Sammy Spider Craft Celebrates Shapes This Passover!

Learning shapes is an important part of a child’s basic skill set, and we’ve got a new title out that helps the youngest readers acquire those skills while celebrating Passover at the same time!

Sammy Spider’sPassover Shapes, for age 1-4, includes colorful art of Sammy Spider observing a family getting ready for Passover. Curious Sammy sees lots of shapes, like the square of the matzah, as the Shapiro family prepares for Passover.

References like the matzah help children visualize shapes, and Sammy’s fun journey encourages them to also be curious! 

Adding on to that learning, we’ve created a fun craft project that will help develop a child’s fine motor and shape skills without them even realizing it--the best kind of learning!

Make Your Own Sammy Spider:

1. Grab a piece of paper to glue Sammy on. Draw lots of shapes to make it an interesting background! Can you draw the Star of David?

2. Find some colorful construction paper. Mix and match the colors if you want!

3. Cut out two circles from the construction paper: a small one for Sammy’s head, and a big one for his body.

4. Cut out eight thin rectangles. Make them long like a spider’s legs!

5. Cut out two very small circles for his eyes.

6. Glue it all on the paper! Legs first, then body, head and eyes last. Draw a smile on his face.

7. Enjoy having your own Sammy Spider!

Cherishing Family Traditions at Passover

Passover begins in just a couple weeks, and what better way to spend the holiday than with a new book and a tasty recipe?

Kar-Ben has three new books about Passover this season—Sammy Spider’s Passover Shapes, Passover Scavenger Hunt, and A Different Kind of Passover. This post features A Different Kind of Passover by Linda Leopold Strauss.

In A Different Kind of Passover, Jessica’s family has to deal with Grandpa being too weak to join them for seder due to illness. Jessica’s been practicing her Four Questions, and it won’t be the same if Grandpa isn’t able to tell the family the story of Passover like he always does. With a little problem solving, Jessica discovers a way to include Grandpa and make this year’s seder one to remember.

Jessica’s story, especially her desire to celebrate familiar traditions, is a reminder of how the holidays bring family together, and the joy that results. What family traditions do you look forward to each year? Is it where you gather? Who leads the seder? Maybe special foods that you look forward to all year?

Start a new family tradition and make your own seder memorable with this delicious, colorful dish for Passover:

Gefilte Fish Loaf

2 packages frozen gefilte fish

1 10 oz. package frozen spinach

1 1lb. can sliced carrots

Defrost gefilte fish and divide evenly into three bowls.  Defrost spinach, squeeze out water, and mix into one bowl of fish.  Mash carrots and mix into a second bowl.  Spray a large loaf pan with non-stick spray.  Layer the spinach-fish mixture on the bottom and pat down.  Cover with the plain fish.  Top with the carrot-fish mixture.  Cover with waxed paper or foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Enjoy!

Meeting A Hero: The Six-Day War's Most Iconic Photo

by Joni Sussman, Kar-Ben Publisher

June 7, 2017 marks the 50^th anniversary of the Six-Day War. Kar-Ben has just released a new book that explores the Six-Day War and the concept of heroism through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy. In The Six-Day Hero by award-winning YA author Tammar Stein, the main character, Motti, knows that war is coming. Israel is only nineteen years old—the same age as his brave older brother, Gideon—and the tiny country is surrounded by enemies. Motti knows his older brother is a hero—but through the six days of the war that will decide Israel's fate, he discovers other heroes in surprising places. He may even be a hero himself. The book introduces young readers to a pivotal chapter in Israel's history, while opening a provocative discussion about what makes a hero.

I remember the Six-Day-War. It’s hard to believe it was 50 years ago. Glued to our television, we watched the war unfold. The photo below, one of the most famous photos of that war, shows the young paratroopers of Israel’s 55^th Paratroop Brigade liberating the Kotel on June 7, 1967. (The 92-year-old photographer, David Rubinger, died March 3.) A few years ago, when I attended the Jerusalem Book Fair in 2013, I had the opportunity to meet Yitzhak Yifat, the young man in the middle of this iconic photo. 

I was attending a Shabbat service at the Kotel with Women of the Wall, (Neshot Hakotel  הכותל נשות in Hebrew) a group of Jewish women from Israel and around the world working to achieve the right for women to wear tallitot, pray aloud and read from the Torah at the Kotel. The day I was there, there were many reporters in attendance. They were gathered around a gentleman in the crowd  -- it was the young soldier from the photograph, Yitzhak Yifat! 

“We came today to identify with them [the women],” said Dr. Yifat, a gynecologist from Kiryat Malachi, in the interview with reporters. “The Kotel belongs to everyone and not just one segment of the population.”

My hero. I got to shake his hand. 

To learn more about The Six-Day Hero, and/or to purchase a copy, visit www.karben.com.

When Immigration Is Personal

An image from Feivel's Flying Horses...Feivel thinks of the family he left behind as he arrives in New York. 

I have never really thought of my mom as an immigrant. Well, not until recently when she was sweating the prep for the civics part of her naturalization test.  

My mom has lived in the United States for over four decades, and I think of her as my mom, not as the kindly resident alien who taught me how to tie my shoes, picked me up at the bus stop after school and, you know, loved me.

Until now, my mother has been a green card holding permanent resident alien. That means that she could live in the United States, she could work here, and its laws would protect her. But it didn’t make her a full citizen. And without this significant designation, there was something important that her three American daughters could do that she could not: vote.

My mom, who has never voted in the 41 years that I have been alive, decided that 2016 was her year to change that.

Despite mom’s test anxiety, my sisters and I were not at all surprised to learn that she aced the civics test.  Like many immigrants before her, my mother wanted to take part fully in what it means to be an American citizen. For so many Americans, someone in their family tree made that same decision. Having a sense that America is a home to immigrants, including your own relatives—matters, especially sharing that awareness with children.  

Read Feivel's Flying Horses to begin conversations in your home or classroom. 

Promoting a Message of Peace: Meet Kar-Ben Author Fawzia Gilani-Williams

Kar-Ben author Fawzia Gilani-Williams was born and raised in England. She was a teacher and is the author of many children's books, including A Treasury of Eid Tales, and is currently working on an Islamic fairy tale series. She serves as an international educational consultant and has a PhD in children's literature. A Global Representative for the International Positive Education Network, she works for the Abu Dhabi Education Council, dividing her time among the United Arab Emirates, Ohio, and England. She looks forward to the day when world conflict is no more.

We interviewed Fawzia about her newest picture book, Yaffa and Fatima, Shalom, Salaam, a story that celebrates the friendship between and Jewish and a Muslim girl.

KB: What was your favorite book when you were a child? 
FGW: I didn’t have a favorite. I particularly enjoyed the Favorite Fairy Tales Told in series by Virginia Haviland. I also loved reading stories about the prophets of God.

KB: What’s your favorite line from a book?  
FGW: "My Lord, build for me near You a house in Paradise."

KB: Why did you want to become an author or illustrator?
FGW: It wasn’t a conscious goal.  As a teacher I was confronted with the realization that my students from minority groups were invisible in children’s books. So I tried to address that gap. When I first arrived in the USA, I was impressed with the number of books that were available in public libraries about Hanukkah, and I thought this was very encouraging. I grew up with books that were entirely Anglo-centric. It’s quite widely known that when children feel a sense of belonging and a sense of honor for their families and communities, they are emotionally resilient, confident and can negotiate difficulties and challenges.  These are all wellness elements in allowing positive self-development and learning. Children's books commonly discuss themes that are used to encourage children to undertake a grand role in society. When children don’t see themselves in books it sends a subliminal message of worth. As a teacher I understood the importance of children seeing themselves, their families and community in the literature. ‘Mirror books’ are commonly referred to as books that promote a child’s positive self-development and these are the types of books that I aspire to.


KB: Where did you get the inspiration for your latest Kar-Ben book?
FGW: My book was inspired by a tale which can be found in both the Jewish and Arab traditions. It’s a tale about two brothers who secretly help each other. The story revolves around love, sharing, kindness and compassion - the essential ingredients that make people and the world beautiful.

KB: What are you most excited about promoting in your new book?
The message of peace and being a good neighbor. The message that we actually can all work together to make the world a better place. I’m delighted to be promoting the message of peace.

KB: How do you hope your book will impact a child’s life? 
FGW: I hope that my book impacts the life of a Jewish child and a Muslim child and other children by showing them that caring for another person is entirely necessary on the sole premise that every person belongs to God. As a result the inalienable right of every human being on the planet is to be safe and free and kindness is endemic to both of these rights. I hope the story underscores the importance of being a good neighbor on a micro level and a macro level.

Get your copy of Yaffa and Fatima, Shalom, Salaam today.

Bagels in Costa Rica! Inspiration from Author Ilana Long

  Kar-Ben author Ilana Long shares her love of bagels and inspiration for her book about bagels, Ziggy's Big Idea .

    

  I got the big idea for my book Ziggy’s Big Idea when my mother-in-law returned from a talk on the history of the bagel, and I knew I had my topic for a children’s book! I’ve always been a bit of a bagel fanatic. I grew up in Cleveland as the granddaughter of a rabbi, and it was our Sunday morning ritual to head to the local deli and order a bagel slathered with cream cheese, topped off with a decadent slice of lox. Capers and red onions were optional! But no matter how they were decorated, bagels always reminded of family, comfort, nostalgia and home.

            So when I moved to Costa Rica with my husband and twin teenagers three years ago to teach at an international school, I missed my Sunday treat. Sure, I tried to make do with tortillas sprinkled with sesame seeds, but let me tell you, they didn’t even come close! I craved the rich, dense bread and the toasted perfection of my youth!

            On Friday nights, I attended services at our Costa Rican synagogue. After the service, the congregation snacked on cakes and cookies and carrot sticks as we chatted and I tried desperately to pick up on the Spanish conversations. 

            One evening, famished, I headed for the snack table and nearly fell over with excitement. There on the table was a basket of bagels. In Costa Rica! There was cream cheese, lox and red onion, too.  If it hadn’t been for the urgings of my children: “Mom! They’re just bagels. Save some for the rest of us!” I might have devoured the entire basket! 

            “Where did they come from?” I asked, my mouth full, still in blissful awe.

            “I make ‘em. I’m the Costa Rican bagel guy!” It was David Feingold, originally from Boston. His baking business, “Boston Bagels” (in Costa Rica) provides bagels, pizza dough and challahs not only for Costa Rica, but also for other lucky Central American countries. Everything bagels, sesame, poppy seed, and all manner of Boston Bagel flavors can be found in restaurants, store fronts and major stores in Central America.

                “Before founding the company, my wife Olga and I met as students in the United States where we often frequented east coast bagel shops.  Upon moving to Costa Rica, in 1997 we were pioneers in promoting bagels and opened Boston Bagel, the first bagel bakery in Costa Rica.  In 2012 we began to export our products to the rest of Central America.”

            

Boston Bagels took part recently in helping out the Costa Rican community after the terrible devastation here from Hurricane Otto. The employees recycled used flour bags to fill with care packages for the daily needs of the victims. Also, Feingold’s company provided bagels and cream cheese for the many volunteers at the Red Cross of Costa Rica.

            Happily, I now bring bagels to school with my lunch, eat them on the beach and take them with me on jungle hikes. I have to be careful munching on a deli bagel if I spot white-faced monkeys in the trees.  I’m not the only one who craves these delicious treats, no matter where in the world I find myself!

Check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BostonBagelsCostaRica/    
Website: http://www.bostonpanypizza.com/espa%C3%B1ol/productos/bagel/

Interview: A Hanukkah with Mazel Author Joel Stein

Get to know Joel Stein, author of A Hanukkah with Mazel. Learn what inspired his sweet Hanukkah story about a stray cat and friendship.
What was your favorite book when you were a child? 

 Alice in Wonderland

 

What’s your favorite line from a book?                            

“I knew who I was this morning, but I've changed a few times since then.” Lewis Carroll -  Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

Who are your top three favorite authors or illustrators?
Robert Cormier, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and Patricia Palacco are among my favorite  authors.

Why did you want to become an author?

The works of authors and illustrators have fascinated me since I was a child. I wanted to be a part of that world.

Do you have any advice for future authors or illustrators? 

Write. Write. Write. And write some more. if you believe in what you're doing, never give up your dream.

 Where did you get the inspiration for your latest or upcoming Kar-Ben book, A Hanukkah with Mazel?

Once upon a time I had aspirations of becoming an artist.  The thought came to me -- what would an artist do if he was so poor that he couldn't even afford candles to celebrate Chanukah with? And what if he lived in Grodno; the shtetl my mother grew up in?

What are you most excited about promoting in your new book?

The Chanukah story, at its core, is a story of hope and of miracles that sometimes occur unexpectedly. I'm excited to tell the story from a different perspective.

What is the most interesting thing you learned in the process of writing or illustrating your book?

Sometimes strong characters begin to have a mind of their own and can lead the story in a different direction from the one first intended.

How do you hope your book will impact the Jewish life of a child? 

I'm hoping that children can see the true meaning of Chanukah and the richness that its tradition brings. Along with that, I hope they see the kindness a poor artist shows for a small cat who wanders unexpectedly to his home one night. 

What are you working on now?

I'm currently working on Itzchak the Fiddler. It's about the extraordinary violin virtuoso, Itzchak Perlman. 

What are some fun facts about you?

At one time, I thought about becoming a veterinarian. When I'm not writing or reading, I practice Tai Chi and I also enjoy playing the viola. 

Get your copy of A Hanukkah with Mazel now.