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Good Morning All!

What's the first thing you do when you wake up? Is it groan and moan while you reach for the snooze button? Blindly make coffee? Grumble about everything you have to do that day and how you don't want to do it? (Ok, maybe that's just me)

Do you ever take the time to wake up and appreciate the gift of each new day? To thank God for giving you such a blessing?

I know I don't. But such thanks are part of the Jewish morning prayers, a daily ritual for many Orthodox Jews, but many of us more liberal Jews don't necessarily say it, especially not every morning.

In her Sydney Taylor Honor Award winning book for Young Readers, Sarah Gershman gives families a gorgeous picture book to read in the morning, making the morning prayers, Modeh Ani, accessible for young children. Her Modeh Ani: A Good Morning Book pairs nicely with her previous book, The Bedtime Sh'ma.

I'm delighted to have Sarah Gershman here this morning to talk about her new book!

You have a bedtime book of the Sh'ma for young readers. While many Jews are familiar with the Sh'ma, they might not be as familiar with the Modeh Ani. What tips can you give to parents who want to start working this morning ritual into their lives?

There are some wonderful artistic interpretations of Modeh Ani. Find one you like and hang it over your child/ren's bed. This can serve as a beautiful reminder to being the day with this prayer of gratitude. In our family, it also helps to say it right when we first wake up, before beginning our other morning rituals (getting dressed, etc.)


How did you choose which selections from the morning prayer to include in this book? How did you decide which ones to do only in interpretation and which ones to include in Hebrew? What special considerations do you think should be taken into account when teaching religion to young children?

I tried to choose excerpts that young children would most connect to. The theme of the book is really gratitude. So I tried to find prayers that lent themselves to being interpreted as expressions of gratitude for the most fundamental blessings in our lives.

We chose only to have the Sh'ma itself in Hebrew - so to parallel with the Bedtime Sh'ma.

I have found that talking about God comes very naturally to young children. When talking to my own young children about God and religion, I try to keep it simple. There is plenty of time for later for more complex understandings.


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The Sydney Taylor Book Award is awarded by the American Association of Jewish Libraries. From their official site:

The Sydney Taylor Book Award is presented annually to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience. Presented by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) since 1968, the Award encourages the publication and widespread use of quality Judaic literature. Gold medals are presented in three categories: Younger Readers, Older Readers, and Teen Readers. Honor Books are awarded silver medals, and Notable Books are named in each category.

Lost Jacqueline Davies

This is one of this year's honor books for teen readers.

This is two stories in one. There is the storyline of the past, outlining the birth of Essie's little sister Zelda and how Essie became Zelda's main caregiver. Essie would do anything for Zelda and this storyline progresses quickly as Zelda grows until it meets the present. The other storyline is what is happening now. It's quickly apparent that when it comes to Zelda, Essie is not the most reliable narrator. Essie's working at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory where she meets the new girl, Harriet. Everything about Harriet is wrong. She's too fancy and obviously lost. She doesn't belong, but she intrigues Essie and they become friends.

There are those of us who see "Triangle Shirtwaist Factory" and know how this story will end. But while it gives us a horrific climax, the fire is not the focus of the story. Essie and Harriet have both lost something and are, in their own ways, lost. The layers in this story and the types of loss that are explored and ignored make this novel unbelievably haunting.

My favorite part of the book was Essie's voice. It is one of the most distinctive and memorable voices I've read and brings us right into the early twentieth century immigrant communities on the Lower East Side:

Mama is on the bed grunting like a pig, and Ida Pelz from next door is telling her to push. This is the fifth time Mrs. Pelz has helped Mama get a baby out. The first two times brought me, then Saulie. The last two times brought nothing but grief.

Saulie is in school, unless he's hooking, like he does most days. I should be in school, too, but clever me, I told Mama that my ear ached, and so she let me stay home.

And don't you see how God works in this world? Such a little lie it was, but this, this is my punishment. Standing in this dark hole of a room while Mama's insides spill onto the bed. I'm just ten years old, I shouldn't see any of this, but there is no one else to help. And Mrs. Pelz, she needs the hands. (page 1)

She draws you in and keeps you as the storylines flip back and forth. I also really liked the design of the book. The storyline in the past is printed on a grayscale picture of a cracked wall (the same wall on the cover, but without the hats.)



That's not the greatest of photos. Not only is the te

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2010 SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARDS - ANNOUNCED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH LIBRARIES

Congratulations to all!


The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Younger Readers:
New Year at the Pier: A Rosh Hashanah Story by April Halprin Wayland with illustrations by Stephane Jorish (Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group)

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Older Readers:
The Importance of Wings by Robin Friedman
(Charlesbridge Publishing)

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Teen Readers:
Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba by Margarita Engle
(Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)

Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Younger Readers:
Nachshon, Who Was Afraid to Swim: A Passover Story
by Deborah Bodin Cohen with illustrations by Jago(Kar-Ben, imprint of Lerner)
Benjamin and the Silver Goblet by Jacqueline Jules with illustrations by Natascia Ugliano(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
Yankee at the Seder by Elka Weber with illustrations by Adam Gustavson
(Tricycle Press)
You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax? by Jonah Winter with illustrations by Andre Carrilho
(Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House)

Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Older Readers:
Anne Frank: Her Life in Words and Pictures from the Archives of the Anne Frank House
by Menno Metselaar and Ruud van der Rol, translated by Arnold J. Pomerans
(Roaring Brook Press/Flash Point, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
A Faraway Island by Annika Thor, translated by Linda Schenck
Delacorte Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House)

Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Teen Readers:
Lost by Jacqueline Davies(Marshall Cavendish)
Naomi’s Song by Selma Kritzer Silverberg(Jewish Publication Society)

Notable Books for Younger Readers:
Where Is Grandpa Dennis? by Michelle Shapiro Abraham with illustrations by Janice Fried (URJ Press)
Around the Shabbos Table by Seryl Berman with illustrations by Ari Binus
(Hachai)
The Secret Shofar of Barcelona by Jacqueline Dembar Greene with illustrations by Douglas Chyka(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
Menorah Under the Sea by Esther Susan Heller(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
Today Is the Birthday of the World by Linda Heller with illustrations by Allison Jay
(Dutton Children’s Books, an imprint of Penguin)
The Waiting Wall by Leah Braunstein Levy with illustrations by Avi Katz
(Hachai Publishers)
Sukkot Treasure Hunt by Allison Ofanansky with photographs by Eliyahu Alpern
(Kar-Ben,an imprint of Lerner)
Fox Walked Alone by Barbara Reid(Albert Whitman & Company)

Notable Books for Older Readers:
The Champion of Children: The Story of Janusz Korczak written and illustrated by Tomek Bogacki
(Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers/Frances Foster Books, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
Guardian Angel House (A Holocaust Remembrance Book for Young Readers) by Kathy Clark
(Second Story Press)
Rebecca Series (American Girl Collection)
by Jacqueline Dembar Greene with illustrations by Robert Hunt
(American Girl)
Strawberry Hill by Mary Ann Hoberman with illustrations by Wendy Anderson Halperin
(Little Brown and Company)
The Mysteries of Beethoven’s Hair by Russell Martin and Lydia Nibley
(Charlesbridge Publishing)
The Man Who Flies with Birds by Carol Garbuny Vogel and Yossi Leshem
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
Clay

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The Sydney Taylor Book Award recognizes the best in Jewish children's literature. Medals are awarded annually for outstanding books that authentically portray the Jewish experience. The award was established in 1968. It is named in memory of 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 Chicago this July.

As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March Toward Freedom Richard Michelson and Raul Colon will receive the 2009 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Younger Readers Category for As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom, published by Alfred A. Knopf. Two very special clergymen, one a rabbi, the other an African-American reverend are raised in divergently different countries yet experience similar levels of persecution and bigotry that will one day bring them together. As colleagues in America’s struggle for civil rights, they march together from Selma to Montgomery in March 1965. Colon’s colored pencil and watercolor illustrations “offer a beautiful complement to the text, describing two unique paths from childhood to adult life – Martin’s in the rich, warm brown-tones of the American south and Abraham’s in cool blues and grays that reminded the illustrator of old World War II movies. When the two exemplary men join in their march for tolerance, the palettes merge in full color harmony,” comments Debbie Colodny, a member of the Award Committee. This book is recommended for grades 2-5.

Brooklyn Bridge Karen Hesse will receive the 2009 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Older Readers Category for Brooklyn Bridge, published by Feiwel & Friends. While his family left the anti-Semitism of Russia to build the American dream, Joey Michtom’s dream is to visit the glittering Coney Island. “Crafting a story from the spark of a true event, the invention of the Teddy Bear in 1903, Hesse masterfully weaves multiple themes of hard-work, survival, homelessness, and familial dedication with interlocking and parallel stories of families who live reasonably well opposite those less fortunate living in the shadows below the imposing Brooklyn Bridge,” comments Rita Soltan, a member of the Award Committee. This book is recommended for grades 5-8. Hesse also won the 1992 Award for Older Readers for Letters from Rifka, and a 2004 Honor Award for Older Readers for The Cats in Kransinski Square.

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea Zenatti will receive the 2009 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Teen Readers Category for A Bottle in the Gaza Sea, published by Bloomsbury. “This story about the relationship between an Israeli girl, Tal, and a Palestinian boy, Naim, via e-mail and instant messaging, is honest but hopeful. Well-written and compelling, the tale of their relationship conveys the confusion, anger, exhaustion, and depression felt by many young people during the 2003 intifada,” comments Susan Berson, a member of the Award Committee. Zenatti’s memoir, When I Was a Soldier, was a 2005-6 AJL Notable Book for Older Readers.

More information about the Sydney Taylor Book Awards may be found online at www.SydneyTaylorBookAward.org and at The Sydney Taylor Book Award blog at www.sydneytaylorbookaward.blogspot.com

Interviews with winning authors will be posted on prominent children’s literature blogs as part of a Blog Tour beginning on January 18, 2009; details are posted at The Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog.

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Congratulations to all the winners - it has been an honor to serve on the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee!

THE 2009 SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARDS
ANNOUNCED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH LIBRARIES

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Younger Readers:
As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom by Richard Michelson with illustrations by Raul Colon
(Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books)

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Older Readers:
Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse
(Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan)

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Teen Readers:
A Bottle in the Gaza Sea by Valerie Zenatti
(Bloomsbury)

Sydney Taylor Honor Award Winners for Younger Readers:
Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride by Deborah Bodin Cohen with illustrations by Shahar Kober (Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
Sarah Laughs by Jacqueline Jules with illustrations by Natascia Ugliano
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
A is for Abraham: A Jewish Family Alphabet by Richard Michelson with illustrations by Ron Mazellan (Sleeping Bear Press, an imprint of Gale)
Naming Liberty by Jane Yolen with paintings by Jim Burke
(Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin)

Sydney Taylor Honor Award Winners for Older Readers:
Memories of Babi by Aranka Siegal
(Farrar Straus and Giroux)

Sydney Taylor Honor Award Winner for Teen Readers:
Freefall by Anna Levine
(Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)

Notable Books for Younger Readers:
Mysterious Guests: A Sukkot Story by Eric Kimmel with illustrations by Katya Krenina
(Holiday House)
Jodie’s Hanukkah Dig by Anna Levine with illustrations by Knesia Topaz
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
Harvest of Light by Allison Ofanansky with photographs by Eliyahu Alpern
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
Sammy Spider’s First Shavuot by Sylvia Rouss with illustrations by Katherine Janus Kahn
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
My Tzitzis Book by Elisheva Schreiber with clay creations by Batsheva Ravad
(Feldheim)
Hanukkah Haiku by Harriet Ziefert with illustrations by Karla Gudeon
(Blue Apple Books)

Notable Books for Older Readers:
The Boy Who Dared: A Novel Based on the True Story of a Hitler Youth by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Scholastic Press)
The Walls of Cartegena by Julia Durango with illustrations by Tom Pohrt
(Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
Capturing the Moon by Rabbi Edward M. Feinstein (Behrman House)
Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass: Igniting the Nazi War Against Jews by Stephanie Fitzgerald (Compass Point Books)
My Chocolate Year by Charlotte Herman with illustrations by LeUyen Pham
(Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
The Mozart Question by Michael Morpurgo with illustrations by Michael Forman
(Candlewick Press)
Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman by Marc Tyler Nobleman with illustrations by Ross McDonald (Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books)
The Bat-Chen Diaries: Selected Writings by Bat-Chen Shahak (Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
Keeping Israel Safe: Serving in the Israel Defense Forces by Barbara Sofer
(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)
Honey Cake by Joan Betty Stuchner with illustrations by Cynthia Nugent
(Random House, a Stepping Stone Book)

Notable Books for Teens:
Nothing by Robin Friedman (Flux)
Rutka’s Notebook: A Voice from the Holocaust by Rutka Laskier
(Time, Inc. Home Entertainment)
Gravity by Leanne Lieberman
(Orca Book Publishers)
The Freak by Carol Matas
(Key Porter Books)

Notable Books for All Ages:
Genesis—the Book with Seventy Faces: A Guide for the Family by Esther Takac with illustrations by Anna Pignataro (Pitspopany Press)
Celebrating with Jewish Crafts by Rebecca Edid Ruzansky with photographs by Roberto Zeballos-Peralta(self-published)

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