As a writer and an illustrator, the process of where ideas come from has always been fascinating to me. The idea behind bringing us to Israel was the hope of inspiring us to write books about Jewish traditions and values. It was an incredible, once in a lifetime opportunity and a perfect way for me to get some more Jewish education. This past February, PJ Library invited me, along with 17 other writers, to travel from the Negev desert to Jerusalem and then to Tel Aviv on the Author Israel Adventure. I sincerely asked her if that was the name of a boy in her class. I knew it was time to learn something about being Jewish when our daughter came home from the Temple preschool talking about Haman. I was also sent to Quaker summer camp for six summers on a farm, so basically my Jewish education was nonexistent.Īnd then I met my now wife of 34 years. They moved to California, and I was raised in a Jewish household where my mother subscribed to the Groucho Marx line, “I don’t want to belong to any club that would have me as a member.” As a result, we did celebrate Passover and Hanukkah, but neither I nor my two siblings were bar or bat mitzvah. My parents grew up across the street from each other in Brooklyn. Who else can get books into so many people’s hands? I have published close to 50 picture books, and in all the years I have been writing and illustrating, I have never heard of or been involved with another institution like PJ Library.
I have been tickled to hear from so many people that my book Tea with Zayde is now in their home library thanks to PJ Library. I became aware of PJ Library when they asked to reprint a book I had published.
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