJL Convention will be held July 5-8 in Chicago, IL, and once again we will be recording sessions for podcasting.

See You at Book Expo!

2009-05-18T09:43:00.004-04:00

Each year at Book Expo America, we scout for new Jewish books and we distribute information about the Sydney Taylor Book Award to publishers. This May we'll be giving out our elegantly designed packet containing an oversized bookmark designating the 2009 winners (As Good As Anybody, Brooklyn Bridge, & A Bottle in the Gaza Sea), a CD-ROM containing every review written by our committee members during 2008 as they considered all submissions for the 2009 award, and instructions for applying for the 2010 Sydney Taylor Book Award.

If you'll be at Book Expo, please look for Sydney Taylor Book Award committee member Heidi Estrin, who'll be traipsing up and down the aisles giving out Sydney Taylor packets (and doing interviews for The Book of Life podcast, too)!

Past STBA Winner Sarah Darer Littman Speaks

2009-05-14T15:14:00.004-04:00

2006 Sydney Taylor Book Award winner Sarah Darer Littman graciously agreed to be interviewed for the STBA Blog. We hope to bring you more blast-from-the-past interviews in the coming months, so we can catch up with our favorite authors and see what they've been doing!

Sarah, you won the Sydney Taylor Book Award (in the Older Readers Category) in 2006 for Confessions of a Closet Catholic, your first published book. Tell us about the experience of having your first book receive this kind of recognition.

It was a tremendous honor and for someone as deeply insecure as I am, it was very affirming. I'm sure winning the Sydney Taylor Award brought the book to the attention of people who might otherwise have given it much consideration, particularly because the title. I really enjoyed getting out on the road to visit Jewish communities that had embraced the book. Plus, I got to wear a tiara! Life was good. I Of course, I then proceeded to have a dreadful and I'm sure completely unrelated case of the Second Book Blues.

Confessions of a Closet Catholic is about a Jewish girl, Justine, whose family gives her mixed messages about "how Jewish" she should be, so she tries on Catholicism for a while before returning to her roots. What was the inspiration for this unusual storyline? Do you think many kids question their faith in this way?

Growing up, I often felt there was an unspoken message to be Jewish but not "too Jewish", whatever that was supposed to mean. I don't know if that was because my parents were part of the post Holocaust generation that understandably felt there was an inherent danger for Jews in putting their heads above the parapet, or something else altogether, but the mixed signals confused me. That and the fact that I had many Catholic friends (and a serious case of Christmas envy) were sitting there in the back of my consciousness when I was taking a workshop with the late Paula Danziger and she asked the question, "What does your character have hidden in the closet?"

Now I'd been fascinated with all the rituals of Catholicism as a teen, but I'd never gone as far as sitting in my closet practicing confession with my teddy bear. Yet somehow the vision of this character, Jussy, doing just that came into my mind when Paula asked that question. When I started the book, I didn't really have any idea where it was going, but it ended up being an answer to the questions of my teenaged self.

I think that being a teen is a time of forging one's own identity, and so it's natural to question all the assumptions in one's life. I went through an agnostic phase in college, but realized that faith was important to me once I graduated and was living in New York in my 20's. If we question and still believe then our faith is an even deeper one than it was before, because we've come to it not just by rote, or because our parents sent us to Hebrew School, but because we've realized that faith is integral to living a meaningful life.

What was the reaction to this book amongst Jewish readers versus Catholic readers?

I was thrilled that Confessions had the distinction of winning the Sydney Taylor Book Award for Older Readers AND was named one of the Top Ten Books Suitable for Christmas Gift Giving by the Catholic News Service. I'll be willing to bet that hasn't happened too often in the history of the Sydney Taylor awards :-) I've had wonderful emails from readers of many denominations, and Confessions was put on the reading lists of several parochial schools. Interestingly, I found that some Jewish readers were put off by the title. I was at a Jewish Book Fair in New York City and a young girl wanted to buy the book. Her father looked at it and came over, very concerned that reading it would encourage her to leave the faith. I had a long conversation, assuring him, "Don't worry, she's Jewish at the end!"

You've got a new book out called Purge. Tell us about that.

Purge is a YA novel which tells the story of a teen girl's recovery from bulimia. Told through journal entries and scenes from her time in a psychiatric facility, readers follow Janie's journey from denial to the realization that maybe she does actually belong there, and does want to get help.

It's a very different book from Confessions, but it's a book that I felt that I needed to write. I suffered from poor body image my entire life, and was actively bulimic as an adult (I've been in recovery for seven years now). I have a daughter, and I see the tremendous pressure on girls the emphasis on looking good and being thin as opposed to being smart and achieving things. My hope in writing the book was that it would help to generate discussion about body image and eating disorders. I've got a downloadable discussion guide on my website to help get things started.

What's up next?

My next book, LIFE, AFTER, which comes out from Scholastic Press next year, returns to a more Jewish theme. Set during the Argentinean economic crisis in 2002, it follows the struggles of Daniela Bensimon, whose aunt was killed in the AMIA bombing, and her family's eventual emigration to the United States, where memories of 9/11 are fresh and being an outsider isn't easy.

Have you seen the Sydney Taylor Book Award winners for older readers that have come out since you've won? (Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse, The Entertainer and the Dybbuk by Sid Fleischman, Julia's Kitchen by Brenda Ferber) If so, what do you think of them?

Of those, I've only read Julia's Kitchen thus far, which I loved. I'm thrilled that the Sydney Taylor Committee established the award for Teen Readers. The inaugural book, The Book Thief, is one of my favorite books ever, (not to mention that I have a huge author crush on Markus Zusak) and this year's winner, A Bottle in the Gaza Sea, was beautifully written and incredibly timely - I've been recommending it to everyone.

The newest crop of Sydney Taylor Book Award winners will be recognized at this summer's Association of Jewish Libraries convention. Tell us what it was like for you when you won, and tell this year's winners what they should expect!

My call couldn't have come at a better (worse?) time. If this doesn't come under the "TMI" category, a) I was having my legs waxed (never my favorite activity) and b) had just read an "I'm dumping you" e-mail by some jerk guy I'd been dating (seriously couldn't he been man enough to call?) so I'm lying there all teary eyed thinking, "Yeah, not one of my better days," and my cell phone rang. It was Heidi Estrin, who introduced herself and asked if she could record the conversation. "Yes..." I sniffled. Then she told me the good news - that'd Confessions had won the Sydney Taylor Award for Older Readers. I think the leg waxing lady thought I was nuts, because I went from sniffly and sad to happy and giggly and "OMG!OMG!" in the space of seconds!

Later that evening, I went out in New York City to celebrate with some friends, and one of them bought me a tiara. I was walking around Greenwich Village wearing my tiara and people kept coming up to me asking me if I was getting married. "No," I'd tell them. "It's much better than that - my book just won an award!!" New winners should expect to be welcomed a wonderful and supportive group of librarians. It's a fantastic experience. Mazel Tov!

Publicity Opportunity at AJL Convention

2009-05-05T18:26:00.002-04:00

The Association of Jewish Libraries is the "parent organization" that administers the Sydney Taylor Book Award. If you would like to communicate with the librarians and book-lovers who care about the award and about Jewish literature, this is a great publicity opportunity for you.

2009 AJL Convention Ads, Exhibits & Sponsorships

44th Annual Association of Jewish Libraries Convention
Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers
301 E. North Water Street Chicago, IL 60611
July 5-8, 2009

Would you like to reach hundreds of Judaica professionals from around the world? Join us as the Association of Jewish Libraries presents its 44nd annual convention in Chicago July 5-8, 2009.

Our members represent synagogues and schools, major universities, research centers, and other settings. You can participate in a number of ways

Exhibit products and/or services in the Convention Exhibit Hall
Advertise in the convention program book
Sponsor a convention event, with recognition at the event and in the program book
Congratulate the organization, or members you know, with a message in the program book

You can support the work of this respected and successful organization, while bringing your own work or good wishes to the members’ attention. Information about Advertising, Exhibits, and Sponsorships may be found here.

The deadline for these opportunities is MAY 27, 2009.

Credit card payments will be processed via PayPal.

A preview of some of the info you'll find at the AJL website...

EXHIBITS

All single booths will be set with (1) 6 x 30 table and (2) chairs.
Cost = $300 per table
Half-table price = $175
Table with no sales rep [books only] = $125
Double booth (2) tables = $500
Larger booths will be individually priced: contact ajlchicagoexhibits@gmail.com

ADVERTISING

Click here for full ad specs. Please note the special discount on full page ads available to exhibitors.

Page size	Price
Full page	Exhibitors $400, Non-exhibitors $450
Half page	$300
Quarter page	$150
Eighth page (business card)	$75
Web ad placement on AJL Convention web page (to run May 1- July 10, 2009)	$500

Please note we have a new discount offer! If you also purchase advertising for 1 year in the AJL Newsletter (4 issues, beginning in Fall 2009), you can receive a 5%-15% discount on your Convention Program Ad.

SPONSORSHIP
Please contact Shoshanah Seidman at (847) 491-7585 or sseidman@northwestern.edu if you are interested in any of the following sponsorship opportunities.

Event	Date	Rate
Keynote speaker: Peter Hayes, Prof. Northwestern University	Sunday, July 5	$3,000
Exhibit Hall Coffee Break	July 6 (am) July 6 (pm) July 7 (am) July 7 (pm)	$3,000 each
Awards Luncheon	July 6	$3,000
Pre-Banquet Reception	July 7	$3,000
Banquet	July 7	$4,000-$6,000
Special sessions: Israel, Yiddish & Israeli Theater, Music, Jewish Art	July 5-6-7	$1,500-$3,000
Complimentary Meals for Speakers and Volunteers		$3,000
Authors Program	July 7	$3,000
Hospitality Suite		$3,000
Reception in honor of Mrs. Barbara Schneider-Kempf, General Direktor, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin	July 6	$3,000-$5,000
Audiovisual	July 5-6-7-8	$3,000-$8,000

In the Footsteps of Sydney Taylor: Her Legacy Lives On

2009-04-28T14:53:00.004-04:00

At the 2008 Association of Jewish Libraries convention in Cleveland, Ohio, well-known kidlit expert Rita Berman Frischer gave a presentation called "In the Footsteps of Sydney Taylor: Her Legacy Lives On." This lecture offered an overview of Jewish women writers past and present from the perspective of Rita, herself the founding chair of AJL's book award committee.

Rita's presentation was recorded and is now available through the AJL Podcast at jewishlibraries.org/podcast.

You can also listen to the recording right here:

If you'd like to add this podcast to your own web site, feel welcome to click "embed" on the player above to get the html code.

Interview with Richard Michelson

2009-04-07T17:40:00.002-04:00

Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee member and blogger Barbara Bietz has posted a lovely interview on her blog with Richard Michelson, 2009 gold and silver Sydney Taylor medalist. Here's a little taste:

BARBARA: Are there some interesting facts about the relationship between Reverend King and Rabbi Heschel that you did not include in the book?

RICHARD: Reverend King was killed on April 4th, 1968, just 9 days before Passover was to begin. King’s emphasis on the Jewish Exodus in his sermons formed the basis of a strong bond between both men and King and his family had planned to join the Heschel’s at their Seder. What a wonderful holiday celebration that might have been. I am sure it would have forged further alliances between the two men.

Click here to read the entire interview!

Interview with STBA Committee Member Barbara Bietz

2009-03-29T14:47:00.004-04:00

Barbara Bietz, author, blogger, and Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee member, was interviewed on the blog The Writer's Journey. In a very profound and philosophical conversation, she shared her insights into the writing process. Here's a sample:

The Writer's Journey: Taking the stance that creativity is a natural state, how do you view getting stuck?
Barbara: Creativity is a natural state, but so is getting stuck. Like the ebb and flow of the tide, there is a time for high-energy work, and a time for quiet stillness. Getting stuck is a time to listen more carefully to the inner voice. It is time to think, to ask questions of yourself and your characters. Getting stuck is an opportunity to stand back and ask, “What do I need?” It can also be an opportunity to regroup and nurture other aspects of your creativity – often resulting in a flood of new ideas. The hard part is giving in to being stuck, and letting the process take you to a new place.

You can read the entire interview here.

More Honors for Richard Michelson

2009-03-12T10:32:00.005-04:00

Image magazine, a journal that bridges "faith and imagination" has selected author Richard Michelson as Artist of the Month in their 20th anniversary issue! They say "The beauty of Michelson’s writing—whether it is in poetry or in his many award-winning children’s books—is that he always finds the human note, however paradoxical or ambivalent that note might be."

Richard, of course, won big in the Sydney Taylor Book Awards this year: he received a gold medal for As Good As Anybody and a silver medal for A is for Abraham, both in the Younger Readers category. The Image profile mentions these achievements, among many others.

Image also printed two poems by Michelson. Here's the opening verse of one of them, titled "Another Holocaust Poem" --

Another Holocaust Poem

I watch them enter, lined up, ark-like, two by two, chatting quietly,
and after the teacher, counting, passes, one pushes and the one pushed
begins the chase. This is how the orphans marched through Warsaw in 1942,
I tell the behaved ones, orderly and under orders, and I’m just about to start
that terrible story, the one they don’t yet know, when I pause to open the door,
as I always do, for a little air. And there they are again, arms akimbo,
like two stooges, the Angel of Death and the Angel of Forgetfulness,
those vaudeville comics, those incorrigible face-making kids,
stuck forever—you first—no you—in the undersized doorframe
of the museum I will, for lack of a better word, call childhood.

Read the full poem at Image's website. And congratulations to Richard for all his great accomplishments and for the well-deserved recognition.

Memories of Aranka Siegal

2009-03-12T10:24:00.002-04:00

Holocaust survivor and memoirist Aranka Siegal is the author of Memories of Babi, a 2009 Sydney Taylor Honor Book. In this interview from The Book of Life podcast, she shares some of the memories on which her award-winning books are based.

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Sonia Levitin's Return

2009-02-26T17:06:00.002-05:00

Sonia Levitin, author of over 40 books for children and teens, has turned her Sydney Taylor Book Award-winning 1987 novel The Return into a a musical stage play. RETURN chronicles an Ethiopian Jewish girl's walk to freedom in Israel via Operation Moses. In this interview from The Book of Life podcast, Sonia describes the metamorphosis from book to play.

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P.S. Sonia Levitin also received the Sydney Taylor Book Award for Strange Relations in 2008, and two Sydney Taylor Honor Awards, for The Singing Mountain in 1998 and for Silver Days in 1989.

Interview with Esther Takac

2009-02-16T16:22:00.002-05:00

Barbara Bietz, author, blogger, and member of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee, has interviewed Esther Takac. Esther the National Jewish Book Award and Sydney Taylor Notable status for her book Genesis -- The Book with Seventy Faces.

Esther is an Australian children's author and psychologist living in Melbourne. Her story Loni and the Moon (Lothian, 2003) was placed on the Victorian Premier's Reading List.

Here's an excerpt from Barbara's interview with Esther:

BARBARA: What was the most interesting part of the process of writing the book?

ESTHER: The process of writing the book was a fascinating one. It was my pleasure and privilege to spend many hours reading the works of our traditional and contemporary scholars, many of whose insights on Genesis, and life in general, I found to be full of wisdom, moving and inspiring. It was also very interesting to think about ways of conveying these different approaches, the concept of multiple meanings or seventy faces, to the reader, in ways that invite the reader to actively engage and struggle with the issues raised.

Click here to read the entire interview!

Black History Month, Jewish Style

2009-02-08T09:52:00.002-05:00

Richard Michelson, author of 2009 Sydney Taylor Book Award winner (Younger Readers Category) As Good As Anybody, speaks about his work on The Book of Life podcast. In the same interview, graphologist Arlyn Imberman analyzes Richard's handwriting, along with King's and Heschel's.

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Great Minds Think Alike

2009-02-01T08:31:00.000-05:00

The Jewish Book Council has announced its new crop of National Jewish Book Award winners and finalists, and it looks like they're in agreement with the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee about some of the year's top books. Take a look at our shared opinions below!

The Mysterious Guests: A Sukkot Story by Eric Kimmel, illustrated by Katya Krenina

Sydney Taylor Notable Book, Younger Readers Category
National Jewish Book Award Winner, Illustrated Children's Books Category

As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King Jr and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March Toward Freedom by Richard Michelson, illustrated by Raul Colon

Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner, Younger Readers Category
National Jewish Book Award Finalist, Illustrated Children's Books Category

Hanukkah Haiku by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Karla Gudeon

Sydney Taylor Notable Book, Younger Readers Category
National Jewish Book Award Finalist, Illustrated Children's Books Category

Memories of Babi by Aranka Siegal

Sydney Taylor Honor Book, Older Readers Category
National Jewish Book Award Finalist, Childrens & Young Adult Literature

Genesis: The Book with Seventy Faces, A Guide for the Family by Esther Takac, illustrated by Anna Pignataro

Sydney Taylor Notable Book, All Ages
National Jewish Book Award Winner, Jewish Family Literature, in Memory of Dorothy Kripke

An Interview with the Sydney Taylor Awards Chair

2009-01-26T15:08:00.003-05:00

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Thanks so much to all the bloggers, authors, illustrators and readers who participated in our first-ever Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour! It went so well that we're considering doing another tour for the 2009 Notable Book authors and illustrators. Please let us know if you'd like that by posting a comment.

In the meantime, here is an interview from The Book of Life podcast with Sydney Taylor Book Award committee chair, Kathe Pinchuck. Kathe shares her experience and insight on the process of selecting winners, and on trends in publishing. Enjoy!

Blog Touring with Cohen & Kober

2009-01-22T22:24:00.005-05:00

Today's stops on the blog tour feature author Deborah Bodin Cohen and illustrator Shahar Kober, joint creators of Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride, a Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category.

Read an interview with author Deborah Bodin Cohen at Becky's Book Reviews with blogger Becky Laney.

Here's a sampling of the interview:

BECKY: What inspired you to write Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride?

DEBORAH: My daughter Arianna, who is a 7-years-old, loves everything to do with transportation. A couple years ago, she especially loved trains and train stories. In Rabbinical school, I walked past the Jerusalem train station everyday and was intrigued by it. I decided that a train story for Jewish kids might work. As I did a little research, I discoverd that the Jaffa-Jerusalem railway opened just before Rosh Hashana. And, so, Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride was born.

Read more...

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Read an interview with Engineer Ari illustrator Shahar Kober at Into the Wardrobe with blogger Tarie.

Here's a sampling of the interview:

TARIE: What did you think of Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride when you first read the story?

SHAHAR: Well, I immediately thought it would be great fun to draw the red engine! I like trains. I was also very happy with the chance to investigate the period, how people looked and dressed, how local architecture looked like, how trains looked like back then, etc. The visual research prior to the sketches stage is always my favorite part, especially in such a book which is based on history.

Read more...

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Thanks so much to all the bloggers, authors and illustrators who took part in the first-ever Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour! And thanks, of course, to all you readers out there. Please do post your comments here and/or at the participating blogs to give us your feedback so our next tour can be even better!

Remember, you can find the full list of all Sydney Taylor winners, honors and notables here. Enjoy your reading!

Blog Touring with Jules & Ugliano

2009-01-22T10:08:00.003-05:00

Today's stops on the blog tour feature author Jacqueline Jules and illustrator Natascia Ugliano, joint creators of Sarah Laughs, a Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category.

Read an interview with author Jacqueline Jules at C hicken Spaghetti with blogger Susan.

Here's a sampling of the interview:

SUSAN: What are you reading these days?

JACQUELINE: What a fun question! It reminds me of an in-house school television show we once did for “Read Across America” day at the Northern Virginia elementary school where I work as a library media specialist. Our physical education teacher made a video of himself reading from morning until night. I would have made the video myself, but our students needed a male role model. Thanks for the opportunity to report when and what I’m reading this particular week.

Read more...

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Read an interview with Sarah Laughs illustrator Natascia Ugliano at Write for a Reader with blogger Shelly. FYI, Natascia has illustrated other books by Jacqueline Jules, including Abraham's Search for God, which was named a Notable Book last year by the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee.

Here's a sampling of the interview:

SHELLY: What are some of your favorites? Author, food, color, book, any others…

NATASCIA: My favorite authors are H. C. Andersen (for children's books), Isabelle Allende and Emily Dickinson. My favorite color is green. My favorite food is pastasciutta, an Italian food.

Read more...

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Tomorrow will be the final day of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour (although since this one has been a success, we may do another one in a few months featuring our Notable Book authors and illustrators!).

We'll wrap up with Deborah Bodin Cohen and Shahar Kober, author and illustrator of Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride. Deborah will be at Becky's Book Reviews, and Shahar will be at Into the Wardrobe. Remember, all interviews will remain archived online, so once they are posted you can read them any time.

Blog Touring with Levine & Burke

2009-01-21T19:51:00.005-05:00

Today's stops on the blog tour feature author Anna Levine and illustrator Jim Burke.

Freefall and Jodie's Hanukkah Dig were both recognized by the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee: the former as a Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Teen Readers Category and the latter as an Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Children's Book of Jewish Content in the Younger Readers Category. Read an interview with the author of both books, Anna Levine, at Abby (the) Librarian with blogger Abby.

Here's a sampling of the interview:

ABBY: In Freefall, Noah asks Aggie about her favorite sunrise. Where was your favorite sunrise?

ANNA: I used to live on a kibbutz up on the Northern border of Israel. From my window I could see Lebanon. Mornings I would get up at 6:00 AM to work in the apple orchards and I remember walking through the still silent kibbutz to the dining hall and seeing the sun rise, illuminating the sky. I would savor the stillness and beauty aware that it was fleeting (soon the hot sun would be beating down on me while I had a heavy sack around my neck reaching for an apple that would surely send me tumbling off the ladder). This is what Aggie and her friends have learned to do, to appreciate the moments of joy while they can grasp them, because life here changes so quickly.

Read more...

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Naming Liberty is a Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category. Read an interview with illustrator Jim Burke at The Page Flipper with blogger Chelsea. And be sure to check out the interview with author Jane Yolen at The Boston Bibliophile.

Here's a sampling of the interview:

CHELSEA: Do you have a favorite piece of artwork that you've done? Can you describe it?

JIM: My favorite two paintings in Naming Liberty: "Bartholdi's Studio" from the full title page spread...in which I tried to capture the stillness of the studio, yet show that it's full of life. And also "Liberty's Nod" when Liberty's head was rolled down the Parisian Street with an ensuing parade. I love sticking little things in works that may not get noticed, such as "Librairie du Mirage" The "Mirage" Bookstore, pertaining to the massive head rolling down the street, nodding to folks as she goes, as well as "Cafe du Desert"--the deserted cafe, because everyone has left to cheer on Liberty.

Read more...

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Tune in tomorrow for interviews with Jacqueline Jules (author, Sarah Laughs) at Chicken Spaghetti and Natascia Ugliano (illustrator, Sarah Laughs) at Write for a Reader. Remember, all interviews will remain archived online, so once they are posted you can read them any time.

Blog Touring with Yolen & Zenatti

2009-01-20T09:41:00.005-05:00

Today's stops on the blog tour feature authors Jane Yolen and Valerie Zenatti!

Naming Liberty is a 2009 Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category. Read an interview with author Jane Yolen at The Boston Bibliophile with blogger Marie. And be sure to check in at The Page Flipper tomorrow for an interview with illustrator Jim Burke.

Here's a sampling of the interview:

MARIE: We've seen a lot of books about immigration over the years; why do you feel the themes of Naming Liberty are still relevant today?

JANE: America is still a nation of immigrants. And once again, certain immigrants are being castigated, beaten, thrown under the metaphoric patriotic bus. So if this book in some small way reminds us again that--in America--outsiders become insiders. In this year, when we have elected a man who should have been an outsider--a child of two nations, two colors, two hearts in a single breast as a the pphilopsoher Montaigne once said--and who is now our most public insider, it seems the right book at the right time.

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A Bottle in the Gaza Sea is the 2009 Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Teen Readers Category. Read an interview with author Valerie Zenatti at Lori Calabrese Writes with blogger Lori Calabrese (of course!).

Here's a sampling of the interview:

LORI: How does it feel to receive the 2009 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award's Teen Readers Category?

VALERIE: I am very honored and proud! And very happy also, especially because my mother is sure that this is the last step before the Nobel!

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Tune in tomorrow for interviews with Anna Levine (author of Freefall and Jodie's Hanukkah Dig) at Abby (the) Librarian and Jim Burke (illustrator of Naming Liberty) at The Page Flipper. Remember, all interviews will remain archived online, so once they are posted you can read them any time.

Blog Touring with Michelson & Mazellan

2009-01-19T11:26:00.006-05:00

Our Blog Tour continues with interviews of two picture book creators: Richard Michelson and Ron Mazellan.

As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March Toward Freedom and A is for Abraham: A Jewish Family Alphabet won gold and silver respectively in the Younger Readers Category. Read an interview with the author of both books, Richard Michelson, at The Well-Read Child with blogger Jill Tullo.

Here's a sampling of the interview:

JILL: As Good As Anybody is a powerfully inspirational book. What message do you hope your readers take away after reading it?

RICHARD: That each and every one of us has the power to change the world for the better, and that it is our duty to try to do so. No excuses accepted. That means you! As King says, “The way things are is not the way they always have to be.” And as Heschel says (all writers, me included, take heed) “Words must be followed by deeds.”

Since the book came out I have been doing many workshops with school groups. We read together, and role-play, and talk about prejudice and standing up to bullies, and how to effect change. I am always amazed at how much kids “get it.” They instinctively know what is right and what is wrong, but they feel, and often are, powerless. Hopefully As Good As Anybody will help jump-start family and classroom discussions.

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As noted above, A is for Abraham: A Jewish Family Alphabet, is a Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category. Read an interaview with illustrator Ron Mazellan at Tales from the Rushmore Kid with blogger Tina Nichols Coury.

Here's a sampling of the interview:

TINA: When and why did you start illustrating children's books?

RON: My work as an illustrator began with working in advertising and the entertainment industry. I enjoyed the work but the art had little permanence. While illustrating children’s books, your work can have a shelf life. A great book has the possibility to last decades and inspire a family for years to come.

Read more...

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Tune in tomorrow for interviews with Valerie Zenatti (author of A Bottle in the Gaza Sea) at Lori Calabrese Writes and Jane Yolen (author of Naming Liberty) at The Boston Bibliophile. Remember, all interviews will remain archived online, so once they are posted you can read them any time.

Blog Tour Begins: Hesse & Siegal

2009-01-18T19:03:00.002-05:00

The Sydney Taylor Blog Tour got off to a good start today with interviews on the winners in the award's Older Readers Category: Karen Hesse and Aranka Siegal.

Brooklyn Bridge is the Sydney Taylor Book Award gold medalist in the Older Readers Category. Read an interview with author Karen Hesse at Jewish Books for Children with blogger Barbara Bietz.

Here's a sampling of the interview:

BARBARA: In Brooklyn Bridge you tell the story of Joe Michtom and his parents who created the Teddy Bear. What about their story inspired you?

KAREN: I’m always interested in exploring stories with Jewish themes. So when I came across the teddy bear entry in Bill Slaven’s book I was taken not only with the step-by-step description of the construction of a teddy bear (I really am fascinated by how things work, how things are made, etc), but with the back story, the story about how this beloved toy came into creation as a result of the inspired vision of an immigrant Jewish couple struggling to make a living in America. There are millions of immigrant stories and each one is a testament to individual courage and hope. I’m so fortunate that twice now immigrant stories have come to me at a time and in a way that I was able to receive them and make literature out of them.

Read more...

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Memories of Babi is the Sydney Taylor Honor Book silver medalist in the Older Readers Category. Read an interview with author Aranka Siegal at The Book of Life with blogger/podcaster Heidi Estrin.

Here's a sampling of the interview:

HEIDI: It's remarkable how clearly you are able to recall Babi and your childhood. Why do you think these early memories live on so strongly for you?

ARANKA: All through my internment in concentration camps I held on to my memories. These were my only identity left after all other recognition was stripped away. I would revisit Babi, listen to her voice and remember her teaching me the laws she had lived by and the things we did together. I would go over them often until, in my moments of fantasy I was back in the countryside of Komyat and be myself, instead of the skeletal figure with head shaved in a dirty, shapeless gray sack, wooden shoes, starving with hunger pains in Auschwitz, a place devoid of nature, surrounded by death.

Read more...

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Tune in tomorrow for interviews with Richard Michelson (author of As Good As Anybody; A is for Abraham) at The Well-Read Child, and Ron Mazellan (illustrator of A is for Abraham) at Tales from the Rushmore Kid.

Aranka Siegal Joins the Blog Tour

2009-01-14T16:58:00.003-05:00

Aranka Siegal, author of Memories of Babi, the Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Older Readers Category, will be appearing on our Blog Tour on Sunday, January 18 at The Book of Life!

Once again, here is an updated schedule for you:

Sunday, January 18, 2009
Karen Hesse, author of Brooklyn Bridge
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Jewish Books for Children

Sunday, January 18, 2009
Aranka Siegal, author of Memories of Babi
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Older Readers Category
at The Book of Life

Monday, January 19, 2009
Richard Michelson
Author of As Good As Anybody, Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
and
Author of A is for Abraham, Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at The Well-Read Child

Monday, January 19, 2009
Ron Mazellan, illustrator of A is for Abraham
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Tales from the Rushmore Kid

Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Valerie Zenatti, author of A Bottle in the Gaza Sea
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Teen Readers Category
at Lori Calabrese Writes

Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Jane Yolen, author of Naming Liberty
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at The Boston Bibliophile

Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Anna Levine
Author of Freefall, Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Teen Readers Category
and
Author of Jodie's Hanukkah Dig, Notable Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Abby (the) Librarian

Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Jim Burke, illustrator of Naming Liberty
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at The Page Flipper

Thursday, January 22, 2009
Jacqueline Jules, author of Sarah Laughs
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Chicken Spaghetti

Thursday, January 22, 2009
Natascia Ugliano, illustrator of Sarah Laughs
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Write for a Reader

Friday, January 23, 2009
Deborah Bodin Cohen, author of Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Becky's Book Reviews

Friday, January 23, 2009
Shahar Kober, illustrator of Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Into the Wardrobe

Additional Stops on the Blog Tour

2009-01-12T09:52:00.002-05:00

I am pleased to announce two additional stops on the Blog Tour! Valerie Zenatti, author of A Bottle in the Gaza Sea, will appear at Lori Calabrese Writes on Tuesday, January 20, and Natascia Ugliano, illustrator of Sarah Laughs, will appear on Write for a Reader on Thursday, January 22.

Here is a full, updated schedule for you:

Sunday, January 18, 2009
Karen Hesse, author of Brooklyn Bridge
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Jewish Books for Children

Monday, January 19, 2009
Richard Michelson
Author of As Good As Anybody, Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
and
Author of A is for Abraham, Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at The Well-Read Child

Monday, January 19, 2009
Ron Mazellan, illustrator of A is for Abraham
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Tales from the Rushmore Kid

Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Valerie Zenatti, author of A Bottle in the Gaza Sea
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Teen Readers Category
at Lori Calabrese Writes

Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Jane Yolen, author of Naming Liberty
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at The Boston Bibliophile

Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Anna Levine
Author of Freefall, Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Teen Readers Category
and
Author of Jodie's Hanukkah Dig, Notable Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Abby (the) Librarian

Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Jim Burke, illustrator of Naming Liberty
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at The Page Flipper

Thursday, January 22, 2009
Jacqueline Jules, author of Sarah Laughs
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Chicken Spaghetti

Thursday, January 22, 2009
Natascia Ugliano, illustrator of Sarah Laughs
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Write for a Reader

Friday, January 23, 2009
Deborah Bodin Cohen, author of Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Becky's Book Reviews

Friday, January 23, 2009
Shahar Kober, illustrator of Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Into the Wardrobe

Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour

2009-01-09T09:38:00.005-05:00

The Sydney Taylor Book Award will be celebrating and showcasing its 2009 gold and silver medalists with a Blog Tour! Here is the preliminary schedule:

Sunday, January 18, 2009
Karen Hesse, author of Brooklyn Bridge
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Jewish Books for Children

Monday, January 19, 2009
Richard Michelson
Author of As Good As Anybody, Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
and
Author of A is for Abraham, Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at The Well-Read Child

Monday, January 19, 2009
Ron Mazellan, illustrator of A is for Abraham
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Tales from the Rushmore Kid

Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Jane Yolen, author of Naming Liberty
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at The Boston Bibliophile

Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Anna Levine
Author of Freefall, Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Teen Readers Category
and
Author of Jodie's Hanukkah Dig, Notable Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Abby (the) Librarian

Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Jim Burke, illustrator of Naming Liberty
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at The Page Flipper

Thursday, January 22, 2009
Jacqueline Jules, author of Sarah Laughs
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Chicken Spaghetti

Friday, January 23, 2009
Deborah Bodin Cohen, author of Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Becky's Book Reviews

Friday, January 23, 2009
Shahar Kober, illustrator of Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride
Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Younger Readers Category
at Into the Wardrobe

Full List of 2009 Sydney Taylor Book Award Winners

2009-01-07T16:02:00.002-05:00

GOLD MEDALISTS

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Younger Readers:

As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom by Richard Michelson with illustrations by Raul Colon (Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books)

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Older Readers:

Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse (Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan)

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Teen Readers:

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea by Valerie Zenatti (Bloomsbury)

SILVER MEDALISTS

Sydney Taylor Honor Award Winners for Younger Readers:

Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride by Deborah Bodin Cohen with illustrations by Shahar Kober (Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)

Sarah Laughs by Jacqueline Jules with illustrations by Natascia Ugliano (Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)

A is for Abraham: A Jewish Family Alphabet by Richard Michelson with illustrations by Ron Mazellan (Sleeping Bear Press, an imprint of Gale)

Naming Liberty by Jane Yolen with paintings by Jim Burke (Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin)

Sydney Taylor Honor Award Winners for Older Readers:

Memories of Babi by Aranka Siegal (Farrar Straus and Giroux)

Sydney Taylor Honor Award Winner for Teen Readers:

Freefall by Anna Levine (Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)

NOTABLE BOOKS OF JEWISH CONTENT

Notable Books for Younger Readers:

Mysterious Guests: A Sukkot Story by Eric Kimmel with illustrations by Katya Krenina (Holiday House)

Jodie’s Hanukkah Dig by Anna Levine with illustrations by Knesia Topaz (Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)

Harvest of Light by Allison Ofanansky with photographs by Eliyahu Alpern (Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)

Sammy Spider’s First Shavuot by Sylvia Rouss with illustrations by Katherine Janus Kahn (Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)

My Tzitzis Book by Elisheva Schreiber with clay creations by Batsheva Ravad (Feldheim)

Hanukkah Haiku by Harriet Ziefert with illustrations by Karla Gudeon (Blue Apple Books)

Notable Books for Older Readers:

The Boy Who Dared: A Novel Based on the True Story of a Hitler Youth by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Scholastic Press)

The Walls of Cartegena by Julia Durango with illustrations by Tom Pohrt (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

Capturing the Moon by Rabbi Edward M. Feinstein (Behrman House)

Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass: Igniting the Nazi War Against Jews by Stephanie Fitzgerald (Compass Point Books)

My Chocolate Year by Charlotte Herman with illustrations by LeUyen Pham (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

The Mozart Question by Michael Morpurgo with illustrations by Michael Forman (Candlewick Press)

Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman by Marc Tyler Nobleman with illustrations by Ross McDonald (Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books)

The Bat-Chen Diaries: Selected Writings by Bat-Chen Shahak (Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)

Keeping Israel Safe: Serving in the Israel Defense Forces by Barbara Sofer (Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)

Honey Cake by Joan Betty Stuchner with illustrations by Cynthia Nugent (Random House, a Stepping Stone Book)

Notable Books for Teens:

Nothing by Robin Friedman (Flux)

Rutka’s Notebook: A Voice from the Holocaust by Rutka Laskier (Time, Inc. Home Entertainment)

Gravity by Leanne Lieberman (Orca Book Publishers)

The Freak by Carol Matas (Key Porter Books)

Notable Books for All Ages:

Genesis—the Book with Seventy Faces: A Guide for the Family by Esther Takac with illustrations by Anna Pignataro (Pitspopany Press)

Celebrating with Jewish Crafts by Rebecca Edid Ruzansky with photographs by Roberto Zeballos-Peralta (self-published)

2009 Sydney Taylor Book Awards Announced!

2009-01-07T15:16:00.004-05:00

Richard Michelson and Raul Colon, author and illustrator of As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom, Karen Hesse, author of Brooklyn Bridge, and Valerie Zenatti, author of A Bottle in the Gaza Sea, are the 2009 winners of the prestigious Sydney Taylor Book Award.

The Sydney Taylor Book Award honors new books for children and teens that exemplify the highest literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience. The award memorializes Sydney Taylor, author of the classic All-of-a-Kind Family series. The winners will receive their awards at the Association of Jewish Libraries convention in Chicago this July.

Michelson and Colon will receive the 2009 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Younger Readers Category for As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom, published by Alfred A. Knopf. Two very special clergymen, one a rabbi, the other an African-American reverend are raised in divergently different countries yet experience similar levels of persecution and bigotry that will one day bring them together. As colleagues in America’s struggle for civil rights, they march together from Selma to Montgomery in March 1965. Colon’s colored pencil and watercolor illustrations “offer a beautiful complement to the text, describing two unique paths from childhood to adult life – Martin’s in the rich, warm brown-tones of the American south and Abraham’s in cool blues and grays that reminded the illustrator of old World War II movies. When the two exemplary men join in their march for tolerance, the palettes merge in full color harmony,” comments Debbie Colodny, a member of the Award Committee. This book is recommended for grades 2-5.

Hesse will receive the 2009 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Older Readers Category for Brooklyn Bridge, published by Feiwel & Friends. While his family left the anti-Semitism of Russia to build the American dream, Joey Michtom’s dream is to visit the glittering Coney Island. “Crafting a story from the spark of a true event, the invention of the Teddy Bear in 1903, Hesse masterfully weaves multiple themes of hard-work, survival, homelessness, and familial dedication with interlocking and parallel stories of families who live reasonably well opposite those less fortunate living in the shadows below the imposing Brooklyn Bridge,” comments Rita Soltan, a member of the Award Committee. This book is recommended for grades 5-8. Hesse also won the 1992 Award for Older Readers for Letters from Rifka, and a 2004 Honor Award for Older Readers for The Cats in Kransinski Square.

Zenatti will receive the 2009 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Teen Readers Category for A Bottle in the Gaza Sea, published by Bloomsbury. “This story about the relationship between an Israeli girl, Tal, and a Palestinian boy, Naim, via e-mail and instant messaging, is honest but hopeful. Well-written and compelling, the tale of their relationship conveys the confusion, anger, exhaustion, and depression felt by many young people during the 2003 intifada,” comments Susan Berson, a member of the Award Committee. Zenatti’s memoir, When I Was a Soldier, was a 2005-6 AJL Notable Book for Older Readers.

Six Sydney Taylor Honor Books were named for 2009. For Younger Readers, Honor Books are: Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride by Deborah Bodin Cohen with illustrations by Shahar Kober (Kar-Ben), Sarah Laughs by Jacqueline Jules with illustrations by Natascia Ugliano (Kar-Ben), A is for Abraham: A Jewish Family Alphabet by Richard Michelson with illustrations by Ron Mazellan (Sleeping Bear Press) and Naming Liberty by Jane Yolen with paintings by Jim Burke (Philomel Books). Aranka Siegal’s Memories of Babi (Farrar Straus and Giroux) was named an Honor Book for Older Readers, and Freefall by Anna Levine (Greenwillow Books) was named an Honor Book in the Teen Reader Category.

In addition to the medal-winners, the Award Committee designated twenty-two Notable Books of Jewish Content for 2009: six in the Younger Readers Category, ten in the Older Readers Category, and four for Teens. Genesis—the Book with Seventy Faces: A Guide for the Family by Esther Takac with illustrations by Anna Pignataro (Pitspopany Press) and Celebrating with Jewish Crafts by Rebecca Edid Ruzansky with photographs by Roberto Zeballos-Peralta (self-published) impressed the Award Committee with their uniqueness and range. They have been designated Notable Books for all ages. Notable titles, and more information about the Sydney Taylor Book Award, may be found online at www.SydneyTaylorBookAward.org. Interviews with winning authors will be posted on prominent children’s literature blogs as part of a Blog Tour beginning on January 18, 2009; details will be posted here on the Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog.