The Sydney Taylor Book Award
The Sydney Taylor Book Award was established by Ralph Taylor in honor of his wife, Sydney, the author of the popular All-of-a-Kind Family series for children. The purpose of the annual award, which was first given in 1968, is "to encourage the publication of outstanding books of positive Jewish content for children."
There are three categories: Books for Younger Readers, Books for Older Readers, and Books for Teen Readers. Information about the and previous Sydney Taylor Book Award winners, Honor Books, and Notable Books of Jewish Content is all available online.
Publishers
While there are many books about Jewish life and culture published by major publishing companies, there are also smaller publishing companies that specialize in such children's literature. One of these, Kar-Ben Publishing has had many of its books recognized by the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee.
In fact, a Body-of-Work Award, "for outstanding contributions to the field of Jewish children’s literature," was awarded to Judythe Groner and Madeline Wikler, founders of Kar-Ben Copies Publishing as part of the 2002 Sydney Taylor Book Awards. According to the announcement of the award by the Association of Jewish Libraries, "Kar-Ben pioneered in the publication of quality literature of Jewish content for young children."
Reading Lists and Bibliographies
In addition to The Sydney Taylor Book Award list, there are a number of other reading lists and bibliographies available online. On the About Children's Books site, you'll find them listed in the Jewish Life and Culture directory. One of the best reading lists is JEWISH STARS: Recommended Books with Jewish Themes for Schools and Libraries, an annotated reading list.
Recommend Your Favorites
Does your child have a favorite book that features Jewish life and culture? Are there other online resources on the subject you'd like to recommend? If so, please post your comments on the About Children's Books Forum. I look forward to hearing from you.
