LOOKING FOR A CONTEMPORARY Rosh Hashanah story to read to your children? Arriving in homes last month was New Year at the Pier: A Rosh Hashanah Story, a Falafel (6 to 7 years) Age Group book written by April Halprin Wayland and illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch.
In this story, the main character Izzy finds it difficult to apologize for a certain mistake. Thankfully, the Rosh Hashanah tashlich service gives him new understanding.
A LITTLE BACKGROUND
The story’s author, April Halprin Wayland, says the book comes from her own experience with Judaism.
“My editor asked me if I had any Jewish books in me,” she told California State University Dominguez Hills College of Education associate professor Danny Brassel in an interview this past spring. “And I’m Jewish, but not ‘inside-a-temple religious’ Jewish. So, that was an interesting question for me.”
The result of her effort is New Year at the Pier, which gives attention to the tashlich experience -- a favorite Rosh Hashanah tradition of Halprin Wayland. The book has since won a Sydney Taylor Book Award, the highest honor bestowed by the American Jewish Library Association.
AN AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Brassel’s interview of April Halprin Wayland was broadcast on the California State University Dominguez Hills TV network as part of the campus program, “People Make a Difference.” Brassel asked Halprin Wayland about her experience writing New Year at the Pier.
Watch the “People Make a Difference” interview using the YouTube player below:
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September 14, 2011