Skipping Stones is an international, multicultural and nature awareness magazine for today’s youth, now in its 21st year. Their yearly Skipping Stones Honor Awards recognize books that "promote cooperation and cultivate an awareness of our diverse cultures. Together, [these books] encourage an understanding of the world’s diversity, ecological richness, respect for differing viewpoints and close relationships in human societies."
Richard Michelson, author of the 2009 Sydney Taylor Book Award winner As Good As Anybody and the 2009 Sydney Taylor Honor Book A is for Abraham (both in the Younger Readers category), has now been doubly honored. As Good As Anybody and A is for Abraham are both listed in the 2009 Skipping Stones Honor Awards! A hearty mazel tov to Richard!
Click here for the official announcement and the full list of winning titles, which includes children's books and teacher resources.
Showing posts with label 2009. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2009. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Anna Levine on SLJ Blog
Sydney Taylor Honor author Anna Levine (Freefall, 2009 Honor Book in the Teen Readers Category), appears today on School Library Journal on "Bowllan's Blog." Blogger Amy Bowllan has been running a very popular "Writers Against Racism" series of interviews, and we are very pleased to see her include Judaism in the mix.
In the interview, Anna says "I am a strong believer of the power that literature can have as a way of crossing cultural and linguistic borders. As writers, if we can envision and create worlds in which people co-exist then we can plant the seeds of change." Go, Anna!
To read the full interview, click here.
To visit Anna's website, go to www.annalevine.org.
And enjoy Anna's new book trailer for Freefall below!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Sydney Taylor Book Award Slide Show
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Two Interviews with Raul Colon
Raul & his lovely wife, with award certificateSocial media guru Mark Blevis was a presenter at the AJL convention, and while he was there he snagged some interviews for his own blog and podcast. Here are two interviews with Raul Colon, illustrator of the Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers category, As Good As Anybody by Richard Michelson.
Listen to Raul on the Just One More Book Podcast...
...and hear more from Raul at the markblevis.com blog.
Award Acceptance Speeches
A video of the Sydney Taylor Book Award acceptance speeches of Richard Michelson & Raul Colon (As Good As Anybody), made by award committee member Barbara Bietz, originally posted on her blog at barbarabbookblog.blogspot.com.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Publicity Opportunity at AJL Convention
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 & Sponsorships44th 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 | $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) | $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 |
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Interview with Richard Michelson
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?Click here to read the entire interview!
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.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
More Honors for Richard Michelson
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
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
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.
Press PLAY
Monday, February 16, 2009
Interview with Esther Takac
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?Click here to read the entire interview!
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.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Black History Month, Jewish Style
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.
Press PLAY
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Great Minds Think Alike
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
As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King Jr and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March Toward Freedom by Richard Michelson, illustrated by Raul Colon
Hanukkah Haiku by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Karla Gudeon
Memories of Babi by Aranka Siegal
Genesis: The Book with Seventy Faces, A Guide for the Family by Esther Takac, illustrated by Anna Pignataro
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
Monday, January 26, 2009
An Interview with the Sydney Taylor Awards Chair
PRESS PLAY
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!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Blog Touring with Cohen & Kober
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...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
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 Chicken 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...
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...
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.
Read an interview with author Jacqueline Jules at Chicken 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...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Blog Touring with Levine & Burke
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...
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...
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.
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...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Blog Touring with Yolen & Zenatti
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.
Read more...
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.
Read more...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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!
Read more...
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!
Read more...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
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.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Blog Touring with Michelson & Mazellan
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.
Read more...
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...
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.
Read more...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Blog Tour Begins: Hesse & Siegal
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...
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...
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...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Aranka Siegal Joins the Blog Tour
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
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
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