ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH LIBRARIES SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARDS

In January of 2008 Debbie Colodny was honored with a four-year appointment to the prestigious national committee of the Association of Jewish Libraries that selects the “best of the best” in Jewish children’s literature – the Sydney Taylor Book Awards.  Debbie works with this elite committee to encourage the publication of outstanding books of Jewish content for children, books that exemplify the highest literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience. The Sydney Taylor Book Award was established in 1968 in honor of the author of the classic All of a Kind Family series to encourage the publication of outstanding books of positive Jewish content for children. The seal of the Association is awarded annually to the authors of the most distinguished contributions to Jewish children’s literature published in the preceding year. We hope that official recognition of such books will inspire authors, encourage publishers, inform parents and teachers, and intrigue young readers. We also hope that by educating readers about the Jewish experience, we can engender pride in Jewish readers while building bridges to readers of other backgrounds. (Learn more about the Sydney Taylor Book Award and view winners in years prior to 2000 at http://www.jewishlibraries.org/ajlweb/awards/st_books.htm)

2008
Gershman, Sarah. The Bedtime Sh'ma. Illustrated by Kristina Swarner. Oakland, CA: EKS Publishing, 2007. With accessible language, this book helps young children understand the meaning and concepts of the Sh’ma prayers. A CD is included creating a soft sound for falling asleep or learning the Hebrew of the nighttime prayers. (Award Winner for Younger Readers)

Fleischman, Sid. The Entertainer and the Dybbuk. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2007.
When the spirit of a 12-year old Jewish boy, murdered by the Nazis, possesses the body of an American GI traveling through Europe as a second-rate ventriloquist, the pair is able to unmask the Nazi responsible. (Award Winner for Older Readers)

Levitin, Sonia. Strange Relations. New York: Knopf/Random House Children’s Books, 2007.
Fifteen-year-old Marne decides to spend the summer with her Aunt Carole in Hawaii. But, Aunt Carole is now Aunt Chaya, married to a Chabad Rabbi with seven children. What Marne anticipates will be a relaxing summer of jogging on the beach, surfing, sun tanning, and shopping turns out to be a summer of exploration, spirituality, and growth. (Award Winner for Teens)

2007
Krensky, Stephen. Hanukkah at Valley Forge. Illustrated by Greg Harlin. New York: Dutton Children’s Books, 2006. During the grim winter at Valley Forge, a Polish-born soldier tells General Washington about Hanukkah, who draws a parallel between the Maccabbees’ war against their foes with the American war against the British oppressors. Beautiful watercolor illustrations add immeasurably to a delightful and inspirational account of this legendary encounter. (Award Winner for Younger Readers)

Ferber, Brenda A. Julia’s Kitchen. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2006. When Cara Segal loses her mother and younger sister in a house fire, she questions her belief in God, struggles with her relationship with her father, and tries to find ways to hold onto the memories of her family in this deeply moving novel that will touch the hearts of all readers. (Award Winner for Older Readers)

Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Death narrates the story of Leisl Meminger, a Lutheran girl in Nazi Germany who sustains herself and those close to her with her love of books and reading. An engaging story that resonates with the full spectrum of human emotions and experiences. (Award Winner for Teens)

2005-6 (Reflects change in dating system)
Silverman, Erica. Sholom’s Treasure: How Sholom Aleichem Became a Writer. Illus. by Mordicai Gerstein. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004. Chronicles Sholom Aleichem’s childhood, revealing the influences that turned him into the great Yiddish writer who would give us the story that became Fiddler on the Roof. This is a vital, engaging, living-and-breathing portrait of one of modern Jewish culture’s most famous and beloved champions. (Award Winner for Younger Readers)

Littman, Sarah. Confessions of a Closet Catholic. New York: Dutton Children’s Books, 2005. Justine Silver struggles to balance her family’s expectations that she should be Jewish “but not too Jewish.” Frustrated, she follows a Catholic friend’s example by giving up Judaism for Lent, and thus begins a search for identity and belonging that will resonate with readers of all religions. (Award Winner for Older Readers)

2004
Kass, Pnina Moed. Real Time. New York: Clarion Books, October 2004. In this powerful and compelling young adult novel, the lives of sixteen different characters, spanning several countries and continents, intersect over the course of six days preceding and following a bus bombing in present day Jerusalem. (Award Winner for Older Readers)

2003
Davis, Aubrey. Bagels from Benny. Illus. by Dusan Petricic. Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2003.  After accepting the compliments for the tasty bagels made at the family bakery, Benny’s grandfather explains that God is really to thank for the delicious creations, causing Benny to begin leaving a bag of bagels for God every week at the synagogue as a demonstration of his gratitude. (Award Winner for Younger Readers)

Patz, Nancy. Who Was The Woman Who Wore The Hat? New York: Dutton, 2003. Offers a reflection on a woman's hat that was on display in the Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam that questions who the woman might have been, what her life may have been like, and how she may have ended up a Holocaust victim. (Award Winner for Older Readers)

2002
Hershenhorn, Esther. Chicken Soup by Heart. Illus. by Rosanne Litzinger. New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2002. When Rudie’s sitter gets the flu, he uses her recipe to make her a batch of special chicken soup, including the secret recipe of stories from the heart. (Award Winner for Younger Readers, 2002)

Levine, Karen. Hana’s Suitcase: A True Story. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Second Story Press, 2002.  Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman & Company, 2003. A biography of a Czech girl who died in the Holocaust, told in alternating chapters with an account of how the curator of a Japanese Holocaust center learned about her life after Hana’s suitcase was sent to her. (Award Winner for Older Readers)

2001
Rael, Elsa Okon. Rivka’s First Thanksgiving. Illus. by Maryann Kovalski. New York: Margaret K. McElderry/Simon & Schuster, 2001. Having heard about Thanksgiving in school, nine-year-old Rivka tries to convince her immigrant family and her Rabbi that it is a holiday for all Americans, Jews and non-Jews alike. (Award Winner for Younger Readers)

Reef, Catherine. Sigmund Freud: Pioneer of the Mind. New York: Clarion Books, 2001. A biography of Sigmund Freud explains the methods he used to treat the mentally ill which led to the birth of psychoanalysis, and explores his controversial theories connecting dreams, desires, and behavior. (Award Winner for Older Readers)

2000
Kimmel, Eric A. Gershon’s Monster: A Story For The Jewish New Year. Illus. by Jon J. Muth. New York: Scholastic Press, 2000. When his sins threaten the lives of his beloved twin children, a Jewish man finally repents of his wicked ways. (Award Winner for Younger Readers)