Today we hear from all of our gold medalists! Mazel tov to each one of them!


Michael Rosen, author of Chanukah Lights
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at A Chair, a Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy

Robert Sabuda, illustrator/paper engineer of Chanukah Lights
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Practically Paradise

Susan Goldman Rubin, author of Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Cynsations

Robert Sharenow, author of The Berlin Boxing Club
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Teen Readers Category
at Jewish Books for Children

Yesterday we got a little confused by the time difference between Singapore (the location of our blogger at Gathering Books) and the US, where the Blog Tour is based. However, we NOW have for you the interview with Anne Timmons and Mo Oh, the illustrators of Lily Renee, Escape Artist by Trina Robbins, a 2012 Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Older Readers category.

Please enjoy the interview here at the "Behind the Books" section of Gathering Books!

It's Day 3 of the exciting Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour! Today we hear from the creators of an innovative graphic novel biography about a Holocaust survivor who became a comics artist, and we hear about the second installment in Morris Gleitzman's series of sensitive Holocaust novels.


Trina Robbins, author of Lily Renee, Escape Artist: From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Bildungsroman

Anne Timmons  and Mo Oh, illustrators of of Lily Renee, Escape Artist: From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Gathering Books
[Note: This is Gathering Books' "Nonfiction Monday." review of Lily Renee. The interview with the illustrators will be posted later.]

Morris Gleitzman, author of Then
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Teen Readers Category
at The 3 R's

Welcome to Day 2 of the 2012 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour! Today we'll hear from the author and illustrator of Irena's Jar of Secrets, a picture book biography of Irena Sendler, "a righteous gentile" who saved Jewish lives during the Holocaust.


Marcia Vaughan, author of Irena's Jar of Secrets
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Shelf-Employed

Ron Mazellan, illustrator of Irena's Jar of Secrets
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at The Children's War

We are thrilled to kick off the 2012 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour today! All week long, we will be bringing you interviews with award-winning authors and illustrators, hosted on various blogs around the web. Thanks to all the bloggers for hosting tour stops! Readers, please feel free to leave comments on the participating blogs and to spread the word about these fascinating interviews!

Today we hear from two authors and an illustrator.

Susan Campbell Bartoletti, author of Naamah and the Ark at Night
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Ima On & Off the Bima

Holly Meade, illustrator of Naamah and the Ark at Night
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
at Into the Wardrobe

Shelley Sommer, author of Hammerin' Hank Greenberg, Baseball Pioneer
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
at Great Kid Books

Enjoy!

Sydney Taylor Award Winners – Wrap-Up
All winners, all categories
at The Whole Megillah

Michael J. Rosen and Robert Sabuda, author and artist of Chanukah Lights, Susan Goldman Rubin, author of Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein, and Robert Sharenow, author of The Berlin Boxing Club, are the 2012 winners of the prestigious Sydney Taylor Book Award. The awards were announced at the mid-winter meeting of the School, Synagogue and Community Center Division of the Association of Jewish Libraries.

The Sydney Taylor Book Award honors new books for children and teens that exemplify the highest literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience. The award memorializes Sydney Taylor, author of the classic All-of-a-Kind Family series. The winners will receive their awards at the Association of Jewish Libraries convention in Pasadena, California this June.

Rosen and Sabuda will receive the 2012 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Younger Readers Category for Chanukah Lights, published by Candlewick Press. This exquisite book celebrates Jewish history by pairing poetic prose with intricate paper cut pop-up art. Barbara Bietz, Chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, said: “From the shtetl to skyscrapers, the white pop-up scenes against a background of deep rainbow colors illuminate Jewish life for the eight nights of Chanukah. Together, children and adults will marvel at the stunning scenes that magically unfold with each turn of the page.”

The gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Older Readers Category will be presented to Susan Goldman Rubin for Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein, published by Charlesbridge Publishing. This biography shares the inspiring story of the young musician and his commitment to succeed in spite of his family’s opposition. Through hard work, determination and a spirit that won’t quit, Bernstein’s dream is realized as he takes the stage as a conductor at Carnegie Hall. Numerous photos help bring Bernstein’s journey to life. Committee member Barbara Krasner commented: “Music Was It shows the struggle between the old and new worlds - the immigrant generation and the American generation. Susan Goldman Rubin's well-researched and polished narrative was filled with tension that today's kids can relate to.”

In 2000, Goldman Rubin received the Sydney Taylor Honor Award for Fireflies in the Dark: The Story of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis. Her book, The Cat with the Yellow Star: Coming of Age in Terezin, was a 2006 Sydney Taylor Honor Book.

Robert Sharenow will receive the 2012 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Teen Readers Category for The Berlin Boxing Club, published by HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishing. This historical novel reveals the history of Nazi Germany through the eyes of Karl Stern, a typical 14-year-old German boy. Karl never gave much thought to being Jewish and had little connection with any religious life. When classmates bully Karl, he is forced to face the dangers in his own community. Given the opportunity to learn boxing from German champion Max Schmeling, Karl jumps at the chance. He grows strong and learns to defend himself. But as the Nazi’s gain power and his family is in peril, Karl questions who he can trust. Aimee Lurie, incoming Chair of the Award Committee noted: “The superb writing, meticulous research, and dramatic look into the world of boxing pack a punch that will leave teens mesmerized! Readers will be captivated and inspired by Karl's transformation from being the victim of anti-semitic violence to a strong, confident young man who is able to protect his family.”

Eight Sydney Taylor Honor Books were named for 2012. Naamah and the Ark at Night by Susan Campbell Bartoletti with illustrations by Holly Meade (Candlewick Press) and Around the World in One Shabbat written and illustrated by Durga Yael Bernhard (Jewish Lights Publishing) are recognized in the Younger Readers Category. Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Older Readers include: Lily Renee, Escape Artist: from Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer by Trina Robbins with illustrations by Anne Timmons and Mo Oh (Graphic Universe, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.), Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg: Baseball Pioneer by Shelley Sommer (Calkins Creek, an imprint Boyds Mills Press), and Irena’s Jars of Secrets by Marcia Vaughan with illustrations by Ron Mazellan (Lee & Low Books). For teen readers, the Honor Books are Then by Morris Gleitzman (Henry Holt and Company) and The Blood Lie by Shirley Reva Vernick (Cinco Puntos Press).

In addition to the medal-winners, the Award Committee designated eighteen Notable Books of Jewish Content for 2012.

# # #



THE 2012 SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARDS
ANNOUNCED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH LIBRARIES


The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Younger Readers:
Chanukah Lights by Michael J. Rosen with artwork by Robert Sabuda
(Candlewick Press)


The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Older Readers:
Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein by Susan Goldman Rubin
(Charlesbridge Publishing)


The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Teen Readers:
The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow
(Harper Teen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)



Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Younger Readers:
Naamah and the Ark at Night by Susan Campbell Bartoletti with illustrations by Holly Meade
(Candlewick Press)
Around the World in One Shabbat written and illustrated by Durga Yael Bernhard
(Jewish Lights Publishing)


Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Older Readers:
Lily Renee, Escape Artist: from Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer
 by Trina Robbins with illustrations by Anne Timmons and Mo Oh
(Graphic Universe, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.)
Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg: Baseball Pioneer by Shelley Sommer
(Calkins Creek, an imprint Boyds Mills Press)
Irena’s Jars of Secrets by Marcia Vaughan with illustrations by Ron Mazellan
(Lee & Low Books)


Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Teen Readers:
Then by Morris Gleitzman
(Henry Holt and Company)
The Blood Lie by Shirley Reva Vernick
(Cinco Puntos Press)

Notable Books for Younger Readers:
Picnic at Camp Shalom by Jacqueline Jules with illustrations by Debbie Melmon
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group)
The Golem’s Latkes by Eric A. Kimmel with illustrations by Aaron Jasinski
(Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books)
Joseph and the Sabbath Fish by Eric A. Kimmel with illustrations by Martina Peluso
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group)
Sadie’s Sukkah Breakfast by Jamie Korngold with illustrations by Julie Fortenberry
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group)
The Shabbat Princess by Amy Meltzer with illustrations by Martha Aviles
 (Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group)
Lipman Pike: America’s First Home Run King by Richard Michelson with illustrations by Zachary Pullen
(Sleeping Bear Press, an imprint of Gale)
The Littlest Mountain by Barb Rosenstock with illustrations by Melanie Hall
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group)
I Will Come Back for You: A Family in Hiding during World War II by Marisabina Russo
(Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House)
Marcel Marceau: Master of Mime by Gloria Spielman with illustrations by Manon Gauthtier
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group)
One Little Chicken by Elka Weber with illustrations by Elisa Kleven
(Tricycle Press, an imprint of Random House)


Notable Books for Older Readers:
The Mishkan: Its Structure and Its Sacred Vessels by Rabbi Avrohom Biderman
(Artscroll/Mesorah Publication)
Flesh & Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy by Albert Marrin
(Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House)
The Cats in the Doll Shop by Yona Zeldis McDonough with illustrations by Heather Maione
(Viking, an imprint of the Penguin Group (USA) Inc.)
When Life Gives You OJ by Erica S. Perl
(Knopf Books for Young Readers)
Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto by Susan Goldman Rubin
with illustrations by Bill Fransworth (Holiday House)
Terezin: Voices from the Holocaust by Ruth Thomson
(Candlewick Press)


Notable Books for Teens:
OyMG  by Amy Fellner Dominy
(Walker & Company)
Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto  by Paul Janeczko
(Candlewick Press)

In January 2012, Aimee Lurie will be the new committee chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee. Aimee has over ten years experience as a librarian working with children and young adults in northeast Ohio. Currently, she is the librarian at The Anne Frank Library in for The Agnon School, a community day school in Beachwood, Ohio that serves children from preschool through 8th grade.   Aimee is active in the Association of Jewish Libraries Greater Cleveland Chapter and reviews books for the AJL national newsletter.  

New committee member include Charna Gross and Diane Rauchwerger. Charna has been a teacher since 1975, and a school librarian since 2000. A Los Angeles native, Charna is currently the school librarian at Sinai Akiba Academy. She has lived on three continents and speaks English, French and Spanish.  

Diane has been the librarian for Congregation Beth Am, Los Altos Hills, CA from 1990 to the present. She is the author of the Dinosaur series published by Kar-Ben Publishing (Dinosaur on Shabbat, Dinosaur on Hanukkah and Dinosaur on Passover.  Dinosaur Goes to Israel will be out this spring).

The committee is excited to welcome Diane and Charna!  

Other members of the committee include Debbie Feder, Barbara Krasner, Nancy Silverrod, Barbara Bietz (Past President) and Kathe Pinchuck (Compiler). The committee sends a hearty thank you to Heidi Estrin, Rachel Kamin, and Rita Soltan who completed their service this year.    

The Association of Jewish Libraries and Ben Yehuda Press are pleased to announce the joint publication of The Association of Jewish Libraries Guide to Yiddish Short Stories by Bennett Muraskin. This is the first such cooperative publishing effort between the two organizations, both of whom are strong advocates for Judaic literature.  

The Guide to Yiddish Short Stories is a gateway into the rich world of Yiddish literature that began in the 19th century. It provides an annotated summary of more than 130 stories available in English translation, from the classics of Sholem Aleichem and Mendele Moycher Sforim to those written by Holocaust survivors in post-war America. For each story there is a bibliographical listing of where it can be found, both in English and the original Yiddish.  

Arranged topically, the Guide can help readers or educators select stories centered around themes including: Jewish holidays, questioning God's justice, the struggle of workers, ethics and piety, life in the shtetl, the curse of poverty, moral choices, anti-Semitism, parents and children, marriage, and spirituality. The Guide further provides biographical sketches of the 43 authors whose works are featured in this volume.  

Author Benett Muraskin is the adult education director of the Jewish Cultural School and Society in West Orange, NJ. He is the author of Let Justice Well Up Like Water: Progressive Jews from Hillel to Helen Suzman (2004), Humanist Readings in Jewish Folklore (2001), a co-author of Celebrating Jewish Holidays: An Introduction for Secular Jewish Families and Their Communities (2002) along with Lawrence Schofer and Judith Seid. He contributed a chapter on “Jewish Secularism” to Peace, Justice and Jews: Reclaiming Our Tradition, edited by Murray Polner and Stefan Merken (2007). He is a columnist for Jewish Currents and Outlook (Canada) and a regular contributor to Humanistic Judaism. His articles have also appeared in Israel Horizons.  

“Bennett Muraskin’s book fills a niche that has been missing in the Yiddish community. An excellent resource for teachers, program directors and students of Yiddish literature,” says Philip Kutner, past vice president, International Association of Yiddish Clubs.  

The Association of Jewish Libraries Guide to Yiddish Short Stories is available for $14.95 on the Ben Yehuda Press Web site at http://www.benyehudapress.com/catalog/muraskin_ajl/ and at other online retailers.  

AJL members are an erudite bunch. Just this week, three articles have been published in various journals representing the expertise of AJL librarians.

Rachel Leket-Mor, President of AJL's RAS Division and Jewish Studies Librarian at Arizona State University Libraries, manages an enormous collection of Israeli chapbooks called IsraPulp. A detailed and enthusiastic article about the collection appears in ASU News at http://asunews.asu.edu/20111209_IsraPulp, and there is an associated podcast interview with Leket-Mor at http://lib.asu.edu/librarychannel/2008/10/10/ep83_israpulp.

Kathe Pinchuck, AJL's Development Chair and Secretary of the SSC Division, has authored an article in NewCAJE's online journal The Jewish Educator. "Rosh Pina: The Judaica Librarian as Cornerstone of Lifelong Jewish Learning," is the lead article in the journal's Fall 2011 issue and can be downloaded as a PDF at http://thejewisheducator.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/the-jewish-educator-fall-2011-05_pinchuk.pdf.

Heidi Estrin, AJL's Vice-President/President-Elect, has contributed an article to School Library Journal's "Focus On" column. She was invited to write about celebrations and festivals, and created a recommended reading list on Jewish and other observances called "A Calendar of Holidays." The article can be seen in School Library Journal's print magazine as well as online at http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/printissue/currentissue/892545-427/celebrations_and_festivals_a_calendar.html.csp.

Jewish Book Month is an annual event dedicated to the celebration of Jewish books. It is observed during the month before Hanukkah.

The Southern California Chapter is pleased to announce the publication of its new downloadable bibliographies for Jewish Book Month 2011. We encourage you to download, print, and distribute as many as you would like. We have included recently published, recommended books of Jewish interest for both children and adults. The adults brochure also contains new DVDs. The chapter is willing to mail brochures to anyone interested. For more information, please contact Lisa Silverman. 

The host of this month's Jewish Book Carnival is Leah Berkenwald over at Jewesses With Attitude, the blog of the Jewish Women's Archive. Thanks very much to Leah and JWA for hosting and to all the many bloggers who contributed links to make this a successful Carnival. 

Visit http://jwa.org/blog/jewish-book-carnival-november-2011 to find all the links. You'll find lots of fascinating interviews, book recommendations, reviews, and book-related ponderings.

Feel free to share the links and to leave comments for the bloggers. We'll see you again next month for another Jewish Book Carnival!

The host of this month's Jewish Book Carnival is Amy Meltzer over at Homeshuling. Thanks very much to Amy for hosting and to all the many bloggers who contributed links to make this a successful Carnival.

Visit http://blog.beliefnet.com/homeshuling/2011/10/jewish-book-carnival-sukkot-october-edition.html to find all the links. You'll see book reviews, interviews, musings and ponderings, and even a holiday coloring page!

Feel free to share the links and to leave comments for the bloggers. We'll see you again next month for another Jewish Book Carnival!

Two positions on the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee will be available beginning January 1, 2012. Applicants should be members of AJL, familiar with the scope of Judaic children's literature, experienced in writing critical reviews, willing and able to read and review over 120 books during the course of a year, and able to meet deadlines. Committee members are expected to attend annual conventions and to participate in committee-sponsored events, including speaking at the Committee's annual presentation. The term of membership on the Committee is four years. Each committee member typically receives more than $2,000 in books for review each year, which may be kept for personal use or added to the member's library. Membership on the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee is both fun and intellectually challenging, but it also requires a substantial commitment in terms of time and energy. Members must be able to submit reviews electronically and correspond with other committee members through regular e-mail.

To apply, send a letter indicating the reasons for your interest, a resume, and several examples of your recent reviews of Jewish children's books to Barbara Bietz, Committee Chair, at chair@sydneytaylorbookaward.org. Applications will be accepted through October 30, 2011.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Best, Barbara

Barbara Bietz
Chair, Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee
Association of Jewish Libraries
chair@sydneytaylorbookaward.org

The September/Octorber issues of AJL News and AJL Reviews are now ready for viewing online at http://www.jewishlibraries.org/main/Publications/NewsReviews.aspx .

Please remember that the deadline for submitting information to the next issues (Nov/Dec) is October 15, 2011.

With best wishes for Shana Tova,

Uri Kolodney

AJL News / AJL Reviews editor-in-chief  

The 13th Annual Jewish Children's Book Writers & Illustrators Conference will be on Sunday, November 20, 2011 from 9 am until 5 pm. This year's conference will be held at Temple Emanu-El on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

The program includes AJL representatives who will speak about the Sydney Taylor Book Award and Manuscript Award.

Registration for this conference is now open! Visit http://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/page.php?80 for more information and to sign up.

forwordsbooks, a blog by AJL member Kathy Bloomfield, is thrilled to be hosting this month’s Jewish Book Carnival, a gathering of blogs about Jewish books and other happenings in the Jewish world sponsored by AJL.  Please visit this month’s carnival participants and comment on their web sites making sure you tell them you saw their post at the September Jewish Book Carnival!

You can find the September Jewish Book Carnival at http://forwordsbooks.com/the-september-jewish-book-carnival/.

Happy Reading!

The 2011 Reference Award from AJL was presented to The Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World, published by Brill. Edited by Dr. Norman Stillman of the University of Oklahoma, this 5-volume encyclopedia is the first English-language reference that deals with a part of Jewish history that is obscure and inaccessible for many readers. The Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World opens a new window into this world and will inevitably generate more research and interest in the field. An online version is currently available as well. More information on the Encyclopedia can be found at http://www.brill.nl/default.aspx?partid=227&pid=26005.

Now The Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World has won the 2011 Wheatley Medal from the Society of Indexers. The announcement on their web site states: 

"At the Society of Indexers annual conference at Keele University, the Society’s President, Professor John Sutherland, presented the Wheatley Medal for 2011 to a team of indexers from the Netherlands, Caroline Diepeveen, Pierke Bosschieter and Jacqueline Pitchford-Belder, for their index to The Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World (edited by N. Stillman and published by Brill in 2010). According to the chair of the judging panel, Professor Cathy Shrank of Sheffield University, this was an exceptional index and a most deserving winner. ‘The size of the task (indexing a five-volume work) was immense in itself, and indexing an encyclopaedia (which is itself a kind of index) requires something different from indexing other works. In this case, this difficult task was accomplished with scholarly authority.’ They singled out the scrupulous editing for particular praise. ‘None of us found any clues to the fact that this index was compiled by a team. The overall editing [by Caroline Diepeveen] must have been very thoroughly done – no mean feat in an index of this size. In short, the panel was deeply impressed.’"

For more information about the Wheatley Medal or for biographical information on the indexers of the winning title, visit http://www.indexers.org.uk/index.php?id=466.

Author Eric Kimmel has recently published a new children’s story entitled Joseph and the Sabbath Fish. AJL member Lisa Silverman compares his version to the beloved Marilyn Hirsh book, Joseph Who Loved the Sabbath, in this article from the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles.

http://www.jewishjournal.com/books/article/the_battle_of_the_fishy_folktales_20110830/