エピソード

  • The Jewish Book Garden

    The Jewish Book Garden
    2026/05/03

    CLICK HERE FOR FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

    My friend Susan Kusel has all the Jewish literary bases covered. She's an author, she's a synagogue librarian, she's been a buyer for a bookstore, and like me, she's a past chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee. We are basically Best Book Buddies, and we do a lot of projects together to promote Jewish kidlit.

    Our newest project is The Jewish Book Garden, a website/newsletter on Substack. In this episode, Susan and I break down what The Jewish Book Garden is, who it's for, and what you can expect to find in your inbox when you subscribe to it. Don't miss our announcements about our Summer Reading Club and our new Zoom discussion group!

    SHOW NOTES:

    • The Jewish Book Garden
    • The Jewish Book Garden Summer Reading Club
    • Jewish American Heritage Month | Canadian Jewish Heritage Month
    • Heidi's Tikkun Olam suggestion: support Indivisible.org
    • Susan Kusel's website
    • Susan's Share Your Shelf segment
    • Bonus content on Substack

    CREDITS:

    • Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel
    • Co-sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries
    • Sister podcast: Nice Jewish Books
    • Theme Music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band
    • Newsletter: bookoflifepodcast.substack.com
    • Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens
    • Facebook Page: Facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast
    • Instagram: @bookoflifepodcast
    • Support the Podcast: Shop or Donate

    Your feedback is welcome! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 561-206-2473.

    Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    26 分
  • Candles and Memories

    Candles and Memories
    2026/04/12
    Click here for full SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT I recently heard a piece on NPR about the little jars that hold yarhzeit memorial candles, and how some people repurpose these glasses to hold juice or to use as cookie cutters. It was an interesting look at how death is treated as a part of life in the Jewish tradition. That concept is very beautifully conveyed by the two picture books we'll be talking about in this episode. My guests are Alison Goldberg, author of The Remembering Candle, and Richard Ho, author of A Flame Burns On. SHOW NOTES: Alison Goldberg's website and InstagramRichard Ho's website and InstagramBuy The Remembering Candle | Eighteen Flowers for GrandmaBuy A Flame Burns On | Two New YearsSuggested read-alikes: Goodbye: A First Conversation About Grief, Something Sweet: A Sitting Shiva Story, I Wish That You KnewTikkun olam suggestion: support Food Research & Action Center, frac.orgNPR story on yahrzeit candles Bonus content on Substack CREDITS: Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai IsraelCo-sponsored by the Association of Jewish LibrariesSister podcast: Nice Jewish BooksTheme Music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String BandNewsletter: bookoflifepodcast.substack.comFacebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit MavensFacebook Page: Facebook.com/bookoflifepodcastInstagram: @bookoflifepodcastSupport the Podcast: Shop or Donate Your feedback is welcome! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 561-206-2473. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    36 分
  • The Passover Pet Surprise

    The Passover Pet Surprise
    2026/03/22

    Click here for full SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

    Argentine author Ana María Shua has written over 100 books and is super famous in Latin America but The Passover Pet Surprise is her first Jewish children's book. As you'd expect from such an accomplished writer, it's a well told, heartwarming story with a hint of ambiguity, which works well during a holiday where we are commanded both to retell and to inquire!

    SHOW NOTES:

    • Author Ana María Shua's website (in Spanish)
    • Illustrator Ángeles Ruiz's website
    • Buy The Passover Pet Surprise or La gran sorpresa de Pésaj
    • Read Heidi's review of The Passover Pet Surprise on The Jewish Book Garden
    • Tikkun Olam suggestion: support Magen David Adom

    CREDITS:

    • Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel
    • Co-sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries
    • Sister podcast: Nice Jewish Books
    • Theme Music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band
    • Newsletter: bookoflifepodcast.substack.com
    • Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens
    • Facebook Page: Facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast
    • Instagram: @bookoflifepodcast
    • Support the Podcast: Shop or Donate

    Your feedback is welcome! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 561-206-2473.

    Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    20 分
  • Trouble Finds Evie Lefkowitz

    Trouble Finds Evie Lefkowitz
    2026/03/08

    Click here for full SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

    If you enjoy a good heist story, here's one with a lot of heart. Trouble Finds Evie Lefkowitz is a middle grade novel about a Jewish girl who gets into good trouble in order to right a wrong. Banding together with friends and frenemies helps her expand her thinking and bring more generosity into the world.

    SHOW NOTES:

    • Diana Harmon Asher's website, Instagram, and Facebook
    • Buy Trouble Finds Evie Lefkowitz, Sidetracked, and Upstaged
    • Diana's Tikkun Olam suggestion: donate to food banks at community colleges

    CREDITS:

    • Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel
    • Co-sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries
    • Sister podcast: Nice Jewish Books
    • Theme Music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band
    • Newsletter: bookoflifepodcast.substack.com
    • Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens
    • Facebook Page: Facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast
    • Instagram: @bookoflifepodcast
    • Support the Podcast: Shop or Donate

    Your feedback is welcome! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 561-206-2473.

    Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    24 分
  • Shabbat Shalom, Let's Rest and Reset

    Shabbat Shalom, Let's Rest and Reset
    2026/02/22

    Click here for full SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

    If you've ever read books to a baby or toddler, you're familiar with board books, those small sturdy books with stiff cardboard pages that can withstand drool and rough handling. But just because these books are designed for babies doesn't mean they are baby-ish. Suzy Ultman's deceptively simple storytelling in board book format has brought about a historic moment. For the first time ever, a board book has won a Sydney Taylor Book Award.

    Among the four Jewish board books Suzy has created so far, the one that got her the gold was Shabbat Shalom, Let's Rest and Reset. Her signature bright, quirky, cheerful art, paired with reassuring, calming text, invites us to stop all the doing and just be. If you need to give a baby gift, I highly recommend one or all of Suzy's Jewish board books... but you might actually want to get copies for yourself because they are like tiny mantras about Jewish concepts and Jewish pride.

    SHOW NOTES:

    • Suzy Ultman's website and Instagram
    • Buy Shabbat Shalom, I Like Your Chutzpah, It's a Mitzvah, and How Do You Jew?
    • Creative Bug online classes from Suzy Ultman
    • Heidi's tikkun olam suggestion: use Democracy.io to email your reps

    CREDITS:

    • Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel
    • Co-sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries
    • Sister podcast: Nice Jewish Books
    • Theme Music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band
    • Newsletter: bookoflifepodcast.substack.com
    • Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens
    • Facebook Page: Facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast
    • Instagram: @bookoflifepodcast
    • Support the Podcast: Shop or Donate

    Your feedback is welcome! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 561-206-2473.

    Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    28 分
  • The Keeper of Stories

    The Keeper of Stories
    2026/02/09
    Click here for full SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT Welcome to the 17th annual Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour, taking place February 9-12, 2026. I am participating in the Blog Tour by interviewing Caroline Kusin Pritchard and Selina Alko, author and illustrator of The Keeper of Stories, which was a Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Picture Book category. SHOW NOTES: Here's the schedule for the 2026 Blog Tour Here's the archive of all past blog tours, beginning in 2009 Caroline Kusin Prichard's website and Instagram Selina Alko's website and Instagram Buy The Keeper of Stories, The Day the Books Disappeared, The Remembering Candle, and Otherwise Known as Judy the Great Article in PEN America about censoring censorship, "Don't Mention It" Video by Adam Gidwitz on the value of school visits Geraldine Brooks, The People of the Book, on The Book of Life in 2008 Caroline's podcast, Kidlit Happy Hour CREDITS: Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai IsraelCo-sponsored by the Association of Jewish LibrariesSister podcast: Nice Jewish BooksTheme Music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String BandNewsletter: bookoflifepodcast.substack.comFacebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit MavensFacebook Page: Facebook.com/bookoflifepodcastInstagram: @bookoflifepodcastSupport the Podcast: Shop or Donate Your feedback is welcome! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 561-206-2473. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    41 分
  • The 2026 Sydney Taylor Book Awards, Revealed!

    The 2026 Sydney Taylor Book Awards, Revealed!
    2026/01/26
    Click here for full SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT The winners of the 2026 Sydney Taylor Book Awards, recognizing the best Jewish children's and young adult literature of the year, were announced on January 26, 2026 at the American Library Association's Youth Media Awards event. Melanie Koss is the current chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee, and she joined me on the podcast to discuss the 2026 winners of the award. LEARN MORE: Sydney Taylor Book Awards The Sydney Taylor Portal ALA's YouTube channel, where you can watch a recording of the announcement Heidi's unofficial 2026 Sydney Taylor shortlist 2026 Sydney Taylor Book Awards GOLD Picture Book Winner: Shabbat Shalom, Let's Rest and Reset written and illustrated by Suzy Ultman, published by Rise x Penguin Workshop Middle Grade Winner: Neshama by Marcella Pixley, published by Candlewick Young Adult Winner: D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T. by Abby White, published by Levine Querido SILVER Picture Book Honors The Book of Candles: Eight Poems for Hanukkah by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Leanne Hatch, published by Clarion Books The Keeper of Stories by Caroline Kusin Pritchard, illustrated by Selina Alko, published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers My Body Can by Laura Gehl, illustrated by Alexandra Colombo, published by Apples & Honey Press Middle Grade Honor Beinoni by Mari Lowe, published by Levine Querido Young Adult Honor The Rebel Girls of Rome by Jordyn Taylor, published by HarperCollins NOTABLE Picture Book Notables Fanny's Big Idea: How Jewish Book Week Was Born by Richard Michelson, illustrated by Alyssa Russell, published by Rocky Pond Books Finding Forgiveness by Rebecca Gardyn Levington, illustrated by Diana Mayo, published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux The Remembering Candle by Alison Goldberg, illustrated by Selina Alko, published by Barefoot Books Middle Grade Notables A World Worth Saving by Kyle Lukoff, published by Dial Books The Daughter of Auschwitz: The Girl Who Lived to Tell Her Story by Tova Friedman, published by Quill Tree Books Right Back at You by Carolyn Mackler, published by Scholastic Press Same Page by Elly Swartz, published by Delacorte Press The Trouble with Secrets by Naomi Milliner, published by Quill Tree Books Young Adult Notable Leaving the Station by Jake Maia Arlow, published by Storytide OTHER 2026 Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award Winner: Uri Shulevitz 2026 Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award Winner: "How to Catch a Mermaid (When You're Scared of the Sea)" by Jessica Russak-Hoffman CREDITS: Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai IsraelCo-sponsored by the Association of Jewish LibrariesSister podcast: Nice Jewish BooksTheme Music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String BandNewsletter: bookoflifepodcast.substack.comFacebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit MavensFacebook Page: Facebook.com/bookoflifepodcastInstagram: @bookoflifepodcastSupport the Podcast: Shop or Donate Your feedback is welcome! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 561-206-2473. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    49 分
  • Announcement: Share Your Shelf

    Announcement: Share Your Shelf
    2026/01/06

    TRANSCRIPT:

    Hello! This is Heidi Rabinowitz, your host at The Book of Life Podcast, and I have some news to share.

    A year ago I started a Substack newsletter for The Book of Life Podcast to celebrate the show's 20th anniversary. The free Substack posts include podcast episodes, show notes, transcripts, Jewish kidlit news, and calls to action.

    A number of listeners have very kindly pledged to upgrade to paid subscriptions to support the show. I am now turning on paid subscriptions, and I'm starting a new bonus segment on The Book of Life, especially for paid subscribers.

    It's called Share Your Shelf. I'll be asking guests to look at their own bookshelves to share the books that are important to them, or that have an interesting origin story; books they've hung onto or just acquired, their oldest or newest books, or even the books that are actually missing from their shelves.

    The first Share Your Shelf bonus segment will go out to paid subscribers on January 26th, when I'll also be posting a free podcast episode for everyone, about the winners of the 2026 Sydney Taylor Book Award.

    If you'd like to hear these personal stories from Book of Life guests, and if you'd like to support my work advocating for Jewish kidlit, please subscribe to the Substack at BookOfLifePodcast.Substack.com and click on the Upgrade to Paid button.

    And no matter how you listen to the show, and whether or not you're a free OR paid subscriber on Substack, I want to thank you for giving the podcast and Jewish kidlit your attention!
    続きを読む 一部表示
    2 分