The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Refugee: The Graphic Novel by Alan Gratz, art by Syd Fini Graphix (imprint of Scholastic), 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Rachel Aronowitz   Buy at Bookshop.org Refugee , a new graphic novel version of an Sydney Taylor Book Award winning fictional middle grade book, recounts the story of three different children and their families, in three different historical time periods, all forced violently and dramatically into refugee status. The children show resilience, strength and courage, and play a big part in helping their families find a path to peace and safety. Whether they are Jews escaping the Nazis in World War II, Syrians fleeing Aleppo, or Cubans making the perilous journey to the US, all must face harrowing obstacles. The graphic novel features rich character development and readers will sympathize and feel an emotional connection to the plight of the refugee families. The full color illustrations are riveting and lend context to the geographic areas and historical de...

Threat of the Spider (The Web of the Spider series) by Michael P. Spradlin Margaret K. McElderry Books (imprint of Simon & Schuster), 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Judith S. Greenblatt   Buy at Bookshop.org   Germany, 1930. Twelve year old Ansel’s father has gone missing. No help will be had from the police, as his father was fighting for a free press in Germany. It’s up to Ansel and his friends. Ansel applies what he has learned from reading his favorite books, the “Dirk Goodly, Boy Detective” novels. First considering possible kidnappers, Ansel focuses on Hans and his friends in his town’s Hitler Youth chapter. Ansel, who is quick to speak up against what he sees as wrong, and who is smart and funny, has been Hans’s enemy for a long time. Enmity between the two boys grew as Hans became more arrogant and even more of a bully. Can Ansel be right? Threat of the Spider  is a fast paced and compelling story: readers will want to know what happened to Ansel’s fath...

What Louis Brandeis Knows: A Crusader for Social Justice Becomes a Supreme Court Justice by Richard Michelson, illustrated by Stacy Innerst Calkins Creek (imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers), 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Heidi Rabinowitz   Buy at Bookshop.org The life of lawyer Louis Brandeis is outlined in this picture book biography, from childhood to his appointment to the Supreme Court. His common sense approach to life is evoked through the repeated phrase "Any fool knows..." that all people should be treated equally, that joy is more important than wealth, and so on. We see Louis growing and learning, building his persuasive skills and fighting for justice. Key events in his life are touched upon briefly, and are later fleshed out in a thorough and fascinating endnote. We learn that Louis was not only significant for being the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, but that he set crucial precedents that have contributed greatly to the fairness of our demo...

My Sometimes Mistakes by Leah Chana Rubabshi, illustrated by Miriam Rooney Hachai Publishing, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Ellie Grossman Cohen   Buy at Amazon.com One of the best perks of being a parent is teaching our children the same lessons we need to be reminded of—namely, the blessings of making mistakes that help us become better human beings. This important Jewish concept of teshuva is the storyline in this picture book, which contains Jewish nuggets of wisdom that resonate with young children without being over their heads. In this engaging story, a boy learns something new every time he makes a mistake. Through rhyming and clever text, accompanied by colorful, expressive illustrations, young children ages 2-5 will relate to the simple everyday mistakes that help the boy grow and learn and change his behavior. Every scenario has a resolution, and this pattern leads to healthy self esteem, especially in the context of a supportive, loving family depicted in the ...

Jewish Songs from Around the World illustrated by Lucille Ahrweiller Kalaniot Books, 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Elizabeth Suneby   Buy at Bookshop.org   This book has it all: songs to listen to in Hebrew, Yiddish, and Ladino, written transliterated lyrics to follow along with, joyous, colorful illustrations, and a bit of history. Little ones will love pressing the button to hear the songs and will be mesmerized by the detailed drawings. Grownups will likely be happy to hear familiar songs and learn about new ones, and they will appreciate the context provided for each song. The book helps keep traditional traditional Jewish music alive! (I wish there were one song that was sung in English. Maybe a series is in order!) This book definitely feels authentically Jewish and will likely appeal to Jewish people predominately. It offers some diversity with songs from Eastern Europe, Israel, and Spain.    ARE YOU INTERESTED IN REVIEWING BOOKS FOR THE SYDNEY TAYLOR ...

Say Shalom All Day Long by Elizabeth Suneby, illustrated by Elke Boschinger PJ Publishing, 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Shanna Silva   Buy at Amazon.com Say Shalom All Day Long is a basic introduction to the three meanings of the word “shalom:” hello, goodbye, and peace. With a simple, predictable structure, a day in the life of a child unfolds, with each activity contextually showing the three meanings. Hellos and goodbyes are used as time markers. The connotation of “peace” is shown in nature, self-care, and friendship. Kids will easily understand “shalom” through the word repetition and art. Lovely, detailed illustrations accompany the sparse text, urging the reader to pause before the page turn, as a closer look at the art is merited. Two spreads are reminiscent of the classic book, Goodnight Moon , taking place in the child’s bedroom. The details sing here, giving a sense of the child’s personality and interests. However, I would like to have seen more Judaica displ...

Mazel Tov, Baby! by Dara Henry, illustrated by Varda Livney Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2025 Category: Board Book Reviewer: Ellen Scolnic   Buy at Bookshop.org This adorable board book would be a wonderful gift for any new baby. The light, playful rhymes urge readers to “clap with me” and “blow a kiss” while illustrating the milestones of a baby’s days. The repeating “mazel tov” as baby grows and accomplishes these feats adds to the interaction. The book has cute drawings of multi-ethnic babies and flaps to encourage listeners to interact with the book. The engaging, friendly illustrations go perfectly with the fun, happy text. The Jewish representation in the book is authentic and adorable - from the multi-ethnic babies to the "little matzah ball" bib one of them is wearing. It is casual Judaism, because it is limited to the congratulatory "mazel tovs" offered to the babies - but it is joyful. You don't have to be Jewish to enjoy this book.   ARE YOU INTERESTED...