Hi, I’m Heidi and I podcast about Jewish children’s books…

[I know this photo is slightly blurry but I love it because of the books, and honestly, I was having a really good hair day]

If you’re here, you already agree with me that children’s books are the best. They are beautiful, meaningful, concise works of art that pass along culture from generation to generation.

Diverse kidlit adds another level of value, serving as a validating mirror to readers within a group and an illuminated window to others. And Jewish books are, of course, diverse books.

Jewish kidlit, for me, is the pinnacle. It combines my favorite kind of reading experience + the bridge building of diverse reading + all the heart, resilience, and chutzpah of the People of the Book.

Children’s books are formative, so reading Jewishly in youth is something of an inoculation against antisemitism. And while, in these post-October 7 days, it feels that we may never be able to completely dismantle that ancient hatred, it’s still important to do what we can - and my own style of activism always involves books.

Along with my day job as a librarian teaching synagogue preschoolers to love reading, I spend a great deal of time promoting Jewish children’s and teen literature: I blog, run a Facebook group, serve on committees with the Association of Jewish Libraries, and do guest posts and speaking gigs. But my longest-running project is my podcast, The Book of Life.

I’ve been podcasting since 2005 - that’s just a year after the word “podcast” was coined. It’s always been an interview show (like “Fresh Air” - but Jewish!), and in recent years I’ve narrowed my focus to my One True Love - children’s literature.

I added transcripts to the episodes starting in May 2019 (the guest was Jonathan Auxier, author of Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster) and I’ve been surprised by how many people tell me that reading the interviews works better for them than listening. As one of many ways to celebrate The Book of Life’s 20th anniversary, I’ve started this Substack to give you an easy way to receive podcast show notes and transcripts right in your inbox. I’ll also share news about what’s going on in the Jewish book world, and occasional calls to action.

Enjoy! And please let me know what you think about the podcast and/or the Substack, at bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com, or in the comments here on Substack. If you want to suggest a book for the podcast, please read my Guidelines first.

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