Classic Jewish Children's Books

WHAT BOOK(S) CHANGED YOUR LIFE?

2006-05-25T02:22:00.000-04:00

Classic Jewish Children's Books
A children's literature list serve that I'm on recently asked the question: What book or books changed your life? Reading the comments has been fascinating. So I'm asking the same question here of AJL-GCC bloggers.
As a child, I was an avid reader and I remember many of the books I loved: Angelo the Naughty One, Bright April, Snow Treasure, Grimm's fairy tales but I think that the two most important books of my childhood were Little Women and Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House stories. I not only read them over and over but with my friends, played them - with me always as Jo or Laura!
As an adult, it's harder to say. Isaac Bashevis Singer's novels and stories set in Eastern Europe came along at a very important time for me. Middlemarch, Anna Karenina, and Jane Austen's novels were, and are, peak reading experiences. I've read Cold Comfort Farm by Sheila Gibbons, James Thurber's stories, and Tolkien's Ring books many times with pleasure. I love witty books and Barbara Pym's very English novels about "excellent women" are among my favorites.
The more I write, the more books I remember with love. That's why an exercise like this is fun and revealing.
Linda

Patricia Polacco Censored

2006-05-22T17:53:00.000-04:00

Following is an alarming message from Patricia Polacco that has been posted on several listservs:

Urgent Notice....

To All Educators, Librarians, and Media Specialists
Regarding the cancellation of my appearance at the IRA in Chicago for May 2 and 3, 2006:

A few months ago I was approached by The Buchanan Associates in Dublin, OH, to appear at the International Reading Association Conference in Chicago on May 2 and 3, 2006. I was to be part of 5 events. Speeches, 'meet and greet' and book signings.

I was happy to accept the invitation which, I assumed, was coming from the I.R.A. and my publisher. It is always such an honor for me to speak and interact with teachers and librarians from around the country.

But, then, a very disturbing turn of events transpired. My staff started receiving phone calls and emails from this firm in Ohio requesting that I furnish them with a detailed written outline of what I intended to include in my speeches. I assumed, of course, that this was asked so that a synopsis of my content could be included in a printed brochure furnished to the conferees.

You can imagine my astonishment when I finally called this firm and learned that this was not the reason. They requested my written outline because their 'client' wanted to make sure that I would not discuss my deep concern about NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND MANDATE...as well as my concern that there is a link between this mandate and the SRA/McGraw Hill Company who manufactures, prints, and profits from the sale of these tests to school systems all over our country.

It was then that I closely reviewed all of the emails (I had not up until this time because I had been doingschool visits and was not home until now). I then realized that the "client" that this firm referred to, but never names, was indeed, SRA/McGraw Hill! I also learned from the Officials of the IRA that SRA/McGrawHill was indeed sponsoring the event that I had been invited to. I was shocked!

This "firm" insisted that my speech be "upbeat, non-controversial, and non-political"...I countered with the fact that the plight of the American teacher is far from "upbeat" and they are caught in the vice grip of the most controversial and political LIE that has ever been perpetrated on the American teacher.

I was also quite mystified as to why SRA/McGraw Hill would even select ME and invite me to be a part of their program knowing how strongly I feel about this entire situation.

My speeches certainly do inspire teachers...I truly believe they are among the last hero's we have in ourcountry...but I always mention the destructive path that is laying wasted to our schools and that is the No Child Left Behind Mandate!

I did mention to them that I considered this broaching "censorship" and a violation of my freedom of speech.

Finally, after receiving numerous emails from this 'firm' that got more and more 'insistences'...I finally sent them a written refusal to alter my speeches in any way. Certainly I can moderate their length, but I refused to alter the content. I made them aware if they truly had a problem with this, then they could "un-invite" me to be part of their event.

Needless to say, SRA/McGraw Hill cancelled my programs within the hour!

My main concern here, is that I very much fear the conferees will be led to believe that it is I who cancelled this event. The cancellation was the choice of SRA/McGraw Hill and was generated by a blatant attempt to CENSOR my remarks and the content of what I say to teachers, which is a clear infringement of my constitutional right to freedom of speech. I pride myself on being an advocate for America's teachers as well as being one of the most reliable speakers at conferences in our country.

My lawyers and I have set a formal request to SRA/McGraw Hill through their representative, The Buchanan Associates in Dublin, Ohio, to post thefollowing signs outside of each venue at the conference where I am scheduled to speak. "DUE TO PHILOSOPHICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SRA/McGRAW HILL AND PATRICIA POLACCO, SRA/McGRAW HILL HAS CHOSEN TO CANCEL ALL OF PATRICIA POLACCO'S APPEARANCES AT THIS EVENT"

Call anyone you know that was either going to attend my events, or that did and were disappointed and tell them why this happened.

I am very disturbed by this on may levels. It seems that we Americans are losing, by leaps and bounds, our constitution "guaranteed" rights.

I am insulted and very offended not only on my own behalf, but also because of these various organizations that seek to profit from the misery for our teachers and school children. Profits and money seem to matter much more than truly making changes to our educational systems that would truly help our children. I have to admit that I have a certain amount of pride in taking this stand on your behalf.

Yours faithfully,
Patricia Polacco

GRINSPOON FOUNDATION'S PJ LIBRARY

2006-05-16T21:46:00.000-04:00

Classic Jewish Children's Books:
WHAT IS THE PJ LIBRARY?
The PJ Library is an exciting new book-giveaway program sponsored by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. It is aimed primarily at marginally affiliated or intermarried Jewish families with young children and the intent is to imbue recipients of PJ Library materials with Yiddishkeit through high quality Jewish children's literature. Presently, the PJ Library is for families with children from birth to age five but there are plans to expand it to age eight. Those who join the PJ Library, which is free in its first year and available at a nominal cost in subsequent years, receive a book or a music CD once a month, every month of the year. Each age child in the family gets a different set of books, along with a few Jewish music CD's and a Jewish parenting book. Every family in the program also receives the PJ Library's current "signature" book: Before You Were Born by Howard Schwartz. Board books are chosen for babies and toddlers while older preschoolers get a selection of picture books. Visit www.pjlibrary.org for more information.
I've been on the PJ Library's book selection committee since its inception in Spring of 2005. The committee consists of librarians, early childhood educators, publishers, and Grinspoon Foundation staff. We meet once a year in West Springfield, Massachusetts, where Harold Grinspoon and his wife, Diane Troderman, live and where the Grinspoon Foundation offices are located. This year we had looooong meetings on Sunday and Monday in early May, ending with a festive dinner for authors and illustrators at the author, Richard Michelson's, art gallery in Northampton, MA. During the year, between meetings, we read, identify high quality Jewish children's books, discard some of the poorer titles, and do some preliminary selection. Face-to-face at the meetings, we debate the merits of various books and rank them in priority order, with the highest ranking chosen for inclusion among the books that are sent to families. We have many opinions but one firm standard: the books chosen must be on a par with the best secular children's books because nothing but the best will do.
This has highlighted a problem that I've been aware of for some time but never came to grips with. There are very few high quality picture books (including board books) of Jewish content. The weakness is greatest in the art: with few exceptions, the illustrations are mediocre, mundane, and unmemorable! This is especially true among the Jewish publishers, who produce the most books for the early childhood years. Kar-Ben's books are useful, they fill a niche, they introduce preschoolers to basic Jewish concepts but they tend to all look alike, with sentimental pastels and pedestrian artistic technique. Hachai's books are filled with Jewish values and concepts from an Orthodox point of view but they, too, are lacking in artistry and originality.
The PJ Library book selection committee is trying to address this problem and it may be that the Grinspoon Foundation, with Harold Grinspoon very dedicated to the project, will have some influence. As the PJ Library is marketed to funders in Jewish communities all over the country, it's possible to hope that Cleveland may one day be part of it.
Linda Silver

NEW JEWISH CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD

2006-05-16T20:57:00.000-04:00

KORET INTERNATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARDS
The Koret International Jewish Book Awards project is a program of Jewish Family and Life in partnership with the National Foundation for Jewish Culture with a grant from Koret Foundation Funds. For more information, visit www.jflmedia.com.
The first award given to a children's book by the Koret Foundation, before the award was re-conceptualized and teamed with JFL and NFJC, was given in 2005 to Karen Hesse for The Cats In Krasinski Square, illus. by Wendy Watson, published by Scholastic. This was a worthy choice but it was announced as a picture book when it is, instead, an illustrated story about the Holocaust, written for children who are considerably older than those for whom picture books are intended.
Following the same practice as the Jewish Book Council in its National Jewish Book Awards, the Koret Foundation did not announce the criteria for their awards, the credentials of the judges, or the selection process. Professionally creditable book awards make these things known and it is hoped that the new Koret Awards (and the Jewish Book Council) will modify its practice towards more transparency.
(Also posted on the What's New? page of the Jewish ValuesFinder by Linda Silver)

Summer Reading Lists

2006-05-10T18:06:00.000-04:00

Classic Jewish Children's Books
If you are looking for summer reading for Jewish kids, the Ratner Media Center compiles two lists. One, which we've done for a few years, is called "Paperbacks for Campers' Backpacks" and it's been slightly updated for 2006. A brand new one is "Play Ball: Jewish Sports Books for Kids." They can be accessedat the Bibliography Bank of the AJL website, www.jewishlibraries.org, Resources link. Soon they will appear on the JECC website, www.jecc.org, Ratner Media Center page. I really urge schools and day school librarians to recommend JEWISH books to their students and these lists will help. I was just at a dinner in Mass. with lots of writers and illustrators of Jewish books. They bemoaned the fact that Jewish content books are not promoted. These lists - and their distibution by day school and synagogue librarians - will help to solve that problem if Judaica librarians across the country make it a priority.

Podcasts

2006-05-06T19:52:00.000-04:00

Check out Heidi Estrin's blog to listen to her latest podcast, which includes an interview with Markus Zusak, the author of The Book Thief. She also interviews the executive editor at Scholastic about Jewish books that Scholastic has published. You can listen to the podcast on your computer. The link to Heidi's blog, The Book of Life, is on the right hand side of this blog under the heading Links. I am very impressed with Heidi's foray into the new technology of podcasting!

Wendy

Great Gadget

2006-04-29T10:39:00.000-04:00

Here's a great idea!
Check out this link: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/bibliochaise-168377.php

Wendy

Favorite Books about Israel

2006-04-28T15:11:00.000-04:00

Yom Ha'atzmaut is just around the corner! What are some of your favorite books about Israel? Two books that immediately come to my mind are : And Shire Imagined by Giora Carmi and Chicken Man by Michelle Edwards. And Shira Imagined follows a young girl through Israel visiting various landmarks. Chicken Man is a funny look at life on a Kibbutz. If I am not mistaken, both of these books made it to our Classics List. Another that just popped in my head is Snow in Jerusalem by Deborah De Costa, about two boys, one from the Jewish quarter the other from the Muslim quarter, who both look over the same stray cat. Do you have any creative ways for celebrating this holiday in your libraries or schools?

Anne Frank Graphic Biography

2006-04-25T17:04:00.000-04:00

I am reading and reviewing the Anne Frank volume in the World Almanac Library's Graphic Biographies series. It is a brightly-illustrated graphic novel of the story of Anne Frank. The facts are all there, the illustrations are pretty realistic, although the comic-book style makes them seem sort of primitive. My issue with this book is that the vocabulary is very simple, the sentences are short, and Amazon.com lists the age range as 4-8, which would seem accurate if one was not considering the subject matter. There are very disturbing images, including one of women and children huddling in a gas chamber, and another one of a pile of corpses outside of Birkenau. This confusion in age appropriateness goes back to the article we read in the Study Group. When are picture books about the Holocaust appropriate? At what age should a child be reading about the Holocaust? A book that is written with a four-year-old in mind will not appeal to an 11-year-old, even if the graphic novel/comic book style is cool at that age. I am recommending in my review that this book is more appropriate for ages 10-12, but I think that age will be put off by the easy reader style of language.

Classic Jewish Children's Books

2006-04-25T04:40:00.000-04:00

Classic Jewish Children's Books

First, a comment about how tricky it is to use this blog. I just posted the same comment three times because I kept getting a message that my password wasn't accepted. Apparently it was, despite the message. Now I don't know how to get rid of the two extraneous messages.
Second, an observation about books in the news. The Book Thief, a novel about (mostly) "good Germans," set in Germany during World War II, is by Markus Zusak. He has his own website, marcuszusak.com, and he's been widely publicized and praised for the book. If you subscribe to any of the Publisher's Weekly or School Library Journal web newsletters, you'll read about him there, as well as elsewhere. Don't miss reading the book, either. It's memorable!
Another Holocaust novel, Emil and Karl by the Yiddish writer, Yankev Glatshteyn (Jacob Glatstein), which was originally written in 1940, has been translated into English by Jeffrey Shandler. It is a story of a friendship between two boys, one Jewish and one Gentile, and it's also getting a lot of press and praise, including in a recent issue of The Forward. I haven't read it yet but an advance reader's edition is waiting on my to-be-reviewed shelf.
In many ways, trends in Jewish children's publishing reflect trends in juvenile publishing in general. Picture book sales have been down for a few years and fewer are now being published. You could say almost none when it comes to books for Jewish children in 2006! Only Kar-Ben and Hachai seem to be producing any. On the other hand, sales of books for teens are hot! (I can't imagine why, because, IMHO, most of them are salacious schlock. Then again, that's probably the reason.) We're also seeing a lot more of them of Jewish content, including the two mentioned above. Review copies of a new novel by the renowned and wonderful writer, Alice Hoffman, reached me at home today: presumably it's for teens but, like The Book Thief, I'll bet it's also for adults.

Classic Jewish Children's Books

2006-04-04T01:50:00.000-04:00

Classic Jewish Children's Books

This is my try at posting a new blog about Jewish children's books. Two of the books that I put on the classics list, although the Study Group didn't discuss them, were Jonah by Beverly Brodsky and The Wicked City by Isaac B. Singer, illus. by Leonard Everett Fisher. When I re-read them, I discovered that both of them have a picture of G-d. Deciding that this wasn't Jewishly acceptable, I removed them from the list. What do others think?
Linda Silver

Current Controversies

2006-03-24T15:28:00.000-05:00

CURRENT CONTROVERSIES

What fun to have our own blog!
A couple of Jewish children's books have been the subject of controversy lately. Of the two, the debate about Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak by Deborah Ellis (Groundwood, 2004)has been the noisiest, with many, many postings about it on HaSafran, the Jewish librarian's listserve; a Jewish Telegraphic Agency article; and another article in the March 17-23,2006 issue of the International Jerusalem Post called "Bias From the Mouths of Babes?"
After a teacher complained that the book was biased against Israelis, a Canadian school district removed it from its libraries. The Canadian Jewish Congress has also weighed in against the book, although it doesn't appear that they are supporting full fledged censorship.
Since I was the original AJL Newsletter reviewer of Three Wishes, my review has been cited and my comments about the book solicited - or given unsolicited! I recommended it "with reservations" noted in the review and stand behind that review; the book has flaws but it also is highly discussable and thought-provoking. Removing a book from libraries because you find the opinions expressed in it hateful is censorship, pure and simple. Three Wishes isn't a book of facts, the kind where accuracy and unbiased information are fundamental requirements. It expresses children's feelings about the conflict and while some of those feelings (about suicide bombings) are horrifying, free speech requires us to tolerate opinions that we find horrifying.
If you want to read my full review, it is in the Nov/Dec 2004 issue of the AJL Newsletter.

I became involved in a debate over a brand new book called The Boy In the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (David Fickling/Random House, 2006) when an old ALSC friend from California emailed me telling me that she thought it was so bad that she was hoping it wouldn't even be published in the U.S. It has already; I read and reviewed it from an advance reader's copy that Random House sent me. I was surprised; both Bonnie and I had read it and thought it was very good.
My friend and some of her colleagues disliked it because it it a Holocaust story told through the innocent and unknowing eyes of a nine year old German boy whose father is the commandant of Auschwitz. As I began my review: "The horror dawns slowly." Bruno, the little boy, has no idea of the evil surrounding him and the reader is shocked as they realize the truth. The book's detractors feel that it trivializes the Holocaust or somehow whitewashes it. I felt it was a very powerful story that begs for discussion by kids from about grade 6 - 8.

Both THE THREE WISHES by Deborah Ellis and THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS are in the
Ratner Media Center's collection.

Now I'm looking forward to hearing from someone else!
Best, Linda

Welcome to Classic Jewish Children's Books Blog!

2006-03-23T22:09:00.000-05:00

If you love reading, kvelling, and chatting about Jewish Children's literature you have come to the right place!

This blog is the result of a class we took at the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland that discussed and created a list of Classic Jewish Childrens literature. Once the class ended, we decided to keep the discussion going online.

We are blogging newbies, so bear with us as we find our niche online. As we become more experinced in the world of blogging, the look and feel of this site will evolve. We are so glad you are here.