Liz Kleinrock and Caroline Kusin Pritchard’s new book WHAT JEWISH LOOKS LIKE (HarperCollins, 2024) illustrated by Iris Gottlieb, features thirty-six short biographies of diverse Jewish people, ranging from prominent artists to actors, athletes, and more. The authors emphasize how these…
I am pleased to present my interview with Dr. Edith Eva Eger to discuss THE BALLERINA OF AUSCHWITZ (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2024), a YA edition of her award-winning memoir THE CHOICE: EMBRACE THE POSSIBLE. In the book, Dr. Eger…
ENDURING QUESTIONS: USING CHILDREN’S LITERATURE IN CLASSROOMS (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2022) by David Bloome, Evelyn B. Freeman, Rosemary Horowitz, and Laurie Katz is an educational text that guides teachers on how to use Jewish children’s books that explore history,…
Vesper Stamper’s book AMAZING ABE: HOW ABRAHAM CAHAN’S NEWSPAPER GAVE A VOICE TO JEWISH IMMIGRANTS (Holiday House, 2024) written by the late Norman H. Finkelstein tells the story of Abraham Cahan, who founded the influential Yiddish newspaper The Forward, which…
Ann Koffksy’s nonfiction picture book PING-PONG SHABBAT: THE TRUE STORY OF CHAMPION ESTEE ACKERMAN (Little Bee Books, 2024), illustrated by Abigail Rajunov tells the story of Estee Ackerman, a talented young Ping-Pong champion. When a big competition that could earn…
Richard Michelson’s picture book biography ONE OF A KIND: THE LIFE OF SYDNEY TAYLOR (Calkins Creek, 2024) illustrated by Sarah Green, tells the life story of Sydney Taylor, author of the iconic ALL-OF-A-KIND FAMILY book series. Sydney Taylor is a…
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 her new picture book biography from the Little Golden Books series titled IRIS APFEL: A LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK BIOGRAPHY (Golden Books, 2023) illustrated by Ellen Surrey, Deborah Blumenthal introduces readers to Iris Apfel, a beloved fashion icon, designer, and…
Martin Lemelman’s graphic novel for young readers, THE MIRACLE SEED (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2023), tells the remarkable true story of modern scientists rediscovering an ancient Judean date palm seed. In a perfect melding of history and science, the…
In ONLY KIDDING! MY FIRST BOOK OF JEWISH JOKES (Ideastrator Press), author/illustrator Sari Kopitnikoff offers jokes, riddles, and puns with a Jewish twist. Supplemented with colorful graphic illustrations, the playful jokes emphasize things like traditional foods, Jewish values, holidays, and…