Mazel Tov to the Sydney Taylor Book Award Winners!

Kar-Ben Publishing is thrilled to announce that the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee has named three Kar-Ben titles as either 2014 Honor Books or Notable Books for Younger Readers! Mazel tov to our hardworking authors and illustrators!

Presented by the Association of Jewish Libraries since 1968, the Sydney Taylor Book Award is presented annually to outstanding books that authentically portray the Jewish experience. In addition to gold medals awarded in each of three categories, two Honor Books are awarded silver medals and Notable Books are named in each category.

You can find these and other Sydney Taylor Award Winners on the Kar-Ben website! Through the end of February, receive 20% off these 2014 Sydney Taylor winners!

2014 Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Younger Readers

 

Stones for Grandpa

Renee Londner

illustrated by Martha Aviles

It’s not easy for a child to cope with the death of any family member, especially a beloved grandparent. In Stones for Grandpa, a little boy and his family gather at the cemetery for the unveiling of his grandpa’s gravestone, bringing stones to place on the grave, as is the Jewish custom. They tell stories that help the boy deal with his loss, reminding him of the wonderful memories he has of his grandpa.

 

Rifka Takes a Bow

Betty Rosenberg Perlov

illustrated by Cosei Kawa

Rifka’s parents are actors in the Yiddish Theater in New York, but one day Rifka finds herself center stage in a special role!  A slice of immigrant life on New York’s Second Avenue, Rifka Takes a Bow, new from Kar-Ben, is a unique book about a vanished time and a place – the Yiddish theater in the early 20^th century -- made real through the telling of the true life story of the 96-year-old author as a little girl.

 

2014 Sydney Taylor Notable Books for Younger Readers

 

The Cats on Ben Yehuda Street

Ann Redisch Stempler

illustrated by Francesca Carabelli

In The Cats on Ben Yehuda Street, Tel-Aviv is full of cats of every color and size, and Mr. Modiano—a grumpy fishmonger—has no time for them! His neighbor, Mrs. Spiegel, loves cats, taking care of her little grey cat with a pink collar and feeding a fluffy white stray cat. Mrs. Spiegel wants to be friends with Mr. Modiano and invites him to tea but he always says “lo, lo, lo, no, no, no.”

But one night when Mrs. Spiegel’s cat goes missing, it is Mr. Modiano who heroically takes off in search of the furry feline. When he finds her cat, Mrs. Spiegel is overjoyed. But what about Mr. Modiano? Has he finally had a change of heart and learned the value of companionship?

With its glimpse into a colorful and diverse Israeli neighborhood, this lovely story about friendship also nicely portrays Tel-Aviv’s beach, markets and other features of Israeli life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Crafts and Activities for Celebrating Tu B'Shevat!

Tu B'Shevat, the New Year or birthday for trees, is a great day to celebrate nature and introduce children to different ways to help out the environment. For over 100 years, many Israeli institutions have planted trees on Tu B'Shevat, and today over a million people participate in the Jewish National Fund's Tu B'Shevat tree-planting activities. This has led to the day often being called "Israeli Arbor Day" internationally.

Below are crafts and activities for celebrating and teaching children the importance of Tu B'Shevat:

A Craft for Learning About Trees
This sweet craft from Joyful Jewish teaches kids about the many things that we get from trees. It's a great activity for showing the many reasons we have to appreciate trees. For younger children, you can make the tree yourself and then let them enjoy discovering the flaps, for older children, have them create the tree and perhaps share it with someone younger! Find the directions here.

An Edible Craft!
This tasty craft from The Jewish Woman lets children decorate edible trees with a variety of the fruits that grow on them! A fun and (kind-of) healthy snack that also teaches children about one of the many delicious reasons we're thankful for trees. Find the directions here.

Have a Tu B'Shevat Seder (or just bake something tasty!)
Tu B'Shevat seders have become a popular and delicious way to celebrate the holiday. Plan a seder meal, or just enjoy making a simple kid-friendly recipe with your child. In keeping with celebrating trees and the many things they provide, many Tu B'Shevat recipes include fruit. This Banana Bread recipe from Leah Cooks Kosher is full of tasty ingredients like figs and almonds.

Take a Trip to a Plant Nursery

Nurseries can be fascinating for children because there's a wide array of plants, including many that aren't seen everyday. It's a great place to introduce your child to the diversity of the plant kingdom and talk about the different uses of different kinds of plants.

Teach Your Child How to Care for a PlantWhile much of the US is too cold to plant outdoors, that doesn't mean you can't teach your child how to care for a plant. Start with a small, hearty, indoor potted plant. Teach your child how to care for the plant with daily water and sunlight, and gradually release responsibility until they are responsible for caring for the plant on their own. They'll learn an important lesson about responsibility, as well as about environmental stewardship.

Find Out How Other Nations and Cultures Honor Trees
Have you heard of Arbor Day and Earth Day? How about Shikmokil in Korea or Chih Shu Chieh in China? Many cultures understand and appreciate the importance of trees - what is similar or different about their celebrations?


Learn More About Tu B'Shevat with a Good Book
Children's books about Tu B'Shevat show the close relationship between people and trees. They celebrate the many reasons we have to be thankful for trees, and provide youngsters with a great introduction to the holiday. Some Kar-Ben Tu B'Shevat favorites include:

Netta and Her PlantOne Tu B'Shevat day in Israel, little Netta brings a plant home from preschool. Over time, Netta grows, and the plant grows too. Soon it is time for both of them to find new homes and new friends.

Thank You, Trees!
Rhyming story giving thanks for the gifts trees provide on the occasion of Tu B’Shevat, Jewish Arbor Day.

        

Sammy Spider's First Tu B'ShevatSpring is in the air and Sammy Spider watches as Josh Shapiro lowers the roots of a small tree into the ground. As spring turns to summer and summer to fall, Sammy watches Josh nurture the small tree as it sprouts tiny buds, then full blossoms, then colorful autumn leaves.

The Apple Tree's Discovery

A little apple tree in a forest of oaks begs God for stars like those glimmering on the branches of the great oak trees beside her. As the seasons pass, she learns to appreciate her own gifts and realizes that it’s possible to find a star in each of us.



Find these and other Tu B'Shevat books here!

Kar-Ben Rings in 2014 with New Books!

We here at Kar-Ben are incredibly excited for our Spring 2014 titles. We have great new stories for all occasions, from Tu B'Shevat to Passover, from bagel-making to recycling. Here's a sneak peak at what 2014 will offer:

For Tu B'Shevat

A little girl and her plant grow up together, sharing many a Tu B'Shevat.

On Tu B’Sheva, little Netta, who lives in Israel, brings a plant home from preschool. She loves it. Netta grows and the plant grows, until it is time for both of them to find new homes and new friends. Netta and Her Plant tells the story of the changes Netta encounters as she grows  up, getting taller getting a new baby sister, and preparing for her first day of kindergarten at her new school, each stage of her life mirrored by her growing plant.

For Passover

The littlest Levine finally gets her chance to shine!

Hannah hates being the littlest Levine. She can’t ride the school bus like her sister and brother. During Sukkot, she needs help hanging her decorations in the Sukkah, and on Hanukkah she’s not allowed to light candles by herself. “Be patient,” her grandpa tells her, “soon you’ll be proud to be the littlest Levine.” Every evening in the weeks before Passover, she studies with her grandpa, and when the seder comes, it’s finally Hannah’s turn to shine!

Rabbi Jamie leads a unique seder in the desert of Moab, Utah.

Seder in the Desert invites you to join a group of families as they follow Rabbi Jamie into Moav, Utah to celebrate a most unusual Passover seder in the desert. As they hike through the sandstone and red rock desert, they learn important lessons about the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, such as the importance of helping one another. Together, the community hikes, learns, laughs, sings, debates, and enjoys the delicious Passover seder meal. The story is accompanied by photos of the celebration as well as stunning desert scenery by award-winning photographer Jeff Finkelstein.

For Yom HaShoah

A young girl helps accomplish an astonishing rescue in Nazi-occupied Denmark.

In The Whispering Town it is 1943 in Nazi-occupied Denmark. Anett and her parents are hiding a Jewish woman and her son, Carl, in their cellar until a fishing boat can take them across the sound to safety in neutral Sweden. With the help of the baker, the librarian, the farmer, and her neighbors, Anett keeps Carl and his mother safe even as Nazi soldiers search her street for hidden Jews. With the Nazis closing in, and worried about Carl’s safety, Anett thinks of a clever and unusual plan to get Carl and his mother safely to the harbor on a cloudy night without the moon to guide them. Based on a true story.

For Lag Ba'Omer

Sadie and Ori solve the mystery of Lag Ba'Omer!

“What is Lag Ba’Omer?” Sadie and Ori ask their grandfather in Sadie’s Lag Ba’Omer Mystery. He sends them off on a mission to solve the puzzle. After checking calendars and books and asking many different “holiday experts,” including the mailman, Aunt Katy, Uncle Danny, and their Grandmother, they learn the surprising history and tradition behind this less well- known Jewish holiday and invite their friends and family to a Lag Ba’Omer celebration!

Great Reads for Any Time of Year!

A Jewish boy with Native American roots celebrates his dual heritage on the Western frontier.



“Always remember, you are the son of two proud nations,” Elan’s parents tell him in Elan, Son of Two Peoples. After turning 13 and celebrating his Bar Mitzvah in San Francisco, Elan, with his Jewish father and Native American mother, travels to New Mexico to visit his Indian family. There, he reads the Torah on the open mesa during Shabbat, goes exploring with his cousin, and takes part in the Pueblo ceremony of becoming a man. Based on a true story.

A Torah scribe and his family rescue damaged Torahs in a story spanning four generations.

As a child, David watches his grandfather, a Torah scribe or sofer, finish a Torah scroll for the synagogue. “A Torah is not something to be thrown away,” his Grandfather explains in The Patchwork Torah. David’s grandfather  carefully stores the old Torah his new one has replaced in his cabinet, hoping to one day repair the letters so the Torah can be used again. David grows up and becomes a sofer just like his grandfather. Through the years, people bring him damaged Torahs they have saved from danger and disaster – one damaged by Nazi soldiers during World War II, one damaged in a fire in a synagogue, and one in flooding during Hurricane Katrina. David stores each of these precious Torahs in his cabinet, until his granddaughter Leah gives him the idea to make a recycled Torah from the salvaged Torah scrolls.

An inventive little boy comes up with a big idea!

In Ziggy’s Big Idea Ziggy loves coming up with new inventions. Unfortunately, though, most of his inventions just don’t work out, like the  square “Ziggyball” or the “shulstilts” he makes for Rabbi Levi. Ziggy’s father sells  buns for Moishe the Baker, but Mrs. Schwartz always complains that the buns are undercooked at the center. That’s when Ziggy puts his creative mind to work, with  his idea for making the baker’s buns tastier and easier to carry, leading to the creation of one of the world’s  favorite treats – the bagel! Bagel recipe included.



Beginning in January, you can find these new titles at www.karben.com!
 
 

Eight Activities for Eight Nights!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and this year, that means Hanukkah is too! Here are eight fun and informative activities for you and your little ones to do together (for both holidays!) this year:

"Thankful Thoughts" Turkeys

For Thanksgiving and the first night of Hanukkah, take a moment to appreciate what you have.

You'll need: construction paper, scissors, and colored pencils, crayons, or markers

 Draw and decorate a hand turkey (made by simply tracing your hand), and then write one thing you are thankful for on each of its feathers. Or you can make more colorful turkeys like these.


Make Your Own Menorah from Joyful Jewish

Let even the youngest children participate in the lighting of the menorah with this pretty homemade menorah with paper "flames" that kids can safely use!

You'll need: paint, construction paper, toilet paper or other cardboard tubes, and popsicle sticks

Follow the instructions here.


Learn about the Maccabees with these Activities

Help children learn and remember the story of Hanukkah with these fun coloring and maze activities from Kar-Ben!

You'll need: printed activity pages and colored pencils, crayons, or markers

Download the Maccabee color-by-number here, the Maccabee shield here, and the Torch Relay Maze here.


Homemade Hanukkah Cards from Scrumdilly-do

Help children learn the importance of showing they care with these sweet handmade Hanukkah cards, which are much more unique than store-bought cards.


You'll need: tinfoil, glue, cardboard, scissors, colored tissue paper, thread, and glitter

Follow the instructions here.

Decorate Your Home from Enchanted Learning and She Knows Parenting

Kids will love to help decorate with these unique tin and felt designs that they can make themselves!




Metal Star of David
You'll need: disposable pie plate or roasting pan, a marker, scissors, a nail, and string or yarn
Follow the instructions here.

Felt Dreidels
You'll need: assorted colors of felt, pen, scissors, glue, string, and tape
Follow the instructions here. The page also includes a popsicle stick Star of David craft.

Milk Carton Dreidel from Spoonful

Make recycling a part of your Hanukkah season with this nifty dreidel made from a milk carton!

You'll need: empty 8oz milk carton, craft knife, unsharpened pencil, blue masking tape, and a paint pen


Follow the instructions here.


Hanukkah Gelt Cookies from More Quiche, Please

Now you have your homemade dreidel and so much Hanukkah gelt you're not sure what to do with it all. Turns out they're a perfect way to dress up some holiday cookies!

You'll need: peanut butter, margarine, eggs, sugar, flour, baking soda, vanilla, and 3 bags of Hanukkah gelt

Follow the instructions here.


Still looking for Hanukkah gifts? Check out the Kar-Ben website for great deals and new Hanukkah books, or get a great deal on a Kar-Ben audio eBook for your favorite device!

Meet Anna, the Star of "Don't Sneeze at the Wedding," and Her Author!

Anna is excited to be the flower girl at her aunt's wedding, but that morning she wakes up and . . . "AH-CHOO!" "Don't sneeze at the wedding!" everyone warns her, but will their remedies work?

See the book trailer here, and get the book on the Kar-Ben website!

 

In today's guest blog post, author Pamela Mayer talks about what inspired her to write Don't Sneeze at the Wedding and the joy of wedding celebrations:

 

     Tee-Hee! I love to laugh. One of my favorite childhood memories is of sitting in my bedroom with my best friend, the two of us so consumed with giggles that neither of us could talk. Perhaps that is why I always try to see the funny side of life in my books.

Don't Sneeze At the Wedding is a “what-if” story. What if you woke up with a big loud sneeze on the day you are going to be the flower girl at your aunt's wedding? Sneezing is a reflex. No one can help sneezing or anticipate exactly when a sneeze might happen! That's why a sneeze can make us laugh.

 

My husband has photographed weddings for many years. When I've assisted him, I've seen  all of the excitement which happens before the ceremony, with the arrival of hairdressers, florists, and family. I've seen the mishaps too, melted wedding cakes, ripped gowns and absent bridesmaids! It gave me plenty of first hand experience for my story.

 

Of course, weddings rarely go exactly as planned. When my daughter, Rebecca, was married last spring, the ceremony was to be outside, on a terrace overlooking the ocean. The day was so foggy and windy, we thought we would have to move it inside. However, just as the ceremony was due to begin the sun peeked through the clouds and shone brightly. The unexpected can be delightful too.

 

When I wrote Don't Sneeze At the Wedding, I wanted to write about a joyful event in the Jewish Life Cycle. Our history is filled with its share of struggle and difficult times, yet is it filled with joy too. Did you know that it is considered a mitzvah, a good deed, to make the bride and groom happy on their wedding day? Happiness and laughter seem to go together, just as love and marriage do!

Here is a riddle for you – When do you sneeze three times? 

Answer: When you can't help it!

 

A Q&A with Author Pamela Mayer

 

Why did you want to become an author?

I wanted to become an author because I loved to read so much as a child. From the time I read my first book on my own, I was hooked. I was about nine years old when I decided to become an author. Being one of the people who created stories like the ones I loved so well seemed the perfect future to me.

 

Do you have any advice for future authors?

Write the story only you can tell, the tale which is uniquely your own. Remember too that only your very best is good enough for children.

 

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

I learned many methods to stop a sneeze from happening!

 

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

I wanted to write a contemporary story which I hope many children can identify with. I also hope they will learn and appreciate the beautiful customs of a Jewish wedding ceremony.

 

Pamela Mayer was born and raised in San Francisco, California, and her family has lived there since the early 1900s. Writing children's stories is her favorite thing to do. When she's not writing, she works at the public library as a children's librarian. She's a fan of the San Francisco Giants baseball team, the San Francisco Ballet, and any and all circuses. She and her husband have two daughters and a very cute dog named Charlie.

 

 



A Guest Post from Author Jane Sutton (and a book trailer too!)

It's hard to pick the perfect gift, and Esther the Gorilla's choices seem all wrong at first. But it all gets sorted out when she invites her animal friends to a joyful Hanukkah party. For a sneak peek, check out the book trailer!

In today's guest blog post, author Jane Sutton talks about what it was like to have illustrator Andy Rowland bring her book to life:

 

"As a picture book author, when I turn my story over to the illustrator, I feel the way I did when I left my infant with a babysitter for the first time. Would the illustrator treat my story/my baby with care? What if the illustrator was careless and oblivious to the story’s charms? Or spoiled it with busy-ness? Or didn’t “get” the characters’ personalities?

Waiting to see the sketches can feel like sitting through a T-ball game prolonged by a series of rain delays.

But in the case of Esther's Hanukkah Disaster, the illustrator—Andy Rowland—treated my story about the shopping-challenged Esther’ the Gorilla with exquisite TLC. Every picture is adorable, with rich details that are wonderful to explore. To my delight, Andy didn’t just bring out the humor in the text, but added visual humor not in the text. One of Esther’s file folders is labeled “boring paperwork,” and the shopping list on her fridge lists bananas four times. Most important to me was that, like a good caretaker, the illustrator was sensitive to the main character’s emotions. When Esther is sad, she looks really sad. And when she’s happy because her Hanukkah party is so joyful, Andy has her long gorilla arms clapping over her head, an infectiously toothy grin spread across her face.

Yes, my story/my baby was definitely in good hands. I needn’t have worried…well, I guess I did need to, since worrying happens to be in my nature."

 

Q & A with Jane Sutton

Why did you want to become an author?

I've always enjoyed writing. In elementary school, I would turn an assignment to "write a paragraph using all the spelling words" into a three-act play. An essay I wrote in fifth grade is entitled "A Criticism of Humanity on Behalf of Ducks." In college, a sociology professor assigned us to "do something you always wanted to do and keep a journal on it." I wrote a series of children's stories, and that's when I knew I wanted to write children's books.

Do you have any advice for future authors?

Write, write, write. Keep a notebook with you at all times (well, maybe not in the shower) because you never know when you'll get an idea for a story.

Where did you get the inspiration for Esther's Hanukkah Disaster?

I used to tell my children a version of this story, and it gradually evolved into a book.

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

At first Esther purchases gifts because they appeal to her, not really thinking about the recipient. Her eventual understanding encourages the Jewish value of thinking about others - compassion and empathy. Also, the characters express clearly that the significance of Hanukkah is more important than the gifts. Finally, even though these are anthropomorphic animals, they enjoy rich Jewish traditions.

Anything else you would like to share with readers?

I didn't want to grow up. I figured being a kid was a good deal: I got free food and I didn't have to go to work. When I realized I did have to get older after all, I promised myself that I would always remember what it was like to be a child. Being a children's book author is a way of fulfilling that promise to myself.

Jane Sutton grew up in Roslyn, Long Island, where she began writing stories and poems at a young age. She graduated from Brandeis University with a B.A. in Comparative Literature. In addition to writing books, Jane is a writing tutor and teaches a community education class for adults about how to write for kids. She, her husband, and grown children live in the Boston area.

You can get a copy of Esther's Hanukkah Disaster here!

Ryan Braun: Can He Ever Be a Role Model?

This fall, Kar-Ben released the second revised edition of Jewish Sports Stars: Athletic Heroes of the Past and Present. The book cover was originally set to feature Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman and Major League Baseball slugger and 2011 MVP Ryan Braun.

On July 22, 2013, however, MLB suspended Braun for 65 games for his involvement with the Biogenesis clinic, which was known to have provided illegal performance enhancing drugs to several MLB players, as well as for "conduct detrimental to baseball."

As a result, Kar-Ben chose to remove Braun from the book's cover. Said Kar-Ben publisher Joni Sussman, "While Ryan Braun is a very talented baseball player and we were originally excited to have a contemporary sports figure of his talent and stature with such a strong identification to his Jewish heritage on the cover, there was no question that, after the steroids scandal surfaced, his image was tarnished and he was no longer appropriate to serve as a role model for Jewish kids."

Braun's image has been replaced with a photo of Sandy Koufax, one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball history.

The revised cover

Although Braun's entry in the book remains, the following addendum was added inside the book's back cover: "Shortly after the publication of this book, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun (pages 6-8) was suspended for 65 games, the remainder of the 2013 Major League Baseball season, for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy."

Considering his recent mistakes, can Ryan Braun ever become a suitable role model for Jewish children? What Jewish role models are the best for very athletically-minded youth?