San Francisco author Dana Reinhardt won one of this year’s Sydney Taylor Book Awards for her novel “The Things a Brother Knows,” a poignant story of Boaz Katznelson, a Marine who returns home from war with deep emotional scars, and his younger brother, Levi, who wants to understand. The novel about an Israeli American family, which won in the teen readers category, also has received several other prestigious awards.
The Sydney Taylor awards, in three age categories, were announced recently by the Association of Jewish Libraries.
“Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword,” a graphic novel by Barry Deutsch about a spunky troll-fighting Orthodox Jewish girl who dreams of slaying dragons, won in the older readers category. The cast of characters includes a mean-tongued stepmother, an older sister obsessed with finding a husband and a talking pig.
Author Howard Schwartz won in the younger readers category for “Gathering Sparks,” which was illustrated by Kristina Swarner. Schwartz, a noted storyteller, weaves a gentle tale of a grandfather and grandchild based on the 16th century rabbinic midrash of creation and tikkun olam, the concept of repairing the world. It was Schwartz’s second book with Swarner, who also received an honor award for illustrating “Modeh Ani: A Good Morning Book” by Sarah Gershman.
Thirty-two other books were selected from 120 titles to be given honor awards or be named notable books. The awards, created in 1968, are named in memory of Sydney Taylor, the author of the “All of a Kind Family” series. — jta