
The Classroom Bookshelf
July 6, 2023 by Betsy Bird
"How would Jewish people take to anthropomorphic animals? You mean cute mice were okay for Christmas books, but Jewish children shouldn’t have cute bears? Was I missing something?" Jane Breskin Zalben discusses her classic series.
March 21, 2023 by Betsy Bird
The intersection of board books and Jewish subject matter comes to the fore with today's group of five children's book creators.
October 7, 2022 by Betsy Bird
Today I’m talking about a book with gangsters, Monopoly, a misunderstood hero, young love, boardwalks, and creaming someone in the face with a pack of coins.
April 26, 2022 by Betsy Bird
An accounting of a family and a tight knit community dealing with the repercussions of a hate crime, this book expertly navigates between taking into account the seriousness of the content while also punctuating it periodically with joy, laughter, and light.
February 8, 2021 by Betsy Bird
Lesléa Newman and Susan Gal join us to answer some of my questions about their Sydney Taylor Book Award winner Welcoming Elijah, its process, and where they're headed next.
January 19, 2021 by Betsy Bird
"I'm proud that we dealt with the darkness of the Depression head-on in this book; I just wish it felt less timely." A frank discussion of Passover, a beautiful children's book, and the state of the world today.
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May 20, 2020 by Betsy Bird
Today we sit down and chat with professional cartoonist Terri Libenson as she walks us through the ins and outs of depicting a bat mitzvah's meaning and awkwardness in a modern book age.
January 14, 2020 by Betsy Bird
"Folktales were an oral tradition before they were a book tradition." I interview Meredith Lewis about why podcasts for kids are an ideal venue for carrying on Jewish storytelling traditions.
June 3, 2019 by Betsy Bird
To change things up, Kate and Betsy read a picture book that neither of has ever seen before. At the same time, she mentioned in a previous episode that when it comes to classic Jewish picture books, the only ones we've ever done were Hanukkah based. AND it's a cult classic that came back in print two years ago
November 7, 2018 by Betsy Bird
Well, THAT was exciting! I’ll confess that I had a hard time writing up this Fusenews last night. I kept dipping over to my phone to watch the latest results as they rolled in. To those of you that voted, well done. There is much to celebrate and much to keep fighting for. Hm. […]
The Classroom Bookshelf
by Mary Ann Cappiello
Heavy Medal
by Steven Engelfried
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