It is my pleasure to welcome author Lesléa Newman and illustrator Susan Gal. In their picture book, JOYFUL SONG: A NAMING STORY (Levine Querido, 2024), Zachary eagerly awaits his sister’s baby naming ceremony. Along with his moms, he excitedly invites…
Laced with humor and heart, Alan Silberberg‘s alphabet board book P IS FOR PASTRAMI: The ABCs of Jewish Food (Viking, 2024) is a fun-filled, delicious exploration of Jewish cuisine. Charming anthropomorphic food illustrations and clever, quippy dialogue bubbles will engage…
In father-daughter team Phil and Lily Rosenthal’s new picture book JUST TRY IT! (Simon & Schuster, 2024), illustrated by Luke Flowers, Dad Phil is an adventurous eater, while his young daughter Lil is picky, sticking to only a couple of…
In Rebecca Gardyn Levington’s picture book AFIKOMAN, WHERE’D YOU GO? A PASSOVER HIDE-AND-SEEK ADVENTURE (Rocky Pond Books, 2023) illustrated by Noa Kelner, youngsters at a seder turn a home upside down trying to find the elusive afikoman. The illustrations are…
Julie Carpenter’s picture book HARRY AND THE HIGHWIRE: HOUDINI’S FIRST AMAZING ACT (Green Bean Books, 2024), beautifully illustrated by Laura Catalán, is a delightful story about young Harry Houdini, before he was known as a famous escape artist. The book…
Barbara Krasner‘s new verse YA novel FACING THE ENEMY: HOW A NAZI YOUTH CAMP IN AMERICA TESTED A FRIENDSHIP (Calkins Creek, 2024) follows teens Benjy and Tommy through the demise of their friendship when Tommy attends a Nazi youth camp.…
Rachelle Burk’s picture book biography SPACE TORAH: ASTRONAUT JEFFREY HOFFMAN’S COSMIC MITZVAH (Intergalactic Afikoman, 2024), illustrated by Craig Orback, tells the story of Jewish astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman, who took meaningful religious items with him on the space shuttle. The book…
In Orit Bergman’s picture book SIMON SAYS GOODNIGHT (Amazon Crossing Kids, 2023), translated by Annette Appel, a boy named Simon isn’t ready to go to sleep. Tucked in bed and inspired by the game Simon Says, young Simon uses his…
I am delighted to be a stop on the 2024 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour! The Sydney Taylor Book Award is presented annually to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience. Presented by the…
In K. Marcus’s picture book FRANKENSTEIN’S MATZAH: A PASSOVER PARODY (Intergalactic Afikomen, 2024), illustrated by Sam Loman, a youngster named Vee uses science to bring a matzah to life for the school science fair. With a fun graphic comic-style format,…