The Book of Life: Jewish Kidlit (Mostly)

Heidi Rabinowitz
  • 4.7 (19)
  • Books
  • Updated Monthly

The Book of Life is an interview-format podcast about Jewish kidlit, mostly, with occasional coverage of Jewish YA/adult books, music, film and web, established in December 2005. Host: Heidi Rabinowitz Sponsors: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel of Boca Raton, Florida & the Association of Jewish Libraries

  1. Aug 2

    Diving Deep on Rosh Hashanah

    Tashlich is the Rosh Hashanah custom of tossing bread or other small objects into moving water, to throw away our "sins" or our negativity. But today we're going to learn about something different — reverse tashlich, in which we remove our sins from the water. We'll explore the picture book biography, Diving Deep on Rosh Hashanah: Reverse Tashlich for a Better World by Rachelle Burk, which profiles Rabbi Ed Rosenthal and his Jewish scuba-diving ocean cleanup project, Tikkun HaYam, or Repair the Sea. To celebrate the new year, this episode's Share Your Shelf bonus segment is available to everyone, free and paid subscribers alike! You'll hear it at the end of the episode, so just keep listening. Shana tova! NEWS My "Jewish Joy" series continues on Multicultural Kid Blogs. Here's my interview with past Book of Life guest Adam Gidwitz. READ HERE Interesting article from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency: "Feeling excluded in the literary world, Jews are launching their own publishing houses" READ HERE The Jewish Comics Library of Seattle collects works on Jewish themes and by Jewish comics artists. The collection is available to the public at a regularly scheduled pop-up library on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month at the Couth Buzzard Bookstore from 11AM-3PM. You can also subscribe to their Substack newsletter, Graven, HERE. CALLS TO ACTION Public libraries are invited to apply for the 2026-2027 cohort of Between Two Worlds, a national program from the Yiddish Book Center that explores Jewish culture and identity through Yiddish literature in translation. Deadline to apply: August 14, 2026. APPLY HERE The Jewish Book Garden's kidlit discussion series, "How Does Our Garden Grow?" will meet on Sunday, August 16 at 1:30PM ET for a Zoom discussion of the picture book Shabbat Is... by A.J. Sass. REGISTER HERE EPISODE SHOW NOTES Episode TRANSCRIPT Buy Diving Deep on Rosh Hashanah Rachelle Burk's website Rabbi Ed's Repair the Sea website The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau trailer and playlist Tikkun Olam: Sign up for Reverse Tashlich and avoid single-use plastic Sample Share Your Shelf bonus segment — free for all subscribers this month! This is what the bonus segments always look like, take a peek. SHARE YOUR SHELF SHOW NOTES From Rabbi Ed's Shelf: Why the Moon Only Glows by Dina Rosenfeld Hairy McClary from Donaldson's Dairy by Lynley Dodd (see Sam Neill read-aloud video) The Korban Mincha From Rachelle's Shelf: People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (hear 2008 Book of Life interview) Toby Belfer Never Had a Christmas Tree by Gloria Teles Pushker And today, one from Heidi's Shelf: The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin (not Jewish, but you'll hear why when you listen to the segment)

  2. Jul 16

    New Faces: Derek Stordahl at Behrman House/Apples & Honey Press

    Behrman House has been publishing Jewish educational materials and children's books for over 100 years, and up until now, has been a family-run business. But David Behrman and his wife Vicki Weber are about to enter their well-deserved retirement, and they are passing the business out of the family into the capable hands of their friend and colleague Derek Stordahl. I spoke to all three of them about the history, and the future, of Behrman House and its children's imprint, Apples & Honey Press. This is Part 2 in my 2-part "New Faces" series. Part 1 introduces you to the new Editorial Director at Kar-Ben Publishing, Leila Sales. If you haven't heard it, go back and listen! NEWS The Jewish Book Village has posted a how-to guide on Instagram, Supporting Jewish Authors. READ HERE CALLS TO ACTION Mizrahi Women Authors on Story, Identity, and Visibility, Wednesday, July 22, 4PM ET. Sponsored by ALA EMIERT, on Zoom. REGISTER HERE The Jewish Book Garden kicks off its Zoom discussion series "How Does Our Garden Grow?" with a discussion of the picture book Shabbat Is… by past Book of Life guest A.J. Sass, on Sunday August 16, 1:30PM ET. REGISTER HERE Fight censorship by calling your Congressional representatives about book banning bills. Learn about 3 bad bills from Authors Against Book Bans, and find your reps' contact info HERE. SHOW NOTES Transcript Behrman House website, Facebook, and Instagram Apples & Honey Press website and Instagram Press release about the change in leadership Past Book of Life interviews with Vicki Weber in 2017 and 2018 Tikkun Olam suggestion: Support Jewish day schools and congregational schools Bonus content for this episode on Substack  New Faces Part 1: Leila Sales of Kar-Ben Derek's Share Your Shelf bonus segment (with comments from David and Vicki) Credits

  3. Jul 1

    New Faces: Leila Sales at Kar-Ben Publishing

    CLICK HERE FOR FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT Kar-Ben Publishing has been producing Jewish children's books for over 50 years. After the recent retirement of 20-year veteran Joni Sussman, we've got new leadership at Kar-Ben with Editorial Director Leila Sales. Here's my conversation with Leila about the behind-the-scenes transition at the beloved institution that is Kar-Ben. This is Part 1 in my 2-part "New Faces" series. Part 2 will introduce you to the new owner of Behrman House and Apples & Honey Press, Derek Stordahl.  Episode drops July 16, 2026. Author Jane Yolen z"l passed away recently at age 87. She was the incredibly prolific author of 450 books, both secular and Jewish. She wrote the landmark 1988 Holocaust novel The Devil's Arithmetic, and she was the winner of the 2022 Sydney Taylor Body of Work Award. I interviewed Jane Yolen in 2018, along with her co-author Barbara Diamond Goldin, about their book Meet Me at the Well: The Girls and Women of the Bible. Stick around after Leila's interview for an excerpt from Jane Yolen, and click the "Remembering Jane Yolen" link below for the full episode. LEARN MORE:  Kar-Ben Publishing Leila Sales' website Book of Life interview with past Kar-Ben leadership: Joni Sussman and Fran Greenman-Schmitz The Book Engineer Champions of Change podcast from Capitol One Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land film from John Deere Highlighted Kar-Ben Book: The Right Blessing by Rabbi Kerry M. Olitsky and Rabbi Samantha Orshan Kahn Tikkun Olam suggestion: support National Public Radio Bonus content on Substack Leila's Share Your Shelf Segment Remembering Jane Yolen (1939-2026) CREDITS: Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel Co-sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sister podcast: Nice Jewish Books Theme Music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Newsletter: bookoflifepodcast.substack.com Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: Facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast Instagram: @bookoflifepodcast Support the Podcast: Shop or Donate Your feedback is welcome! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 561-206-2473. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.

  4. Jun 1

    A Practical Guide to Dating a Demon

    CLICK HERE FOR FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT What better way to kick off pleasure reading season than with a fun Jewish romantasy? A Practical Guide to Dating a Demon offers a richly-imagined fantasy realm, a magic school, puzzles, quests, adventure, and of course, romance. When I got to the last page and realized it ends on a cliff-hanger, I was low key distraught! That's why I had to call up author Hannah Reynolds to chat with her about this delightful romp, such a departure from her usual contemporary YA romances. SHOW NOTES: Hannah Reynolds' website and Instagram Buy A Practical Guide to Dating a Demon The Jewish Book Garden's Summer Reading Club BookBub (Hannah's day job) Bonus content on Substack CREDITS: Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel Co-sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sister podcast: Nice Jewish Books Theme Music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Newsletter: bookoflifepodcast.substack.com Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: Facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast Instagram: @bookoflifepodcast Support the Podcast: Shop or Donate Your feedback is welcome! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 561-206-2473. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.

  5. May 3

    The Jewish Book Garden

    CLICK HERE FOR FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT My friend Susan Kusel has all the Jewish literary bases covered. She's an author, she's a synagogue librarian, she's been a buyer for a bookstore, and like me, she's a past chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee. We are basically Best Book Buddies, and we do a lot of projects together to promote Jewish kidlit. Our newest project is The Jewish Book Garden, a website/newsletter on Substack. In this episode, Susan and I break down what The Jewish Book Garden is, who it's for, and what you can expect to find in your inbox when you subscribe to it. Don't miss our announcements about our Summer Reading Club and our new Zoom discussion group! SHOW NOTES: The Jewish Book Garden The Jewish Book Garden Summer Reading Club Jewish American Heritage Month | Canadian Jewish Heritage Month Heidi's Tikkun Olam suggestion: support Indivisible.org Susan Kusel's website Susan's Share Your Shelf segment Bonus content on Substack CREDITS: Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel Co-sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sister podcast: Nice Jewish Books Theme Music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Newsletter: bookoflifepodcast.substack.com Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: Facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast Instagram: @bookoflifepodcast Support the Podcast: Shop or Donate Your feedback is welcome! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 561-206-2473. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.

  6. Apr 12

    Candles and Memories

    Click here for full SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT I recently heard a piece on NPR about the little jars that hold yarhzeit memorial candles, and how some people repurpose these glasses to hold juice or to use as cookie cutters. It was an interesting look at how death is treated as a part of life in the Jewish tradition. That concept is very beautifully conveyed by the two picture books we'll be talking about in this episode. My guests are Alison Goldberg, author of The Remembering Candle, and Richard Ho, author of A Flame Burns On.  SHOW NOTES: Alison Goldberg's website and Instagram Richard Ho's website and Instagram Buy The Remembering Candle | Eighteen Flowers for Grandma Buy A Flame Burns On | Two New Years Suggested read-alikes: Goodbye: A First Conversation About Grief, Something Sweet: A Sitting Shiva Story, I Wish That You Knew Tikkun olam suggestion: support Food Research & Action Center, frac.org NPR story on yahrzeit candles Bonus content on Substack CREDITS: Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel Co-sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sister podcast: Nice Jewish Books Theme Music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Newsletter: bookoflifepodcast.substack.com Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: Facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast Instagram: @bookoflifepodcast Support the Podcast: Shop or Donate Your feedback is welcome! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 561-206-2473. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.

  7. Mar 22

    The Passover Pet Surprise

    Click here for full SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT Argentine author Ana María Shua has written over 100 books and is super famous in Latin America but The Passover Pet Surprise is her first Jewish children's book. As you'd expect from such an accomplished writer, it's a well told, heartwarming story with a hint of ambiguity, which works well during a holiday where we are commanded both to retell and to inquire! SHOW NOTES: Author Ana María Shua's website (in Spanish) Illustrator Ángeles Ruiz's website Buy The Passover Pet Surprise or La gran sorpresa de Pésaj Read Heidi's review of The Passover Pet Surprise on The Jewish Book Garden Tikkun Olam suggestion: support Magen David Adom CREDITS: Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel Co-sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sister podcast: Nice Jewish Books Theme Music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Newsletter: bookoflifepodcast.substack.com Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: Facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast Instagram: @bookoflifepodcast Support the Podcast: Shop or Donate Your feedback is welcome! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 561-206-2473. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.

  8. Mar 8

    Trouble Finds Evie Lefkowitz

    Click here for full SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT If you enjoy a good heist story, here's one with a lot of heart. Trouble Finds Evie Lefkowitz is a middle grade novel about a Jewish girl who gets into good trouble in order to right a wrong. Banding together with friends and frenemies helps her expand her thinking and bring more generosity into the world.  SHOW NOTES:  Diana Harmon Asher's website, Instagram, and Facebook Buy Trouble Finds Evie Lefkowitz, Sidetracked, and Upstaged Diana's Tikkun Olam suggestion: donate to food banks at community colleges CREDITS: Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel Co-sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sister podcast: Nice Jewish Books Theme Music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Newsletter: bookoflifepodcast.substack.com Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: Facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast Instagram: @bookoflifepodcast Support the Podcast: Shop or Donate Your feedback is welcome! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 561-206-2473. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.

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4.7
out of 5
19 Ratings

About

The Book of Life is an interview-format podcast about Jewish kidlit, mostly, with occasional coverage of Jewish YA/adult books, music, film and web, established in December 2005. Host: Heidi Rabinowitz Sponsors: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel of Boca Raton, Florida & the Association of Jewish Libraries

Information

  • Creator
    Heidi Rabinowitz
  • Years Active
    2006 - 2026
  • Episodes
    352
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Feldman Children's Library, Congregation B'nai Israel This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.
  • Show Website
    The Book of Life: Jewish Kidlit (Mostly)

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