MEDIA RELEASE
January, 2005
For immediate release
For more information, contact:
Heidi Estrin
Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, Chair
Association of Jewish Libraries
(561) 241-8118 ext. 206
heidi@cbiboca.org
2004 SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARDS
ANNOUNCED BY ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH LIBRARIES
Pnina Moed Kass, author of Real Time, is the 2004 winner of the
prestigious Sydney Taylor Book Award. Eric A. Kimmel is the winner of
the 2004 Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award for his overall contribution
to the genre of Jewish children's literature.
Kass and Kimmel were among the winners announced on January 10 at the
Midwinter Meeting of the Association of Jewish Libraries in Manhattan.
AJL's Sydney Taylor Book Awards honor new books for children and teens
that exemplify the highest literary standards while authentically
portraying the Jewish experience. The award memorializes Sydney Taylor,
author of the classic All-of-a-Kind Family series. The winners will
receive their awards at the Association of Jewish Libraries convention
in Oakland, CA this June.
Kass, who lives in Israel, won the 2004 Sydney Taylor Book Award for
Real Time published by Clarion. Hour by hour, the novel chronicles the
events surrounding a bus bombing outside of Jerusalem. The story is
told by a diverse cast of characters, including kibbutzniks, tourists,
soldiers, and the Palestinian teenager who bombs the bus. Remarkably
insightful and even-handed, this thoughtful book is a riveting read
that, as the publisher says, "could be the backstory behind yesterday's
- or tomorrow's - news." The book is recommended for grades 8-12.
"Real Time is a stunning portrait of modern Israeli life," said Heidi
Estrin, chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee. "It is both
frightening and hopeful, drawing readers into the complexity of life in
the Middle East without offering easy answers. As one characters says,
everyone is part of the story, and 'like a tangled string when you pull
it, it gets tighter.' The book will fascinate teen readers, and help
them connect to the human side of what they see on the news."
Kimmel, of Portland, Oregon, won the 2004 Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work
Award, which is presented every few years to an author who has made a
substantial contribution to the genre of Jewish children's literature.
Past winners include Barbara Diamond Goldin, Miriam Chaikin, and Isaac
Bashevis Singer. Kimmel, the author of over fifty children's books, has
written more than twenty books of Jewish interest during his illustrious
career, including the recent book Wonders and Miracles: A Passover
Companion, winner of the National Jewish Book Award and a 2004 Sydney
Taylor Honor Book. He won the Sydney Taylor Book Award in 2000 for
Gershon's Monster and in 1990 for The Chanukah Guest.
"Eric Kimmel's books are loved by children, not just by teachers or
librarians," explained Estrin. "He brings a sense of joy to his
storytelling. His humor, sense of adventure, inclusion of scary
monsters, and pride in his Jewish heritage are all features that help
him forge a strong bond with readers."
Six Sydney Taylor Honor Books were named for 2004: five in the Older
Readers' Category and one in the Younger Readers' Category. For Older
Readers, the Honor Books are: Daniel Half-Human and the Good Nazi by
David Chotjewitz, published by Simon & Schuster; Bobbie Rosenfeld: The
Olympian Who Could Do Everything by Anne Dublin, published by Second
Story Press; The Cats in Krasinski Square by Karen Hesse and illustrated
by Wendy Watson, published by Scholastic; Wonders and Miracles: A
Passover Companion by Eric A. Kimmel, published by Scholastic; and My
Guardian Angel by Sylvie Weil, published by Arthur A.
Levine/Scholastic. For Younger Readers, the Honor Book is Daniel in the
Lions' Den by Jean Marzollo and illustrated by the author, published by
Little Brown.
In addition to the medal winners, the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee
designated thirty-one Notable Children's Books of Jewish Content for
2004: twenty in the Older Readers' Category and eleven in the Younger
Readers' Category. Notable titles, and more information about the
Sydney Taylor Book Award, may be found online at
www.jewishlibraries.org.
# # #
Susan Berman
Baltimore Hebrew Congregation
Baltimore, Maryland
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