The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Little People, BIG DREAMS) by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara, illustrated by Judit Orosz Frances Lincoln Children's Books (imprint of The Quarto Group) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Jeff Gottesfeld Buy at Bookshop.org What's left to say about Ruth Bader Ginsberg that has not been said already? That's the problem that faces every picture book author contemplating a book about her, and one that Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara solves by creating this picture book biography as part of a long series about people who go on to extraordinary things in their lives. Written in British English (Vegara is Spanish), Vegara tells a straightforward tale of RBG, ending with a death that reflected a life which was all her mother dreamed of. Vegara traces RBG's feminism back to her mom, with the mother's death having a big influence on the protagonist. The text is straight-ahead, and not afraid of an exclamation point to make a point or two. The challenge in all boo

With Great Power: The Marvelous Stan Lee, An Unauthorized Biography by Annie Hunter Eriksen, illustrated by Lee Gatlin Page Street Kids (imprint of Page Street Publishing) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Cynthia Levinson Buy at Bookshop.org Kazow! Kids who love Spider-Man, The Thing—in fact, any comic book about super heroes—will twist themselves into knots to read this book and stick to it like Spidey himself. This picture book biography of Stan Lee—born Stanley Lieber—opens with our hero as a gawky boy, hemmed in within a tiny apartment in the Bronx. So, what does he do? First, he reads every story he can get his hands on, finding adventures from Frankenstein to Shakespeare. Then, at age sixteen, he gets a job as an errand-runner at a publisher of comics. Imaginative and hard-working, Stan, who hides his real name behind the pen-name Stan Lee when he writes copy, quickly becomes editor! However, bored by formulaic story-telling of damsels in distress saved by flawless heroes in whi

Thank You, Dr. Salk! The Scientist Who Beat Polio and Healed the World by Dean Robbins, illustrated by Mike Dutton Farrar Straus Giroux Books For Young Readers (imprint of Macmillan) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Belinda Brock Buy at Bookshop.org Thank You, Dr. Salk introduces us to Jonas Salk as a child, an unlikely hero who figures out that there is more than one way to be brave. Inspired by his desire to heal the world, and specifically to eliminate polio, he demonstrates determination and a strong work ethic to realize his dream. The author relates Dr. Salk's life of study and scientific research in an uncomplicated and easily understandable way. Jonas Salk is a warm and relatable hero who will capture children's interest. The bright and engaging illustrations enhance the text and reinforce how important Dr. Salk and polio research was to the community. Dutton creates appealing and detailed urban neighborhoods of an earlier era filled with people of diverse backgrounds

RBG's Brave and Brilliant Women by Nadine Epstein, illustrated by Bee Johnson Delacorte Press (Penguin Random House) Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacy Nockowitz Buy at Bookshop.org Nadine Epstein’s RBG’s Brave and Brilliant Women takes full advantage of its association with the iconic Supreme Court justice named in its title. Ruth Bader Ginsburg not only wrote the introduction for this book– in the year of her death, no less– but she also played a large role in selecting the women whose biographies Epstein highlights. Justice Ginsburg’s introduction is short but excellent. She discusses two of her personal heroines, Emma Lazarus and Henrietta Szold, and she inspires readers to seek out role models of their own. The Jewish women profiled in RBG’s Brave and Brilliant Women run the gamut from familiar (Anne Frank, Judy Resnik) to more obscure (Glükel of Hameln). Young readers, though, may only recognize the names of a few of the thirty-three women. The short biograph

"Nice" Jewish Girls by Julie Merberg, illustrated by Georgia Rucker Downtown Bookworks (imprint of Simon & Schuster) Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacy Nockowitz Buy at Bookshop.org One of the last pages in Julie Merberg’s wonderful new book Nice Jewish Girls is titled Jewish Geography. Though I found each one of the book’s thirty-six biographical sketches fascinating, the Jewish Geography page is the one to pore over. “It’s a small Jewish world” Merberg writes, and through thumbnail drawings and dotted lines, she shows the reader how many of the women featured in the book are linked to one another. Barbra Streisand held a fundraiser for Bella Abzug when she first ran for office. Ruth Westheimer and Gloria Steinem appeared on The Joan Rivers Show. Are these critically important facts and events? Do we need to know that Diane Von Furstenberg mentored Anne Wojcicki? No. But it sure is fun to play Jewish Geography with all of these inspirational Jewish women and admire

She Persisted: Clara Lemlich by Deborah Heiligman, illustrated by Alexandra Boiger and Gillian Flint Philomel (imprint of Penguin Random House) Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Leah Cypess Buy at Bookshop.org She Persisted: Clara Lemlich is the latest entry in "She Persisted," a series of chapter books about women in history who made a difference. This book focuses on Clara Lemlich, a Jewish woman born in a small village in the Ukraine. After her family fled to the United States, poverty forced Clara to give up her dream of becoming a doctor in order to work in a clothing factory. However, the now-notorious conditions for workers in such factories -- especially female workers -- led Clara to become involved in union activities, including taking a key role in the largest strike of women in the history of the US.    This is an interesting, well-written book that is ideally suited for a younger middle grade audience. Difficult subjects, such as the Triangle Shirtwaist

 A Queen to the Rescue: The Story of Henrietta Szold, Founder of Hadassah by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg Creston Books (imprint of Lerner Publishing) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Beth Gallego Buy at Bookshop.org Growing up the daughter of a Rabbi in Baltimore just after the Civil War, Henrietta Szold saw many people in need and wanted to help. She took particular inspiration from the Purim story she heard every year. Queen Esther - Hadassah in Hebrew - was her model of a brave woman standing up for her people and making a difference.   Opportunities for women to help others, though, were limited. Szold was not interested in the expected path of marriage and children. She became a teacher, opened a night school for new immigrants to learn English after work, and started the Jewish Publication Society.   After the turn of the century, she visited Jerusalem and saw children in need of food and medicine. This was a job far too big for one person, so Szold c

 The People's Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Art by Cynthia Levinson, illustrated by Evan Turk Harry N. Abrams Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Eva Weiss Buy at Bookshop.org The People’s Painter is a picture book that steeps young readers in life and times of the iconic American Jewish artist Ben Shahn. Each artful and commanding spread by illustrator Evan Turk re-creates the landscape of the American-Jewish immigrant experience of the turn of the twentieth century. At the heart of the story is Ben Shahn’s coming of age and the passion for justice which shaped his career as an artist. Cynthia Levinson’s narrative gives center stage to the artist’s purposefulness (“What shall I paint? Stories”) and his commitment to righting wrongs (“I hate injustice.”) The large-size format and illustrations have the look of a picture book for young readers, but the reading level is clearly more suited for middle-school readers. There are moments when the text matches the quir

 The Singer and the Scientist by Lisa Rose, illustrated by Isabel Muñoz Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Karin Fisher-Golton Buy at Bookshop.org In this picture book, almost all the action takes place on one evening in 1937—an evening that speaks  volumes about the people involved and the times when they lived. African American singing icon Marian Anderson performed that night before an all-white audience at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey. Young readers will get a sense of what that meant in 1937—for Ms. Anderson to see no one who looked like her in the audience, for the people who had just enthusiastically applauded her to ignore her after the show, and for her to be denied access to a hotel room because of the color of her skin. Enter the famous Jewish physicist Albert Einstein, on the surface so different—his wild hair and wrinkled clothing contrasting with Ms. Anderson’s impeccable outfit and click

Albert Einstein: Genius of Space and Time! by Mark Shulman, illustrated by Kelly Tindall Portable Press, an imprint of Printers Row Publishing Group Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Jane Kohuth Buy at Bookshop.org Albert Einstein: Genius of Space and Time! is part of the “Show me History!” graphic biography series. It presents a largely chronological overview of Einstein’s whole life rather than focusing on one particular time period or aspect of his work. The story, aimed at middle grade readers, is narrated by two characters based on Uncle Sam and the Statue of Liberty, who guide the reader through Einstein’s childhood, education, rocky marriage, scientific breakthroughs, fame, escape from Nazi Germany, reluctant encouragement to FDR to develop nuclear weapons ahead of the Germans, and later life working at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University.    Despite dealing with sometimes very serious subject matter, the book takes an overall humorous (but always

Who Was Levi Strauss? by Ellen Labrecque Penguin Workshop (imprint of Penguin Random House) Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacy Nockowitz Buy at Bookshop.org Ellen Labrecque’s Who Was Levi Strauss? is a new title in the extensive WHO HQ series. The book is a cradle-to-grave biography of 19th century immigrant entrepreneur Loeb Strauss, who would later change his name to Levi Strauss and build the blue jeans empire that still dominates the fashion industry today. Labrecque’s book follows the formula of the series, laying out Strauss’s humble beginnings in Bavaria as the youngest child of door-to-door sewing supply salesman Hirsch Strauss and his second wife, Rebecca. A few years after two of the Strauss brothers immigrate to America and open a successful sewing supply store in New York City, Loeb, along with his mother and other siblings, follows. Labrecque does not shy away from explaining the Strauss family’s reason for wanting to leave Bavaria. Life for Jews in the German state a

Judy Led the Way by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, illustrated by Margeaux Lucas Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Belinda Brock Buy at Bookshop.org Judy Led the Way tells the story of twelve-year-old Judith Kaplan, the first American girl to publicly become a bat mitzvah. Judy is depicted as intellectually curious—questioning and challenging ideas and practices around her that don’t make sense. One of things she questioned was the marginalized role that women played in the synagogue. Fortunately, her father, Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, was forward-thinking and offered Judy the opportunity to chant a Torah portion and lead the congregation. But he only gave her a day to prepare. Although Judy was intelligent and talented, she struggled with fears and insecurities surrounding her risky undertaking. Even though the rituals of bar and bat mitzvot are commonplace now, today’s children will be able to relate to her fears; in fact, anyone challenging the status quo will find a realistic and worthy role

The Extraordinary Life of Anne Frank by Kate Scott, illustrated by Anka Rega Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacy Nockowitz Buy at Penguin Countless books have been written about Anne Frank, each vying for a different angle on the life of World War II’s most famous diarist. It’s difficult for any text to compare to Anne’s own words about her life as a teenager hiding from the Nazis. But not all children are old enough or mature enough to wrestle with the original text. With The Extraordinary Life of Anne Frank , author Kate Scott and illustrator Anka Rega offer a graphic biography of Frank for middle grade readers. The Extraordinary Life of Anne Frank attempts to cover a lot of previously trodden ground in its 66 pages, with mixed results. The Extraordinary Life of Anne Frank portions out its text in short, digestible blocks. Each page contains a brief paragraph, often presented in multiple fonts. The format is visually pleasing and will be comfortable for middle grade readers who

The Polio Pioneer: Dr. Jonas Salk and the Polio Vaccine by Linda Elovitz Marshall, illustrated by Lisa Anchin Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Kathy Bloomfield The world has been fighting polio for centuries. Back in the 1950s, Dr. Jonas Salk worked tirelessly to create a vaccine that would one day eradicate the polio virus from the world. Even today, the World Health Organization just announced that Africa is now free from the wild polio virus. This interesting and well-researched book describes Dr. Salk from his boyhood in an immigrant Jewish family to his becoming a doctor and inventing the polio vaccine. With detailed, clear writing and charming pictures, the story is one of focused effort and lasting success. There are many lessons to be learned here about the current COVID-19 pandemic the world is facing, and the search for a vaccine to eliminate it. This is an excellent book that has all the trappings of an award winner: a great story based in Jewish values-educat

Sarah Bernhardt: The Divine and Dazzling Life of the World's First Superstar by Catherine Reef Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Beth Gallego Actress, artist, author, mother, world traveller, French patriot: the “Divine Sarah” played many roles, both on and off the stage. Her life was filled with dramatic episodes, which Reef presents in rich detail while also acknowledging that both the loss of historical records and Bernhardt’s tendency to embellish her own stories make some of those details difficult to verify. For example, “Sarah Bernhardt said that she was born on October 22, 1844, and maybe she was. A fire destroyed her birth certificate, so she can only be taken at her word.” The nineteenth-century world in which Bernhardt rose to fame contains many aspects that may be unfamiliar to twenty-first-century teens. From the demimonde and courtesans to the Franco-Prussian War, Reef’s narrative provides historical context for Bernhardt’s experiences. Photographs and illustr

The Boy Who Thought Outside The Box: The story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer by Marcie Wessels , illustrated by Beatriz Castro Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Meg Wiviott A picture book biography that traces the life of Ralph Baer from his childhood in Cologne, Germany to his adult life in New York where he becomes the “Father of Video Games.” But such a journey is never easy. Once he is forbidden from attending school because he is Jewish, Ralph is determined to learn English, which helps his family escape Nazi Germany in 1938. His childhood fascination with gears and construction, and the emergence of radio and television sets him on a path towards electrotonic engineering. Long before anyone thinks of using a television for playing a game, Ralph and a team of engineers build the first TV game system. Unfortunately, no company wants to support it. Ralph never gives up. Magnavox’s Odyssey is the first game system sold in 1972, “forever chang[ing] the way we play.” The

Itzhak: A Boy Who Loved the Violin, The Story of Young Itzhak Perlman by Tracy Newman, illustrated by Abigail Halpin Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Kathy Bloomfield Itzhak Perlman is considered by many to be the greatest violinist in the world today. Itzhak: a Boy Who Loved the Violin , is the story of how he grew up, starting with his birth in Tel Aviv, Israel and moving through his life until his appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show at the age of thirteen. The details of his life are well laid out. He was surrounded by music – classical, cantorial, klezmer filled his home from an early age. He is synesthetic, meaning he sees music as a rainbow of colors. By the time he was three years old, he knew he wanted to play the violin. Unfortunately, his parents could not afford that, and the toy one they were able to provide did not appease Itzhak’s desire. Even more unfortunately, at the age of four, Itzhak contracted a life-threatening case of polio. He survived and worked hard

No Steps Behind: Beate Sirota Gordon's Battle for Women's Rights in Japan by Jeff Gottesfeld, illustrated by Shiella Witanto  Category: Picture Books Reviewer:  Meg Wiviott How does a 22-year-old Jewish woman come to write articles for the Japanese post-war constitution in 1946 that guarantee rights for women? No Steps Behind tells the amazing story of Beate Sirota Gordon. Born in Austria, reared in Japan, and educated in the United States, Beate ended up as the only “the only woman in [the] room.” Her gift for languages and her love of her adopted country, along with perseverance, persuasiveness, and stubbornness gave her the opportunity to change the lives of women in Japan. And why is it you’ve never heard this story before? Perhaps because the US government deemed Beate’s role “a security secret”. It was not until the 1990s that Beate was able to discuss her role. The history contained this beautiful picture book is complex and vast. Jeff Gottesfeld touches on a

Trailblazers: Albert Einstein by Paul Virr, illustrated by Artful Doodlers Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacy Nockowitz Paul Virr’s biography of “the greatest mind in physics” begins not with Einstein’s birth in 1879 but with the event that thrust the German-born scientist into the public spotlight: the solar eclipse of 1919. The scientific study of the eclipse, Virr says, proved Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, transforming the humble patent clerk into a worldwide celebrity. Virr hooks his middle grade reader not with boring dates and discussions of family lineage but by telling the personal stories that reveal how Einstein became a revered global figure. Trailblazers: Albert Einstein is part of the Trailblazers biography series, which attempts to hit the sweet spot for middle grade students between the elementary-level Who Is? series and more in-depth (aka dull) biographies on library shelves. Virr should be applauded for his efforts here, considering his valian