The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

A Teddy Bear for Emily -- And President Roosevelt, Too by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Bethany Stancliffe Albert Whitman & Co., 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Amy Blaine   Buy at Bookshop.org A Teddy Bear for Emily — And President Roosevelt, Too is a warm-hearted picture book based on the true story of the Michtom family who, in 1902, created a stuffed bear inspired by and named after U.S. president Teddy Roosevelt. The story begins in Brooklyn with mother Rose and her daughter Emily, seated side-by-side. As Rose models her creation of a handmade stuffed bear, Emily assists with needle and thread and listens to her mother recall the story of her parents’ emigration from Russia and their meeting and courtship in America. Ultimately, Rose and Morris Michtom married and together opened a candy store. The bear Emily and her mother are creating was inspired by a news article about President Roosevelt and his reluctance to shoot a real bear on one of his well-publicized hu...

Trouble Finds Evie Lefkowitz by Diana Harmon Asher PJ Publishing, 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Esty Schachter             Buy at Amazon.com   It’s hard to know where to start in describing the depth and heart of delightful must-read, Trouble Finds Evie Lefkowitz . The characters are highly engaging and relatable, managing serious themes but also infusing humor throughout. Evie is interesting and complex, and so are her friends and classmates, which is, in fact, one of the many themes of the book. Other themes include coping with grief, bullying, ignorance and intolerance, as well as finding strength and understanding in unexpected ways and more. The book deftly explores the idea that sometimes taking a stand for something that feels right may lead to a bit of trouble, but is nonetheless a risk worth taking. Jewish themes are woven into the book naturally because they are key elements of Evie’s life. From reflecting on having been a canto...

Speedy and the Race Against Sound by Erez Hadad, illustrated by Menahem Halberstadt, translated by Gilah Kahn-Hoffmann Green Bean Books, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rinat Hadad Siegel   Buy at Bookshop.org   How wonderful it is when an author can take an abstract concept written many years ago and transform it into a contemporary story without being didactic. That is a gift and a skill. Full disclaimer: My last name is also Hadad, but Erez and I are not related, to the best of our knowledge… However, we are good friends, and I am so happy to review his clever, creative, and engaging story, Speedy and the Race Against Sound . While I was expecting some rendition of the old tale of The Tortoise and the Hare, I got a new, fresh outlook on —MIDRASH TEHILLIM 120, which, in short, suggests that words are like arrows; once released, you cannot call them back. Speedy the rabbit is the fastest animal in the forest and has many talents. When Speedy wants to show off his ...

The Daughter of Auschwitz: The Girl Who Lived to Tell Her Story by Tova Friedman Quill Tree Books (imprint of HarperCollins), 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Merle Eisman Carrus   Buy at Bookshop.org   Tova Friedman was four years old when her family was moved to a Jewish Ghetto in Poland and just six when they were forced into a cattle car bound for Auschwitz concentration camp. Tova is one of the youngest survivors of the horrendous death camp. As time passes and the survivors of the Holocaust atrocities are fewer and fewer, Tova feels it is her obligation to tell her story. She must keep sharing her experiences so that the world will not forget what happened in World War II Germany and Poland.   Tova tells the story from the perspective of a young girl of twelve talking to a classmate. This makes the story easier for young readers to understand and relate to the details. We meet Tova when she comes to New York City and is starting her new life in America. It...

Slow Down, Shoshi!: It's Shabbat in Uganda by Shoshana Nambi, illustrated by Moran Yogev Kalaniot Books, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Karin Fisher-Golton   Buy at Bookshop.org   In Slow Down, Shoshi! , the protagonist from the acclaimed The Very Best Sukkah is back, with a challenging situation for her energetic nature—slowing down for Shabbat. The story opens lyrically, transporting readers to its rural Ugandan setting, with the sights, sounds, and smells of coffee trees. Shoshi rushes, both during harvest time and as she and her grandfather walk to town to sell coffee beans and buy supplies for Shabbat. Her haste causes her to forget one key element. As she gathers items to replace it, she gets another chance to slow down and, this time, experiences the value of savoring the moment. While portraying a universal and very relatable growth arc about slowing down, author Shoshana Nambi also draws on her upbringing and exposes her audience to life in rural Uganda and t...

King's Legacy by L.C. Rosen Union Square, 2025 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Kathryn Hall   Buy at Bookshop.org King's Legacy is the second book in Rosen's "Tennessee Russo" duology. In Lion's Legacy  ( reviewed on The Shmooze in 2023 ) we met Tennessee, a gay Jewish teenager who is a queer history nerd. His parents are divorced, and he joins his gentile archeologist and reality show star father in a search for artifacts related to queer ancient Greek soldiers. Indiana Jones style adventures ensue. King's Legacy can be a stand-alone read, but I recommend reading them in order if you enjoy the genre. Tennessee, his best friend, his father, and their producer/camerawoman, journey from Rome to Venice to Paris to a fictional Mont Saint Michel-inspired island in a wild chase for an ancient lyre. There are multiple escapes from improbable mechanized death traps, as well as some failures to escape (only the villains die). Gay sexual scenes occur but are not ...

Mazel Toes! by Audrey Barbakoff, illustrated by Annita Soble Collective Book Studio, 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Rochelle Newman-Carrasco   Buy at Bookshop.org This sweet board book uses rhyme and memorable Yiddish phrases to celebrate all things baby. Each page has a short rhyming expression of love and playfulness. Each page shares a way a family might gather round and let a baby know how loved they are and how much joy they are bringing into their homes. The beautiful illustrations are a really powerful part of this book. It's as if the reader is invited into the homes of a series of different families, from different generations and walks of life. These diverse families are united in their focus on a newborn and the smiles and tenderness that brings. The illustration style is so vibrant and alive, you can almost hear the cooing, the giggling, and the baby talk. The Yiddish expressions are explained in a Glossary, and they're such great words. Exactly the kind of Y...