Since 1968 my book, Have You Seen Birds? has been in print and available in the United States without interruption. That's a long time for any title to stay around. Originally published in the US by Young Scott Books, it was then reissued by Scholastic Canada with new art by Barbara Reid in 1986, when it won Canada Council Children’s Literature Prize (1986), the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian P...
Just back from Book Expo book signing! Maybe the knish is going to be the new hot food!
What fun! Sorry we didn't get a photo of the line of librarians and book sellers who came by
for a copy of The Knish War on Rivington Street. So many people now have the story and the recipes for making their own baked or fried knishes. Good luck! I met lots of New Yorkers from Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and th...
Remembering Stanley Hayami on this Memorial Day and wondering what he would write in his diary in 2018 as our government tears children from their parents arms at our borders—parents who may never find their children; parents who are incarcerated for the crime of trying to find refuge in a country built by generations of immigrants looking for a better life.
Last year, just before The Knish War on Rivington Street went to press, I re-learned the lesson
about being careful of what you wish for. Months earlier I suggested that the book have a recipe in the back, so families could make their own knishes—especially for families who live in parts of America that have never known the joy of knishes.
After signing off on the last edit I received an urgent...
Did my two minute sales pitch at the Jewish Book Council's Meet the Author event yesterday. Not many children's authors were on the program - but lots of interesting adult books. Hoping to hear from some of the JBC's that do family programs and book fairs. The Knish War on Rivington Street is often as big a hit with parents as it is with kids..and who doesn't love a knish tasting party after it?
Writers of children’s books often get letters from children “by-the-class-full”—letters that teachers have their students write. I always enjoy those, even when I know they were written on assignment.
What we don’t often receive are letters from former children...letters that say a story written decades ago lives on. Last week, I received such a note, an email that should remind us, that the storie...
At their 4th annual award ceremony, hosted by Brian Stokes Mitchell, we were delighted to win the GANYC Apple Award for Outstanding Achievement in Fiction Book Writing (published October 1, 2016- September 30, 2017). The Knish War on Rivington Street was one of four nominees and the only children's book in the category. It was a thrill to be nominated in such distinguished company and a grea...
Beth Schenker, the host of thebigschmear.com does a podcast all about Jewish food posting two new episodes on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month. I was delighted to be the first children's author on The Big Schmear and talked about the process of creating a picture book as well as knishes. Beth is from Chicago and heard about my book,The Knish War on Rivington Street, thanks to an article by Fl...
How terrific! Our event at Eldridge Street was previewed Friday in the Arts and Entertainment section:
From the New York Times
ARTS
Events for Children in NYC This Week
By LAUREL GRAEBER JAN. 26, 2018
‘CRAZY FOR KNISHES!’ at the Museum at Eldridge Street (Jan. 28, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.). Pizza wars and cupcake wars have raged, but knish wars? That was indeed the case on the Lower East Side in 1916, w...