The Book of Life: Jewish Kidlit (Mostly)

Before I moved back to Florida from Massachusetts, my friend Barbara Bietz , author of The Sundown Kid: A Southwestern Shabbat , came to Amherst, MA for a workshop about Jewish kidlit. We got together while she was in town and recorded our conversation for you.

American Golem by Marc Lumer is a very funny picture book about a mud monster making a new life for itself in New York City. Vicki Weber of Apples & Honey Press told me all about it at the Association of Jewish Libraries conference in Boston in June 2018, and I was very flattered that she also asked for my advice about marketing the book. If YOU have any ideas for Vicki, give us a call or leave a...

In June 2018, Book of Life Host Heidi Rabinowitz participated on a panel with author Leslea Newman and Horn Book editors Elissa Gershowitz and Shoshana Flax, at the Association of Jewish Libraries annual conference in Boston. The topic was "Social Justice and Jewish Children's Books." Here's your chance to be a fly on the wall. Share your thoughts on the subject at bookoflifepodcast.com.   www.boo...

Susan Kusel is the chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee of the Association of Jewish Libraries. She joined us by Skype from her home in Falls Church, VA. to talk about the 2018 winners of the award.  Here's the official Sydney Taylor Book Award announcement with the full list of winners, honors, and notable books: click here .  The Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour will take place Febr...

The winners of the 2018 Sydney Taylor Book Awards for the best in Jewish children's and teen literature will be announced on January 10, 2018 . Chair Susan Kusel gave The Book of Life an exclusive interview that will be posted on that date. In the meantime, here is her dedication to the hardworking awards committee.

As The Book of Life goes on hiatus, we wrap up twelve years of programming with a Grand Finale. We hear from listeners and guests about their favorite interviews, and play clips from those episodes. www.bookoflifepodcast.com

Group interview with Jessica Deutsch, creator of The Illustrated Pirkei Avot: A Graphic Novel of Jewish Ethics, and with Lois Shenker and Rabbi Eve Posen, co-authors of Pirkei Imahot: The Wisdom of Mothers, the Voices of Women. bookoflifepodcast.com

An interview with Linda Kass, author of Tasa's Song, plus the music inspired by the book, composed by Charles Weatherbee and performed by the Carpe Diem String Quartet.

Interviews with Lisa Newman, Communications Director, and Christa Whitney, director of the Wexler Oral History Project, both at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA.

An interview with Abigail Pogrebin about her book chronicling her exploration of all 18 Jewish holidays in one year. bookoflifepodcast.com

An interview with author Rich Michelson about The Language of Angels: a Story about the Reinvention of Hebrew. bookoflifepodcast.com

Vicki Weber of Behrman House tells us all about the past, present, and future of the 96 year old publisher of Jewish educational materials, just in time for back-to-school. bookoflifepodcast.com

The Last Shepherd (Evil Sun Productions) is a Hebrew-language indie comedy adventure scifi fantasy film with elements of Jewish mysticism and kabbalah. Several of the film's creators Skyped with The Book of Life. bookoflifepodcast.com

Yaffa and Fatima, Shalom Salaam by Fawzia Gilani-Williams is the picture book we all need right now. It depicts a loving friendship between two women, one Jewish, one Muslim. bookoflifepodcast.com

Author Tammar Stein tells us about her middle grade novel, The Six-Day Hero, about the Six-Day War in Israel, 1967.  bookoflifepodcast.com

PJ Our Way is a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation that offers free chapter books to Jewish families with middle grade readers. I spoke to director Catriella Freedman to learn how it works. bookoflifepodcast.com

A joint interview with author Lori S. Kline and publisher Debra L. Winegarten about the picture book Almost a Minyan, a traditional yet groundbreaking coming-of-age story. bookoflifepodcast.com

An interview with Marjorie Ingall about her parenting guide Mamaleh Knows Best: What Jewish Mothers Do to Raise Successful, Creative, Empathetic, Independent Children. bookoflifepodcast.com

An interview with author Keith Fentonmiller about his weird and wonderful Jewish novel Kasper Mutzenmacher's Cursed Hat. Remember to donate to Patreon.com/bookoflife to get an autographed copy of Serendipity's Footsteps! bookoflifepodcast.com

An interview with Suzanne Nelson about her shoe-related Jewish award winning YA novel. Donate to Patreon.com/bookoflife to get an autographed copy! bookoflifepodcast.com

Rabbi Moshe Rosenberg tells us about his creation of a Harry Potter themed Haggadah for Passover. bookoflifepodcast.com

An invitation to join the How Is This Night Different? call-in project and an interview with Call Me Ishmael co-founder Steph Kent, one of the project sponsors. Check bookoflifepodcast.com for details.

Info on projects in which you might want to participate! Read4Refugees fundraiser through 3/31/17, Call Me Ishmael 3/27-4/4/17, apply for the TENT Jewish kidlit retreat by 4/24/17. Listen to the show for details. www.bookoflifepodcast.com

An interview with Meira Drazin, author of the 2016 Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award winner, Honey and Me. Also, call in to leave your story for "How Is This Book Different?" - details at bookoflifepodcast.com

An interview with the hosts of the Unorthodox podcast from Tablet Magazine, after their live show in West Palm Beach. Plus, an invitation to share your favorite story with Call Me Ishmael. www.bookoflifepodcast.com