The Book of Life: Jewish Kidlit (Mostly)

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2024/07/espionage-secrets-suspense-holocaust.html

Two incredible authors, Adam Gidwitz and Steve Sheinkin, joined me to talk about their most recent books, Max in the House of Spies and Impossible Escape. As many listeners know, I tend to avoid Holocaust books because I've kind of overdosed on them during a long career of working with Jewish children's literature... but both of these books are SO good that I couldn't ignore them. Max in the House of Spies is middle grade historical fantasy fiction and Impossible Escape is young adult nonfiction. They are very different books, but they also make a great pairing... as do Adam and Steve, who are friends in real life. Impossible Escape was a 2024 Sydney Taylor Honor Book (young adult category). It remains to be seen whether Max in the House of Spies will become an award winner, but it seems likely to me!

LEARN MORE:

• Transcript of interview
• Adam Gidwitz's website
• Steve Sheinkin's website
• Adam recommends An Account Rendered by Melita Maschmann, and Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport, a documentary film and book by Mark Jonathan Harris and Deborah Oppenheimer
• Adam's podcast Grim, Grimmer, Grimmest
• Steve's YouTube show Author-Fan Face-Off
• Adam's Sydney Taylor Book Award winner (middle grade category): The Inquisitor's Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog | 2017 podcast interview about Inquisitor's Tale

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Book of Life is now available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@bookoflifepodcast

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2024/06/joyful-song-with-leslea-newman-susan-gal.html

Joyful Song: A Naming Story is Lesléa Newman's newest picture book, and once again she's paired up with the amazing Susan Gal. This dynamic duo brought us Here Is the World in 2014 and Welcoming Elijah in 2020. Their new 2024 book is about a baby naming at synagogue, and about the diverse and loving community that welcomes the little girl into the world. The two-mom family makes it a great book for Pride Month, too.

LEARN MORE:

• Transcript of interview
• Lesléa Newman's website
• Susan Gal's website
• Susan's other Jewish book, The Tower of Life by Chana Stiefel
• Roller Coaster Rabbit, the Disney film Susan worked on
• Heidi's Jewish kidlit wish list
• Lesléa's past appearances on The Book of Life:
  • Welcoming Elijah, 2020
  • Social Justice and Jewish Children's Books, 2018
  • Ketzel and Mom, 2016
  • Here Is the World, 2015

JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, Friends & Allies Edition: May 2024 daily reading recommendations

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2024/05/ruth-behar-on-across-so-many-seas.html

• Transcript of interview
• Ruth Behar's website
• Playlist of music from Across So Many Seas
• Educator's Guide to Across So Many Seas
• Buy Across So Many Seas
• Ruth's tikkun olam suggestion: The American Ladino League
• Ruth's Sephardic reading recommendations: * board book Mazal Bueno by past podcast guest Sarah Aroeste * graphic novel We Are Not Strangers by Josh Tuininga * novel Kantika by Elizabeth Graver * nonfiction One Hundred Saturdays: Stella Levi and the Search for a Lost World by Michael Frank
• Ruth's documentary film Adio Kerida - rent for $3.99 on Vimeo

JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH: See daily reading recommendations!

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2024/04/project-shema.html

As you may remember, in December 2023 I participated in The Artists Against Antisemitism auction, which raised funds for Project Shema. Today we'll talk with April Powers, Vice President of Diversity Equity and Inclusion at Project Shema, to learn more about their mission and how it can help us kidlit folks.

LEARN MORE:

• Transcript of interview
• Project Shema
• Jewbian Princess
• "Skin in the Game: How Antisemitism Animates White Nationalism" article by Eric K. Ward
• Reading suggestions: The Source by James Michener, The Assignment by Liza Wiemer

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-miracle-seed.html The Miracle Seed is Martin Lemelman's nonfiction graphic novel about how modern science brought the Judean date palm back to life after a thousand year extinction. We met in person at the local public library's recording studio to talk about his book, his art, and the truly amazing story of how seeds found at an archaeological dig at Masada in Israel were able to be germinated after centuries, and about the significance of the Judean date palm in Jewish history. LEARN MORE: Martin Lemelman's websites TwoCentComics.com and LemelmanArt.com The Arava Institute Graphic novel about Martin's mother: Mendel's Daughter Graphic memoir: Two Cents Plain: My Brooklyn Boyhood Book and film: The Tattooed Torah Another recent Israel-related interview: Noa Nimrodi on Not So Shy

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-2024-sydney-taylor-book-awards.html

The winners of the 2024 Sydney Taylor Book Awards, recognizing the best Jewish children's and young adult literature of the year, were announced on January 22, 2024 at the American Library Association's Youth Media Awards event. Aviva Rosenberg is the current chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee, and she joined us to discuss the 2024 winners of the award.

LEARN MORE:

• Sydney Taylor Book Awards
• ALA's Youth Media Awards (where the Sydney Taylors are announced)
• ALA's YouTube channel, where you can watch a recording of the announcement
• Heidi's unofficial 2024 Sydney Taylor shortlist
• Aviva's recommendation for an Israel-related book: The Miracle Seed by Martin Lemelman
• Aviva's Tikkun Olam suggestion: buy Israeli products! A helpful Facebook group is Israeli Shops to Purchase From
• Read the Transcript

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-artists-against-antisemitism-auction.html

The Artists Against Antisemitism is a new organization formed to give creatives of all kinds a way to fight anti-Jewish hate. Their very first action is to hold an auction, happening December 15-22, 2023. The auction will benefit Project Shema, which trains and supports the Jewish community and allies to understand and address contemporary antisemitism, especially on college campuses. EVEN IF YOU MISS THE AUCTION - you can still help!

Debbie Reed Fischer, one of the founding members of Artists Against Antisemitism, joined me to tell us all about it.

LEARN MORE:

• Bid in the auction: bit.ly/KeepTheLightGoing23
• TheArtistsAgainstAntisemitism.com
• ProjectShema.org
• Debbie Reed Fischer's website
• Read the transcript

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2023/12/hanukkah-upside-down.html

In September 2023, I zoomed with Elissa Brent Weissman from across the world, to record an interview about her new picture book, Hanukkah Upside Down. It's the story of a cousin in New York and a cousin in New Zealand, and how they connect during this wintertime AND summertime holiday.

LEARN MORE:

• Read the transcript
• Buy or borrow Hanukkah Upside Down
• Elissa Brent Weissman's website
• Illustrator Omer Hoffman's website

BONUS HANUKKAH FUN:

• #JewishJoy posts
• Interview: The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming
• Hanukkah Book Bingo

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2023/11/two-tribes.html

Emily Bowen Cohen is a Jewish member of the Muscogee Nation. Her debut graphic novel, Two Tribes, explores the complexities that come with having a dual identity. I can't think of a better book to read in November, which is both Jewish Book Month and Native American Heritage Month.

LEARN MORE:

• Read the transcript
• Buy or borrow Two Tribes
• Emily Bowen Cohen's website and Instagram
• Emily's Tikkun Olam suggestion: Be'chol Lashon
• Emily's Israel book suggestion: Lon-Lon's Big Night by Miri Leshem-Pelly
• Heartdrum imprint at HarperCollins
• Jewish Book Month
• Native American Heritage Month

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2023/10/we-need-israel-books.html

Like so many of you, I am devastated by the suffering and loss of life in Israel and in Gaza, inflicted by the terrorism of Hamas, so I'm interrupting our regular schedule to bring you additional content related to the war in Israel and Gaza. This conversation with Yael Levy, Chava Pinchuck, and Marjorie Gann is about the need for children's literature related to Israel and the challenges that make it hard to get that literature published. A transcript can be found here.

Please click on the SHOW NOTES to find extensive links for these topics:

• Learn More About Publishing and Israel
• Books Recommended by Guests
• Books NOT Recommended
• Books & Projects by Guests
• Organizations Accepting Donations
• Learn More About the War