ELIJAH’S TEARS: STORIES FOR THE JEWISH HOLIDAYS (Pelican Publishing) by Sydelle Pearl features five unique stories for Jewish holidays featuring the prophet Elijah. Incorporating traditional Jewish folklore, each story illuminates the spiritual essence of the holidays. Rossitza Skortcheva’s ethereal black and white illustrations are a perfect pairing for the text. Originally published in 1996, ELIJAH’S TEARS is now available in paperback and received a 2025 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award. I am delighted to learn more about this collection and Sydelle’s writing and publication process. Welcome, Sydelle!
How did you come to the idea of a book of short stories about Elijah?
The summer of 1990, after being in Israel for about nine months, I wrote my story, “The Tallis,” in the attic of my parents’ home in NJ. I was filled with wonder about how the story came to me and began to send it off to publishers. One publisher, Beacon Press, in Boston, MA, sent me a letter saying that they were quite interested in publishing it but needed to clarify their funding situation and would get back in touch in six months. Six months later, the editor wrote back to say that funding for their children’s book imprint had been eliminated. The last line of the letter went something like this: “We apologize for this awkward state of affairs and thank you for sharing your fine work with us.”
I shared my challenge to find a publisher with children’s author, Cynthia Rylant, and sent her a copy of “The Tallis.” She wrote back! Her words uplifted me. She said that she did not read what people sent her—she was too afraid of having to be honest and hurting them. She said that she believed if a piece was beautiful, it would find a publisher. She also said that the story seemed long to her and if I could not cut it substantially then she suggested I consider creating other stories that centered around a similar theme.
About a year or two later, while living in the Boston area, I had the opportunity to tell stories at a synagogue to children in the religious school with the theme of “Torah.” I poured over many stories—the library at Hebrew College in Brookline, MA had a wonderful collection of Jewish folktales—but I could not find the stories I loved enough to tell and so I decided to create my own. I told my story, “Elijah’s Tears”, without explaining that I had created it because I wanted to gauge the reaction of the children and their teachers. The teachers were as attentive as the children and I overheard one of them say that they had heard the story from an aunt; another had heard it from their grandmother. I exulted in their words since they believed my own story was a traditional Jewish folktale, which was the ultimate compliment to me. And the children, without a word, magically rose en masse and went to look at the Torah, which was right in the room with us. They were searching for a pearl. It was one of the most moving moments of my life…
The synagogue invited me back to tell stories—this time on the theme of “Shabbat.” I returned to the Hebrew College library to steep myself in the old, traditional folktales and, once again, could not find a story that I loved enough to tell, and so decided to create my own.
While sitting on a crowded bus, I was overcome with the urge to write a story and reached for the back of an envelope I happened to have in my pocketbook. I had to pause to move my body so the person sitting beside me could get up. I was amazed when he handed me a crisp yellow legal pad and said something like, “This is for another great story!” And then he stepped off the bus! I never got a look at him. It was as though I had an encounter with the prophet Elijah who visited me when I needed paper to write on. The story that emerged from that experience was “Leaves.”
I kept sending out my stories. Heeding Cynthia Rylant’s suggestion, I created more stories with a connection to the prophet Elijah and continued in my publishing quest. Now I understood that the old man in my story, “The Tallis,” was really the prophet Elijah.
When I learned that my father was dying of cancer, his ebbing life made me acutely aware of my own mortality. I realized I had to do something very daring to help myself become published. I decided to create my own storytelling audiotape and then I would submit it to respected journals and hope for a stellar review. As a children’s librarian, I often consulted journals such as Booklist to help me with my ordering. This was the journal that gave me the stellar review for my audiotape, “Elijah’s Tears and Other Stories about the Prophet Elijah.” It was very important for me to have a glossary in the jacket notes and then in my book, to make my stories accessible to everyone.
Did you need to do any research in order to create the short stories in the book? Why do you think it’s important for young readers to know about Elijah. Why is he important to you?
I did not do intentional research on the prophet Elijah before writing my stories. I believe my main education was to steep myself in reading Jewish folktales. When my collection was complete, I did a lot of research to understand how the prophet Elijah is featured in Jewish liturgy and folklore. The distillation of what I learned appears in my preface of Elijah’s Tears: Stories for the Jewish Holidays. One book that was particularly important to me in my research journey was Elijah: A Study in Jewish Folklore by Samuel Michael Segal, published by Behrman in 1935.
The prophet Elijah in 1Kings and 2 Kings is strict and zealous, whereas the prophet Elijah of the folk imagination has been transformed into a softer, kinder, and gentler prophet–the way the Jews needed and wanted him to be. I am moved to know that my Elijah’s Tears contributes to the ever-evolving folklore about the prophet Elijah.
Elijah stories reveal a great truth about life—that things are often not what they seem to be. Acts of kindness abound in these tales. We need to emphasize empathy and acts of kindness, now more than ever.
What were your thoughts when you saw the illustrations and cover by Rossitza Skortcheva?
My book was first published by Henry Holt and Company in 1996, a little more than one year after my father’s death and about a year and a half after the stellar review in Booklist. My editor, Christy Ottaviano, used to send me FedEx envelopes containing editorial notes about my stories. I rode the T to Copley Square, collected the envelopes at the local FedEx, and walked with a great sense of excitement and ceremony to a nearby fancy hotel, where I opened up the envelopes as I sat upon a huge throne-like chair that seemed to be trimmed with gold.
The first time I saw the cover I was filled with surprise and delight and yet, I felt mournful because my own images in my head of the characters disappeared upon seeing Rossitza’s creations.
Thank you, Sydelle!
Sydelle Pearl has a background as a children’s librarian, professional storyteller, and teaching artist. She has published award-winning books in genres including folktales, historical fiction, and biography. Sydelle currently lives in the Washington DC area. Her website is www.storypearls.com.