Hello, everyone! Here is the full list of award-winners and honor books for
the Sydney Taylor Book Awards, as well as AJL's 2003 Notable books. Please
use and promote these wonderful books whenever you can!
Thanks to the 2003 committee for all its hard work!
Heidi Estrin
Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, Chair
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2003 SYDNEY TAYLOR AWARD WINNER FOR YOUNGER READERS
Davis, Aubrey. BAGELS FROM BENNY. Illus. by Dusan Petricic. Toronto:
Kids Can Press, 2003. 32p. $15.95. ISBN: 1553374177. Picture book for
Kdg. - Gr.3.
How do we thank G-d? Benny puts some of the delicious bagels his
grandpa bakes in the Holy Ark of the synagogue every week. When the bagels
disappear, he is sure that G-d has accepted his gift until he discovers
that a hungry jobless person has been eating them. Delight turns to
disappointment but then to understanding, as grandpa explains that by
feeding someone hungry, Benny has truly thanked G-d by his acts of tzedakah
(righteous acts,charity) and tikkun olam (making the world a better
place). Fittingly, Benny's mitzvah prompts the now-employed bagel
beneficiary to resolve to help others. The quirky illustrations, colored
mainly in shades of warmly baked brown, are perfect companions to a story
that freshly expresses some of the most profound of Jewish values.
HONOR BOOKS FOR YOUNGER READERS
Koralek, Jenny. THE MOSES BASKET. Illus. by Pauline Baynes. Grand
Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2003. 32p. $16.00. ISBN: 0802852513. Bible story
for Preschool - Grade 2.
Moses' sister, Miriam, and their mother are heroes in this
handsomely illustrated version of the biblical account of his birth and
rescue from the Nile by Pharaoh's daughter.
Schuman, Burt E. CHANUKAH ON THE PRAIRIE. Illus. by Rosalind Charney
Kaye. NY: UAHC Press, 2002. 32p. $13.95. ISBN: 080740814X. Immigration
story for Grades 2-4.
An immigrant family leaves Poland and settles in Grand Forks,
North Dakota, where a thriving Jewish community welcomes them. Based on
real events.
Silverman, Erica. WHEN THE CHICKENS WENT ON STRIKE: A ROSH HASHANAH
TALE. Illus. by Matthew Trueman. NY: Dutton, 2003. 32p. $15.95. ISBN:
0525468625. Rosh Hashanah story for Grades 2 - 4.
Exhilarating illustrations capture the essence of this
delightfully written tale about repentance and its meaning, adapted from a
short story by Sholom Aleichem and perfect for reading aloud.
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR YOUNGER READERS
Baer, Julie. I ONLY LIKE WHAT I LIKE. Peoria, IL: Bollix Books,
2003. 32p. $15.99. ISBN: 1932188002. Picture book for Preschool.
Vignettes about childhood likes and dislikes are strikingly
illustrated with quilt-like designs whose images, lines, and colors evoke a
small child's imaginative perception of his world.
Blanc, Esther Silverstein and Godeane Eagle. LONG JOHNS FOR A SMALL
CHICKEN. Illus. by Tennessee Dixon. Volcano, CA: Volcano Press,
2003. 26p. $16.95. ISBN: 1884244238. Picture book for Kdg.-Gr.3.
When a fierce Nebraska hailstorm batters a little chick, Mama
makes him his own pair of long johns to keep him warm. The vintage
setting, kindness, and humor of the story are captured in its
illustrations.
Blumberg, Marjie. AVRAM'S GIFT. Illus. by Laurie McGaw. Bethesday, MD: MB
Publishing, 2003. 48p. $19.95. ISBN: 0962416622. Holiday story for
Grades 2-4.
A well-illustrated chapter book that affirms the values of family,
tradition, and continuity. The sounding of the shofar during the High
Holidays is an important part of the plot.
Podwal, Mark. A SWEET YEAR: A TASTE OF THE JEWISH HOLIDAYS. NY: Doubleday,
2003. 32p. $12.95. ISBN: 0385746377. Holidays for Grade 2 and up.
A lyrically written and rather sophisticated look at the Jewish holidays
through the food traditionally associated with each of them. Podwal's
gouache and acrylic paintings are inspired.
Rosenfeld, Dina. FIVE ALIVE! MY YOM TOV FIVE SENSES. Illus. by Tova
Leff. NY: Hachai, 2003. 32p. $9.95. ISBN: 1029628064. Holidays for
Preschool.
Through a simple rhyming story and cheerful illustrations, young children
are encouraged to see, hear, smell, taste and touch some of the major
Jewish holidays.
Rouss, Sylvia. TALI'S JERUSALEM SCRAPBOOK. Illus. by Nancy
Oppenheimer. NY: Pitspopany Press, 2003.
32p. $14.95. ISBN: 1930143699. Fiction for Grades 2 - 4.
An Israeli child's feelings about the conflict in her beloved city
are explored in this illustrated story.
Seeger, Pete. TURN, TURN, TURN. Illus. by Wendy Anderson Halperin. NY:
Simon and Schuster, 2003. 34p. $17.95. ISBN: 0689852355. Bible story
for grades 2 - 4.
Readers will turn, turn, turn their heads to appreciate all of the
details in the circular illustrations that complement passages from
Ecclesiastes made into a song by Pete Seeger. An audio CD is included.
Sper, Emily. THE PASSOVER SEDER. NY: Scholastic/Cartwheel,
2003. 20p. $9.99. ISBN: 0439443121 Pbk. Passover novelty book for
Preschool - Grade 3.
Lift the flaps, rub the textures, turn the wheels, and pull the
tabs to learn about the Seder and a few Hebrew words.
Spinner, Stephanie. ITS' A MIRACLE! A HANUKKAH STORYBOOK. Illus. by Jill
McElmurry. NY: Atheneum, 2003. 44 p. $16.95. ISBN:
068984493X. Hanukkah story for Grades 1 - 3.
Those bedtime stories that Grandma Karen tells Owen during
Hanukkah remind him of people he knows. At a family celebration on the
eighth night, he finds out for sure that the story characters are his very
own relatives!
Stampler, Ann Redisch. SOMETHING FOR NOTHING. Illus. by Jacqueline M.
Cohen. NY: Clarion, 2003. 32p. $15.00. ISBN: 0618159827. Folktale for
Grades 2 - 4.
In a captivating trickster tale, a peace-loving dog foils three
rowdy cats who terrorize the neighborhood by playing upon their
greed. This wry look at the oft- disturbed peace of the Eastern European
shtetl is beautifully illustrated.
Ungar, Richard. RACHEL'S GIFT. Plattsburgh, NY: Tundra Books,
2003. 32p. $16.95. ISBN: 0887766161. Passover story for grades 1 - 3.
The prophet Elijah appears in many guises and only young Rachel
realizes that he has visited her house and left a very precious gift.
2003 SYDNEY TAYLOR AWARD WINNER FOR OLDER READERS
Patz, Nancy. WHO WAS THE WOMAN WHO WORE THE HAT? NY: Dutton,
2003. 48p. $14.99. ISBN: 0525469990. Holocaust meditation for grade 4
through adults.
On a visit to Amsterdam's Jewish Historical Museum,
author-illustrator Nancy Patz was struck by an exhibit of an unknown
woman's hat and inspired to create this small book - a meditation on the
Holocaust, on life and death, and on memory. The spare text ponders the
whys and the hows of the Holocaust. Patz finds the events which overtook
the woman in the hat a challenge to human understanding and she struggles
with the awareness that but for the vagaries of time and place, she or her
loved ones might have been among the victims. The simple yet powerful prose
poem is accompanied by a collage-like arrangement of somber-toned
watercolors, pencil drawings, and old photographs. Together, they create a
deeply moving book that adults as well as children will find unforgettable.
HONOR BOOKS FOR OLDER READERS
Broida. Marion. THE ANCIENT ISRAELITES AND THEIR NEIGHBORS: AN ACTIVITY
GUIDE. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review Press, Inc., 2003. 160p. $16.95. ISBN:
1556524579 Pbk. Nonfiction for Grades 4-8.
A lively, hands-on look at the origins, cultures, and every day lives of
the ancient Israelites, Philistines, and Phoenicians, based on
archaeological evidence and biblical scholarship.
Feinstein, Edward. TOUGH QUESTIONS JEWS ASK: A YOUNG ADULT' S GUIDE TO
BUILDING A JEWISH LIFE. Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2003.
128p. $14.95. ISBN: 158023139X Pbk. Nonfiction for Grades 7 -10.
A Conservative rabbi tackles ultimate issues matter-of-factly, setting
Jewish commitment within a larger frame of spiritual development.
Mack, Tracy. BIRDLAND. NY: Scholastic Press, 2003. 208p. $16.95. ISBN:
0439535905. Contemporary fiction for Grades 6 -10.
Jazz, poetry, and film making in Greenwich Village are vivid
counterpoints to the moving story of thirteen year old Jed, his parents,
and their grief over the death of Jed's older brother.
NOTABLE BOOKS FOR OLDER READERS
Claybourne, Anna. GOLDA MEIR. Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library, 2003. 64p.
$28.50. ISBN: 1403408351. Biography for Grades 5-8.
The life of Golda Meir and the history of modern Israel are inseparably
woven into this readable biography.
Geras, Adele. MY GRANDMOTHER'S STORIES: A COLLECTION OF JEWISH FOLKTALES.
Illus. by Anita Lobel. NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003. 96p. $21 99. ISBN:
0375922857. Folklore for Grades 3- 6.
Sparkling new illustrations grace this collection of Jewish
folktales. An earlier edition illustrated by another artist won the
Sydney Taylor Book Award in 1990.
Hesse, Karen. THE STONE LAMP: EIGHT STORIES OF HANUKKAH THROUGH HISTORY.
Illus. by Brian Pinkney. NY: Hyperion Books, 2003. 40p. $18.99. ISBN:
0786806192. Hanukkah/ History for Grades 4-7.
Narrative poems about times of crisis in Jewish history. Striking
illustrations and very discussable!
Hopkinson, Deborah. SHUTTING OUT THE SKY: LIFE IN THE TENEMENTS OF NEW
YORK, 1880-1924. Orchard Books/ Scholastic Press, 2003. 144p.
$17.95. ISBN: 0439375908. Jewish American history for Grades 5-8.
Documentary photographs and the voices of five young immigrants transport
readers into the teeming streets and crowded tenements of New York's Lower
East Side.
Kushner, Tony. BRUNDIBAR. Illus. by Maurice Sendak. NY: Michael Di Capua
Books/ Hyperion, 2003. 56p. $19.95. ISBN: 0786809043. Illustrated story for
Grades 3 and up, including adults.
A sassy narrative style and splendid, multi-meaningful illustrations
capture both the fairy tale charm and the underlying menace of a children's
opera that was performed by prisoners in the Terezin concentration camp.
Levitin, Sonia. ROOM IN THE HEART. NY: Dutton, 2003. 290p. $16.99. ISBN:
0525468714. Holocaust fiction for Grades 6 -10.
The German occupation of Denmark and its impact on a circle of middle class
families - Jewish and non-Jewish - compel them to act on their beliefs.
Matas, Carol. ROSIE IN NEW YORK CITY: GOTCHA! NY: Aladdin / Simon and
Schuster, 2003. 144p. $4.99. ISBN: 0689857144 Pbk. Historical fiction for
Grades 4-7.
It's 1909 and plucky Rosie becomes a labor organizer, participating in the
making of the American Jewish community. The first in a series.
Miklowitz, Gloria.D. THE ENEMY HAS A FACE. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans,
2003. 139p. $16.00. ISBN: 0802852432. Contemporary fiction for Grades 6-9.
An Israeli teenager's disappearance propels this suspenseful story that
reveals some of the tensions in Israeli-Palestinian relations. The Los
Angeles setting brings the conflict home to American teens; the ending is
painful.
Rose, Or. ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL: MAN OF SPIRIT, MAN OF ACTION.
Philadelphia, PA: Jewish Publication Society, 2003. 80p. $9.95. ISBN:
082760758X Pbk. Biography for Grades 5-8.
The life and work of a one of the twentieth century's most important Jewish
thinkers are introduced.
Sonneborn, Liz. MURDER AT THE 1972 OLYMPICS IN MUNICH. NY: Rosen
Publishing, 2003. 64p. $26.50. ISBN: 0823936546. History for Grades 4-6.
A detailed account of the Palestinian terrorist attack on a group of
Israeli athletes and its aftermath.
Spinelli, Jerry. MILKWEED. NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003. 224p. $15.95. ISBN:
0375813748. Holocaust fiction for Grades 8 - 12.
The horrors of the Warsaw Ghetto are plumbed in this powerful
story about a homeless, orphan boy who survives by stealing food and whose
first real experience of love is for a doomed Jewish family.
Stone, Tanya. ILAN RAMON: ISRAEL'S FIRST ASTRONAUT. Brookfield,
CT: Millbrook Press, 2003. 48p. $23.90. ISBN: 0761328882. Biography for
Grades 4-7.
Israeli hero, role model and mensch - Ilan Ramon fits all descriptions, as
this poignant biography makes clear.
Tryszynska-Frederick, Luba. LUBA: THE ANGEL OF BERGEN-BELSEN. As told to
Michelle McCann. Illus. by Ann Marshall. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press,
2003. 40p. $16.95. ISBN: 1582460981. Illustrated Holocaust biography for
Grades 4 - 7.
Deeply colored, dramatic illustrations enhance this true story of
a woman who rescued and risked her life to save a group of abandoned Jewish
children in a Nazi concentration camp.
Welton, Jude. MARC CHAGALL. Danbury, CT: Franklin Watts, 2003. 48p.
$6.95. ISBN: 0531166457Pbk.
Biography for Grades 4 - 7.
The artist's long, productive and exciting life is documented with
family photographs and handsome illustrations.
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