PJ Library Books Honored in 2016 Sydney Taylor Book Awards

Each year the Association of Jewish Libraries presents the Sydney Taylor Book Award to "outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience.” The PJ Library Book Selection Committee takes pride in curating selections for our families and readers that represent the best of Jewish children's literature.

Several PJ Library titles were among this year's Sydney Taylor Book Awards winners. We're especially thrilled to announce that this year's Gold Medal winner in the Younger Reader category, Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed, is coming to subscribers in our 7-8 year age group in July!

Two PJ Library selections, Everybody Says Shalom and Shanghai Sukkahreceived Sydney Taylor Honors for Younger Readers. Two other PJ Library books, Hanukkah Cookies With Sprinkles and A Parakeet Named Dreidel were called out as Notable books in the Younger Readers category. PJ Library author Jamie Korngold, was also nominated in this category.

Read on to learn more about each of these award winning books:



Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed
, coming to PJ Library in July 2016! (Currently available from Candlewick Press). The story follows composer Moshe Cotel and his kitten friend, Ketzel. Through their unusual friendship the two end up creating beautiful music together. 



Everybody Says Shalom

The first thing to know about Israel? Everybody says shalom -- a little word that means so many things -- and there are so many places to see and visit. Some of our subscribers in the 4-5 year age group will receive this book in April!
 


Shanghai Sukkah

When Marcus’s family moves from Europe to China in the 1930s, he feels like a fish out of water. He doesn’t know any Jewish families like his. But when he makes a new friend, he’s able to build an unusual sukkah just in time for Sukkot -- and that helps him feel more at home. (This book is for readers ages eight and up).



Hanukkah Cookies With Sprinkles

Sara and her family are getting ready for Hanukkah -- which means delicious foods, including cookies! But then she notices one man who doesn’t seem to eat much at all, let alone Hanukkah treats. Sara decides to try and help. This book was sent to PJ subscribers in the 6 year age group in November 2015. It is also available from Behrman House.

To learn more about why The PJ Library Book Selection Committee chose Hanukkah Cookies With Sprinkles, check out our Author Spotlight with David Adler.


The Parakeet Named Dreidel

A parakeet shows up at David’s family’s window one snowy Hanukkah night. When they can’t track down his owners, they happily adopt him as their own pet. But many years later David meets the bird’s original owner, Zelda. How can they both keep the parakeet? Some of our PJ subscribers in the 7-8 year age group received this book in November 2015. 

Click here to learn more about why The PJ Library Book Selection Committee chose The Parakeet Named Dreidel.
 
Sadie and Ori and The Blue Blanket  (Available from Kar-Ben)
This story follows Sadie, Ori, and their grandmother, through several years of loving, growing, and learning. Although this book is not on the PJ Library roster, we highly recommend this book for families dealing with aging grandparents or relatives. The book deftly navigates this topic, making it accessible and easy to comprehend for young children.

To learn more about other Sadie stories in our lineup, check out this blog post
 
Did you read any of these books with your family? We'd love your feedback! Get in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.