Association of
Jewish Libraries of Southern California
Jewish Literature for
Children
AJL Western Regional Conference
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Hosted by Sinai
Temple Blumenthal Library
Sponsored by Mount Sinai Memorial
Parks and Mortuaries, Association of Jewish Libraries,
Association of Jewish Libraries
of Southern California
9:00 – 9:15 Greetings
and Introduction Conference Co-Chair:Susan Dubin, Consultant, Off-The-Shelf Library Services,
and Lisa Silverman,Library
Director of host library: Sinai Temple Blumenthal Library. Association of Jewish Libraries:
Ronda Rose, President
Association of Jewish Libraries of Southern California:
Ellen Cole, President Mt. Sinai Memorial Parks & Mortuaries:Martha
White, Director of Sales and Marketing
9:15 – 10:15 Keynote
Address
Looking Back After More Than 30 Years of Writing
for Children, and
Looking Forward:David
Adler
David
A. Adler will speak about how he came to write for children, the
secrets of success of Cam Jansen, sidelights regarding the many
biographies he has written, and suggestions for people new to the
field.
David A. Adler is the author of 180 books for
children including many Holocaust books such as The Number on
My Grandfather’s Arm, We Remember the Holocaust, One
Yellow Daffodil, and others. He has also written many biographies,
math and science books, and the Cam Jansen mysteries. He is a former
editor and math teacher.
10:30 –11:30 Small
Group Sessions
I: Portraying the Holocaust in
Children’s Literature: Panel Presentation
Adaire Klein, Moderator,
is the founding Director of Library and Archival Services at the
Simon Wiesenthal Center-Museum of Tolerance. She holds a B.A. in Hebrew
Literature and a M.A. in Near Eastern and Judaic studies from Brandeis
University.
Hava Ben-Zvi: “My father introduced me to books
by bringing me to a local library in Warsaw, Polan, setting me on
a path I was to follow ever since. In later years, becoming a librarian
and ultimately, a writer, was a natural part of my upbringing and
environment.”
While serving for many years as the head librarian of
the Jewish Community Library of Los Angeles, Ms. Ben-Zvi had the
opportunity and privilege to enrich her knowledge of literature. She
has a Master of Library Science and is a recipient of the Ezra Award
granted by the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angles for
a significant contribution to Jewish education in the community. A contributor
to educational periodicals, her retelling of a Jewish folktale: “The
Wise and Thoughtful King” appeared in Cricket Magazine,
June , 2002. Eva’s Journey: A Young Girl’s True Story is a memoir
of her life in German occupied Poland during World War II. Ms. Ben-Zvi
is at work on other books.
Sonia Levitin is the author of 40 books for children
and young adults, spanning many genre—historical novels, mysteries,
contemporary novels and picture books. She has also published two
adult books and numerous newspaper and magazine pieces. She was born
in Berlin and managed to escape the Nazis in 1938, the theme of her
acclaimed Journey to America trilogy. Ms. Levitin has won the National
Jewish Book Award, the Sydney Taylor Award, the PEN Award, the Edgar
Alan Poe Mystery Award and numerous other national and international
prizes. Her books have been translated into German, Japanese, French, and
Danish. She teaches creative writing at UCLA Extension.
David A. Adler is the author of 180 books for
children including many Holocaust books such as The Number on
My Grandfather’s Arm, We Remember the Holocaust, One
Yellow Daffodil, and others. He has also written many biographies,
math and science books, and the Cam Jansen mysteries. He is
a former editor and math teacher.
II: What’s New In Jewish Literature
For Children?Linda Silver
The Jewish Valuesfinder,
www.ajljewishvalues.org,
will be used to show how new books for Jewish youth can be identified
and used for book selection, reader guidance, and curricular purposes.
Pertinent features of the Valuesfinder will be demonstrated
live through a computer Internet connection and notable new books will
be highlighted. Jewish review journals will also be mentioned
in terms of their strengths and limitations.
Linda Silver is the creator and editor of AJL’s
new Jewish Valuesfinder, www.ajljewishvalues.org,
an Internet site that identifies the values found in children’s books
of Jewish content. She is also the editor of children’s book reviews
for Jewish Book World and co-editor, with Ellen Cole, of children’s
and teen reviews for the AJL Newsletter. Linda is a former
member and chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee and is currently
president of the School, Synagogue, and Center Division (SSC) of AJL
and of AJL’s Greater Cleveland Chapter. She is the librarian of
the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland and has an M.L.S. from Case
Western Reserve University.
III: Sydney Taylor: the Books
That Changed the Literature:June
Cummins
In this Power Point presentation,
June Cummins will show slides relevant to Sydney Taylor’s
life during the 1920’s, when she was a young woman. Focusing on her
experiences at this time, including her involvement with the Young People’s
Socialist League and stints as an actress and dancer, she will present
Taylor’s interests and growth during the decade of her budding career
and marriage. Using photographs and documents, June will discuss the
relationship between archival research and the process of writing a
biography. The presentation will explore the impact of this glorious decade
on Taylor’s development as a writer.
June Cummins is an Associate Professor in the
Department of English and Comparative Literature at San Diego State
University. June was born in New York City and grew up in San Diego,
California. She received her degrees from U. C. Berkeley and Columbia
University. At San Diego State Univesity, June specializes in children’s
literature. Her research interests within this topic include American
children’s literature, multiculturalism, national identity, consumerism,
Jewish children’s literature, and of course, Sydney Taylor. She has published
articles on Taylor, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Curious George, Harry Potter,
Beatrix Potter, and the book Understood Betsy. Currently, she is
writing a biography of Sydney Taylor. June is married and has three sons.
IV: Illustrating the Jewish
Book: Panel Presentation
Deborah Nourse Lattimoreis the author and illustrator of many books for children
including Gittel’s Hands, a Jewish folktale, written by Erica
Silverman. She also teaches classes in picture book writing and illustrating
for the UCLA writer’s workshop and is an expert in the field of Egyptology.
She will discuss what kind of research an illustrator needs to do to
produce authentic illustrations and how an illustrator worsk from the
text to produce her pictures.
Jean Marzollo will discuss how she created the art
for 5 Bible stories, Daniel in the Lion’s Den (a 2004
Sydney Taylor Honor Book) and Sydney Taylor Notable Books Miriam
and Her Brother Moses, David and Goliath, Jonah and the
Whale (and the Worm), and new book Ruth and Naomi, all published
by Little, Brown. She is the award-winning author of over 100 books, including
the best-selling I Spy books and the Shanna Show books.
She lives in Cold Springs, New York.
Naomi Howland decided on a career as an artist
in first grade. From the best decorated report covers to posters for
school dances, she always combined words and pictures. The author/illustrator
of ABCDrive!, and Sydney Taylor Notable books Latkes, Latkes
Good to Eat, The Matzah Man, and illustrator of the 2004
Sydney Taylor Notable Book, The Mystery Bear, Naomi is happiest
at her drawing table. She lives with her family in Claremont, California.
Rosanne Litzinger was schooled at Art Center and
Cal State Long Beach where she was fretted over by a significant
group of Cranbrook graduates. She was self-motivated from a very early
age and began her career by stapling picture books of humble stories
that she illustrated at the age of seven or eight. She is the Sydney
Taylor Award winning illustrator of Chicken Soup by Heart. She
also is the illustrator of The Someday House by Anne Shelby
and Matzo Ball Boy written by Lisa Shulman and due to be released
Spring, 2005, by Dutton.
V: Everything You Wanted to
Know About Publishing Jewish Books, But Didn’t
Have a Chance to Ask: Panel Presentation Julie Strauss-Gabel
is an Editor at Dutton Children's Books, an imprint of Penguin Putnam
Books for Young Readers. Dutton publishes picture books and fiction,
as well as selected nonfiction. The list includes WINNIE THE POOH,
Paul Zelinsky, Elisa Kleven, Lloyd Alexander, and Eva Ibbotson. Before
joining Dutton, Julie was at Clarion Books for almost five years where
she worked with authors and illustrators including Karen English, Carol
Matas, Howard Fine, Eileen Christelow, Linda Sue Park, and Javaka Steptoe.
Julie works on a variety of projects, including picture books and contemporary
young adult / middle grade fiction. She is especially interested in finding
new voices in fiction and enjoys both tender and irreverent picture book
manuscripts with tight, lyrical writing. Humor is a plus for any submission.
She is not as interested in chapter books or historical fiction.
Etan Boritzer will describe the difficulty of
getting books published for children that deal with religious matters.
He will also talk about the resistance of not just publishers, but
also booksellers, distributors, educators, professionals, and parents.
He is the author of the best selling “What is…?” series whose
first book “What Is God?" Is in its 14th edition with almost 300,000
in sales worldwide.
Milestones in American Jewish Children’s Literature:
Linda Silver
In a Power Point presentation,
Linda Silver will survey American Jewish children’s literature
from the 1800’s to the present, highlighting the books, authors,
events, and trends that have led to the emergence of Jewish children’s
literature as a distinct body of literature and identifying the support
structure that Jewish children’s literature needs in order to grow
and mature.
Linda Silver is the creator and editor of AJL’s
new Jewish Valuesfinder, www.ajljewishvalues.org,
an Internet site that identifies the values found in children’s books
of Jewish content. She is also the editor of children’s book reviews
for Jewish Book World and co-editor, with Ellen Cole, of children’s
and teen reviews for the AJL Newsletter. Linda is a former
member and chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee and is currently
president of the School, Synagogue, and Center Division (SSC) of AJL
and of AJL’s Greater Cleveland Chapter. She is the librarian of
the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland and has an M.L.S. from Case
Western Reserve University.
1:45 – 2:45 Small
Group Sessions
I: Portraying the Holocaust in
Children’s Literature: Panel Presentation
Adaire Klein, Moderator,
is the founding Director of Library and Archival Services at the Simon
Wiesenthal Center-Museum of Tolerance. She holds a B.A. in Hebrew
Literature and a M.A. in Near Eastern and Judaic studies from Brandeis
University.
Hava Ben-Zvi: “My father introduced me to books
by bringing me to a local library in Warsaw, Polan, setting me on
a path I was to follow ever since. In later years, becoming a librarian
and ultimately, a writer, was a natural part of my upbringing and
environment.”
While serving for many years as the head librarian of
the Jewish Community Library of Los Angeles, Ms. Ben-Zvi had the
opportunity and privilege to enrich her knowledge of literature. She
has a Master of Library Science and is a recipient of the Ezra Award
granted by the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angles for
a significant contribution to Jewish education in the community. A contributor
to educational periodicals, her retelling of a Jewish folktale: “The
Wise and Thoughtful King” appeared in Cricket Magazine,
June , 2002. Eva’s Journey: A Young Girl’s True Story is a memoir
of her life in German occupied Poland during World War II. Ms. Ben-Zvi is
at work on other books.
Sonia Levitin is the author of 40 books for children
and young adults, spanning many genre—historical novels, mysteries,
contemporary novels and picture books. She has also published two
adult books and numerous newspaper and magazine pieces. She was born
in Berlin and managed to escape the Nazis in 1938, the theme of her
acclaimed Journey to America trilogy. Ms. Levitin has won the National
Jewish Book Award, the Sydney Taylor Award, the PEN Award, the Edgar
Alan Poe Mystery Award and numerous other national and international
prizes. Her books have been translated into German, Japanese, French,
and Danish. She teaches creative writing at UCLA Extension.
II: What’s New In Jewish Literature
For Children? Linda Silver
The Jewish Valuesfinder,
www.ajljewishvalues.org,
will be used to show how new books for Jewish youth can be identified
and used for book selection, reader guidance, and curricular purposes.
Pertinent features of the Valuesfinder will be demonstrated live
through a computer Internet connection and notable new books will be
highlighted. Jewish review journals will also be mentioned in terms
of their strengths and limitations.
Linda Silver is the creator and editor of AJL’s
new Jewish Valuesfinder, www.ajljewishvalues.org,
an Internet site that identifies the values found in children’s books
of Jewish content. She is also the editor of children’s book reviews
for Jewish Book World and co-editor, with Ellen Cole, of children’s
and teen reviews for the AJL Newsletter. Linda is a former
member and chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee and is currently
president of the School, Synagogue, and Center Division (SSC) of AJL
and of AJL’s Greater Cleveland Chapter. She is the librarian of
the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland and has an M.L.S. from Case
Western Reserve University.
III: Sydney Taylor: the Books
That Changed the Literature: June Cummins
In this powerpoint presentation,
June Cummins will show slides relevant to Sydney Taylor’s
life during the 1920’s, when she was a young woman. Focusing on her
experiences at this time, including her involvement with the Young
People’s Socialist League and stints as an actress and dancer, she will
present Taylor’s interests and growth during the decade of her budding
career and marriage. Using photographs and documents, June will discuss
the relationship between archival research and the process of writing
a biography. The presentation will explore the impact of this glorious
decade on Taylor’s development as a writer.
June Cummins is an Associate Professor in the
Department of English and Comparative Literature at San Diego State
University. June was born in New York City and grew up in San Diego,
California. She received her degrees from U. C. Berkeley and Columbia
University. At San Diego State Univesity, June specializes in children’s
literature. Her research interests within this topic include American
children’s literature, multiculturalism, national identity, consumerism,
Jewish children’s literature, and of course, Sydney Taylor. She has published
articles on Taylor, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Curious George, Harry Potter,
Beatrix Potter, and the book Understood Betsy. Currently, she is
writing a biography of Sydney Taylor. June is married and has three sons.
IV: Illustrating the Jewish
Book: Panel Presentation
Deborah Nourse Lattimore is the author and illustrator
of many books for children including Gittel’s Hands, a Jewish
folktale, written by Erica Silverman. She also teaches classes in picture
book writing and illustrating for the UCLA writer’s workshop and is
an expert in the field of Egyptology. She will discuss what kind of
research an illustrator needs to do to produce authentic illustrations
and how an illustrator works from the text to produce her pictures.
Jean Marzollo will discuss how she created the
art for 5 Bible stories, Daniel in the Lion’s Den (a
2004 Sydney Taylor Honor Book) and Sydney Taylor Notable Books Miriam
and Her Brother Moses, David and Goliath, Jonah and
the Whale (and the Worm), and new book Ruth and Naomi, all
published by Little, Brown. She is the award-winning author of over 100
books, including the best-selling I Spy books and the Shanna
Show books. She lives in Cold Springs, New York.
Naomi Howland decided on a career as an artist
in first grade. From the best decorated report covers to posters for
school dances, she always combined words and pictures. The author/illustrator
of ABCDrive!, and Sydney Taylor Notable books Latkes, Latkes
Good to Eat, The Matzah Man, and illustrator of the 2004
Sydney Taylor Notable Book, The Mystery Bear , Naomi is happiest
at her drawing table. She lives with her family in Claremont, California.
Rosanne Litzinger was schooled at Art Center and
Cal State Long Beach where she was fretted over by a significant
group of Cranbrook graduates. She was self-motivated from a very early
age and began her career by stapling picture books of humble stories
that she illustrated at the age of seven or eight. She is the Sydney
Taylor Award winning illustrator of Chicken Soup by Heart. She
also is the illustrator of The Someday House by Anne Shelby
and Matzo Ball Boy written by Lisa Shulman and due to be released
Spring, 2005, by Dutton.
V: Everything You Wanted to
Know About Publishing Jewish Books, But Didn’t
Have a Chance to Ask: Panel Presentation
Julie Strauss-Gabel
is an Editor at Dutton Children's Books, an imprint of Penguin Putnam
Books for Young Readers. Dutton publishes picture books and fiction,
as well as selected nonfiction. The list includes WINNIE THE POOH,
Paul Zelinsky, Elisa Kleven, Lloyd Alexander, and Eva Ibbotson. Before
joining Dutton, Julie was at Clarion Books for almost five years where
she worked with authors and illustrators including Karen English, Carol
Matas, Howard Fine, Eileen Christelow, Linda Sue Park, and Javaka Steptoe.
Julie works on a variety of projects, including picture books and contemporary
young adult / middle grade fiction. She is especially interested in finding
new voices in fiction and enjoys both tender and irreverent picture book
manuscripts with tight, lyrical writing. Humor is a plus for any submission.
She is not as interested in chapter books or historical fiction.
Etan Boritzer will describe the difficulty of
getting books published for children that deal with religious matters.
He will also talk about the resistance of not just publishers, but
also booksellers, distributors, educators, professionals, and parents.
He is the author of the best selling “What is…?” series whose
first book “What Is God?" Is in its 14th edition with almost 300,000
in sales worldwide.
VI. Workshop for Authors:
David Adler
This workshop is designed
for writers who are already published or have a finished work. David
Adler will answer questions and give tips on writing for children.
David A. Adler is the author of 180 books for
children including many Holocaust books such as The Number on
My Grandfather’s Arm, We Remember the Holocaust, One
Yellow Daffodil, and others. He has also written many biographies,
math and science books, and the Cam Jansen mysteries. He is
a former editor and math teacher.
3:00 – 4:00 Closing
Remarks: Storyteller Joel Ben Izzy
Joel Ben Izzy
began his professional career in 1983, after graduating from Stanford
with a degree in English, Creative Writing and Storytelling. After
a year performing in and around San Francisco, he set off to travel
the world, gathering and telling stories. His first job as a storyteller
took him to a little village outside Rome, where he worked in a camp
that turned out to be haunted. You can hear the story of his adventures
on The Green Hand. Just as one story leads to another, so one
trip led to another, as Joel found himself traveling, teaching and telling
stories in England, Wales, Ireland, France, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland,
Austria, Hungary, Spain, Israel, Japan, Hong Kong and China.
In 1991 Joel produced his first recording, Stories
From Far Away, which went on to win a Parents' Choice Gold Award
and was chosen as an ALA Notable Recording. He has produced six recordings
since that time, all of which have won awards, including his most recent,
Lights & Laughter—Joel ben Izzy Spins Hanukkah Tales, which
received a Parents' Choice Gold Award, NAPPA Gold Award and received
a starred review from Booklist Magazine.
Joel's own story took a sharp twist in the summer of
1997, when he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Though usually
a treatable form of the disease, in his case there was a strange
complication; when he awoke from surgery he discovered that he could
no longer speak. So Joel began an adventure as strange as any story
Joel had ever told, which was to become the basis for his book, The
Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness.
**Manuscript Consultations available with editor Julie
Strauss-Gabel.**
This conference has been made possible thanks to the
generous contributions of Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries,
Sinai Temple Blumenthal Library, AJLSC, Judy Cohn,
and the many authors and illustrators who gave their time and expertise.