SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: 123 CATS
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.lesleanewman.com/
CITY: Northampton
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 342
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
First name pronounced “Lez-LEE-uh”; born November 5, 1955, in Brooklyn, NY; married Mary Vazquez.
EDUCATION:University of Vermont, B.S. (education), 1977; Naropa Institute, certificate in poetics, 1980.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Educator and author. Reader for Mademoiselle and Redbook magazines, New York, NY, 1982; Valley Advocate, Hatfield, MA, journalist and book reviewer, 1983-87; Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA, director and teacher of writing at summer program, 1986-90; Write from the Heart: Writing Workshops for Women, Northampton, MA, founder and director, 1986—. University of Southern Maine, member of M.F.A. faculty, 2005-09; instructor at Clark University, Worcester, MA; M.F.A. faculty mentor and instructor at Spalding University, Louisville, KY. Lecturer and presenter at workshops at colleges and universities, including Amherst College, Smith College, Swarthmore College, Trinity College, and Yale University. Presenter at schools and libraries.
AVOCATIONS:Making art, movies, theater, reading, bowling, shopping, crossword puzzles.
MEMBER:Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Poets & Writers, Cat Writers Association, Dog Writers Association, Publishing Triangle, Authors Guild.
AWARDS:Massachusetts Artists Foundation poetry fellowship, 1989; James Baldwin Award for Cultural Achievement, Greater Boston Area Lesbian/Gay Political Alliance, 1993; Silver Award, Parents’ Choice Foundation, 1994, and Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable Book selection, Association of Jewish Libraries, 1995, both for Fat Chance; Gemini Award for Best Short Drama, Canadian Academy of Film and Television, 1995, for Spoken Word; Books for the Teen Age selection, New York Public Library, 1996, for A Loving Testimony; National Endowment for the Arts poetry fellowship, 1997; first-place winner in humor category, Vice Versa Awards for Excellence in Gay and Lesbian Press, 1999, for “Cher Heaven”; Americus Review Poetry Contest winner, 2000, for “The Politics of Buddy”; Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable Book selection, 2002, for Runaway Dreidel; Gold Seal Award, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, 2005, and Amelia Bloomer List inclusion, American Library Association (ALA), 2006, both for A Fire Engine for Ruthie; Children’s Choice selection, Children’s Book Council/International Reading Association (CBC/IRA), 2004, for The Best Cat in the World; ASPCA Henry Bergh Honor Book designation, Kiriyama Prize honor, and Best Children’s Books selection, Bank Street College of Education, all 2005, all for Hachiko Waits; Continuing the Legacy of Stonewall Award, University of Massachusetts Stonewall Center, 2006; named poet laureate of Northampton, MA, 2008-10; Gold Seal Award, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, 2009, ALA Stonewall Honor Books in Children and Young-Adult Literature and Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choice selection, both 2010, all for both Mommy, Mama, and Me and Daddy, Papa, and Me; ALA Notable Book designation, 2010, for Mommy, Mama, and Me; Hachamat Lev Award, Keshet Foundation, 2010; IRA Young Adults’ Choices listee, Best Children’s Books selection, Bank Street College of Education, ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection, and Stonewall Honor Books in Children’s and Young Adult Literature selection, all 2013, all for October Mourning; Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable Book designation, 2013, for A Sweet Passover, and 2014, for Here Is the World; Sydney Taylor Book Award, 2016 for Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed; certificate of excellence, Dog Writers’ Association of America; Muse Medallions, Cat Writers’ Association of America; Golden Crown Literary Society Award, 2016, for I Carry My Mother; Golden Crown Literary Society Lee Lynch Classic Award, 2017, for Heather Has Two Mommies; National Jewish Book Award, 2019, and Sydney Taylor Silver Medal, 2020, both for Gittel’s Journey; National Jewish Book Award, 2020, Northern Dawn Religious/Spiritual Children’s Book Award, 2020, and Sydney Taylor Award Gold Seal, 2021, all for Welcoming Elijah; numerous awards for poetry.
RELIGION: Jewish.WRITINGS
Contributor to anthology Am I Blue?, edited by Marion Dane Bauer, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1994.
A Letter to Harvey Milk was adapted for film and stage. October Mourning was adapted for audiobook, Brilliance Audio, 2012; Heather Has Two Mommies was adapted for audiobook, read by the author.
SIDELIGHTS
An author, poet, and teacher of creative writing, Lesléa Newman is strongly motivated by her Jewish heritage and strong feminist beliefs. Newman’s writings are diverse, both in genre and theme: they range from fiction to nonfiction and focus on Jewish identity, love relationships, and parent-child issues. Her groundbreaking Heather Has Two Mommies, originally published in 1989 and updated in 2015, was the first picture book to respond to the growing need for literature about young children raised by same-sex couples. Among her other works for young readers are the picture books Too Far Away to Touch, My Name Is Aviva, and Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed. In addition to writing for children, Newman has authored books for middle-grade readers and young adults, and she addresses women-focused issues in her many essays, poems, short stories, and works of adult fiction and nonfiction.
Deciding to become a writer after earning her bachelor’s degree in education at the University of Vermont, Newman spent several years working in New York City before moving north to the college town of Northampton, Massachusetts [open new], in 1982, having already published her first book of poetry. Regarding the direction her career took next, Newman told Cynthia Leitich Smith for Cynsations, “While I continued to write poetry, I needed to figure out a way to support myself. After short unsuccessful stints in a candy shop, a dentist’s office, and a clothing store, I got a job in a day care center. I worked there for a year and then I wasn’t rehired. I went to a psychic and told her my situation. ‘What kind of job should I look for?’ I asked her. She said, ‘You don’t need to find a job. You need to get to work.’” Newman went home that day, wrote the first twenty pages of what would be her debut novel, Good Enough to Eat, and, as she told Smith, “never looked back.”
Not until several years later did Newman first attempt writing for children.[suspend new] Active in that area’s vibrant lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender community (LGBT), she soon realized that there was a need for books to help gay couples considering parenthood deal with questions common to all children, especially the universal “Where did I come from?” [resume new–revisions]In fact, a plaintive lesbian mother once literally stopped Newman on the street to lament that she could not find a book showing a family like hers for her daughter to read, and to express her wish that someone would write one. Responding to this need, Newman wrote several picture books for lesbian parents and the offspring of non-traditional families, portraying their unique circumstances in a sensitive and informed manner, and she soon found that writing for children was her forte.[suspend new]
Heather Has Two Mommies addresses a little girl’s questions about her birth and why she has no “Daddy.” While the book’s adult characters attempt to do so in a loving and sympathetic manner, Robert Burke took issue with Newman’s approach here, noting in the Bloomsbury Review that, “on the one hand, they hope to console her with an explanation of her uniqueness. On the other hand, they also seem to be trying to convince Heather that she is just the same as everyone else.” A reviewer in the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books was more positive, describing Heather Has Two Mommies as “a positive, if idealized, portrait of a loving lesbian family” and commending it for “preach[ing] … a respect for all kinds of families.”
Newman’s revised edition of Heather Has Two Mommies features new illustrations by Laura Cornell and offers a tribute to diversity. On the opening day of school, Heather’s teacher suggests that each child draw a picture of his or her family. Heather’s concerns that her illustration will be unlike all the others quickly vanish when her classmates reveal artwork depicting a surprising variety of family structures. Newman’s text in this new edition “is simple yet powerful in its ability to move readers of all ages,” Claire Moore observed in School Library Journal.
A very special wedding is the focus of Donovan’s Big Day, and young Donovan plays the important part as ring-bearer when Mommy and Mama finally get married. Adriana Romo creates the pastel-tinted watercolor art for Newman’s story in Felicia’s Favorite Story, as a little girl delights in every retelling of her adoption by loving parents Mama Linda and Mama Nessa. “Plain and poetic,” according to Booklist contributor Hazel Rochman, “the swiftly flowing free verse” in Donovan’s Big Day “perfectly captures the day’s excitement.” Also in School Library Journal, Marge Loch-Wouters praised Felicia’s Favorite Story as “a comforting book for children in alternative families as well as a pleasant tale” for general story hours.
Same-sex-parent households are also Newman’s focus in several other picture books. With its strong board covers and engaging artwork by Carol Thompson, Mommy, Mama, and Me taps the same audience as Heather Has Two Mommies by following the events of a single day in a close-knit family formed by a lesbian couple. In Daddy, Papa, and Me she shifts her focus gender-wise, as another toddler finds the day divided between Papa’s efforts to bake a pie and Daddy’s enjoyment in painting pictures. Both books “present warm, matter-of-fact depictions of same-sex parents doting on their child,” asserted Claire E. Gross in Horn Book.
Unfortunately, children of lesbian or gay parents are not immune to the pain of separation or divorce, as Newman shows in Saturday Is Pattyday. Called “reassuring” by Booklist contributor Rochman, Saturday Is Pattyday depicts the changing relationship between young Frankie and his mom Patty after Patty leaves his other mom and moves away from home. A more permanent loss is dealt with by Newman in Too Far Away to Touch, as Uncle Leonard attempts to let his young niece know that he may be dying of AIDS in a text that Horn Book contributor Maeve Visser Knoth called “effective” and “understated.”
While several of Newman’s picture books focus on homosexuality and alternative families, she has also written stories geared to a mainstream readership. The celebration of the Jewish holiday of Passover is the focus of Matzo Ball Moon, as Eleanor’s grandmother Bubbe makes her yearly holiday visit to help fix the holiday feast. A Publishers Weekly reviewer had special praise for the character of Bubbe; she “says the unexpected, she is also credible and has some chutzpah,” the critic noted. The relationship between Bubbe and her granddaughter is also the focus of Remember That, in which the ageing Bubbe is moved to a nursing home and the weekly Friday-night Sabbath ritual the two share is altered. Rochman praised the sentimental story in Remember That, noting in her Booklist review that “Bubbe’s story will help children cope with the changes age brings to those they love.”
Told in rhyming couplets, Here Is the World: A Year of Jewish Holidays follows a young family as they plant trees on Tu B’Shevat, play with noisemakers on Purim, and light a menorah on Chanukah. In School Library Journal, Teri Markson applauded the “warm, sing-song patter” of Newman’s verse. Like Matzo Ball Moon, the picture book A Sweet Passover, concerns the special holiday commemorating the liberation of the Israelites, this time focusing on a youngster who tires of eating matzah. Heidi Estrin in School Library Journal had a positive response to “the charming story, which retains a lighthearted flavor.” Appraising My Name Is Aviva, the story of a youngster who learns to love her unusual moniker, a Publishers Weekly offered praise for “Newman’s storytelling, which is characteristically empathic, soulful, and wise.”
Hanukkah Delight! is a picture book featuring rhyming text, in which Newman details various traditions associated with the Jewish holiday. A Kirkus Reviews critic noted that the book was “useful for both Jewish families and others seeking to give children a head start on religious pluralism.”
In Cats, Cats, Cats!, which features artwork by Erika Oller, Newman presents the first in a trio of picture books sharing energetic rhymes about familiar and sometimes unfamiliar household pets. Dogs, Dogs, Dogs! continues the rhyming fun, as Newman conceals a lesson in counting within her rhyming story about an ever-growing pack of dogs roaming the city streets and playing in the city park. Hogs by the dozens are featured in Pigs, Pigs, Pigs!, as the promise of a free meal draws carloads of pigs from far and wide to the streets of one small town, where singing and dancing are also on the menu. “Newman’s rollicking, action-filled text” in Dogs, Dogs, Dogs! “is playful and cheerful,” asserted a Kirkus Reviews writer.
Newman also highlights animals in The Best Cat in the World, a story in which Victor comes to terms with the death of his beloved pet. A Kirkus Reviews writer concluded that The Best Cat in the World “skillfully manages to convey sympathy without being cloying.” Inspired by a true story, Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed relates the story of composer Moshe Cotel, who penned an award-winning tune after watching his cat scamper across a piano keyboard. A critic in Publishers Weekly described Newman’s effort here as “a lovely tale of cross-species affection and creativity,” and Ilene Cooper remarked in Booklist that the “delightfully told story is unlikely and adorable in equal parts.”
In conjunction with several books she has authored for adults that focus on body image, Newman completed the middle-grade novel Fat Chance. Written in the form of a diary, Fat Chance is a realistic look at the effect of an eating disorder on a young girl. It follows thirteen-year-old Judi, whose obsession about weight prompts her to idolize fellow student Nancy, the thinnest and most popular girl in the entire eighth grade. Discovering Nancy’s trick, Judi begins the binge-purge cycle characteristic of the bulimic, and she goes out of her way to keep it a secret from friends and family. Noting that the story goes “further than the average ‘problem’ novel” in examining the motivations of the bulimic protagonist, a Publishers Weekly contributor praised Newman for focusing on “the importance of professional help” in her “compelling, thought-provoking narrative.”
Another novel for adolescents, Newman’s Jailbait is set on Long Island during the early 1970s. Andi Kaplan is beginning tenth grade and dreads every day now that the school bully has singled her out. With her parents involved in their personal problems and her pot-smoking older brother idling away his time in college, Andi feels alone until she meets Frank, who is almost old enough to be her dad. Feeling secure in Frank’s love, the teen agrees to keep their sexual relationship a secret, but as the dynamic in their relationship shifts, Frank becomes increasingly volatile and controlling. Praising Jailbait as “a cautionary tale,” Kliatt critic Myrna Marler added that Newman’s “evocative” prose causes readers to care about Andi “and her painful rise from the ashes … is to be cheered.”
A novel-in-verse, October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard presents Newman’s soulful response to a vicious hate crime. In 1998 gay college student Matthew Shepard was beaten, tied to a fence in the Wyoming countryside, and left to die. Less than a week after the attack, Newman delivered a keynote speech during Gay Awareness Week at the University of Wyoming, Shepard’s school. In October Mourning she offers a cycle of sixty-eight poems that explore the tragic event from numerous perspectives. Her “verse is both masterful and steady-handed,” wrote Jill Heritage Maza in School Library Journal, and “each poem is beautiful in its subtle sophistication.” “Written with love, anger, regret, and other profound emotions,” October Mourning “is a truly important book that deserves the widest readership,” in the view of Booklist critic Michael Cart.
In Sparkle Boy, a picture book published in 2017, a girl named Jessie deals with her younger brother, Casey, who likes to paint his fingernails and wear shiny articles of clothing. At first, Jessie is opposed to Casey’s proclivities. However, when other children begin bullying Casey, she defends him. Ultimately, she learns to love Casey just as he is. In an interview with Mary Elizabeth Williams, contributor to Salon, Newman explained why she wrote the book. She stated: “this is my community. These are my peeps. These are the issues that are close to my heart. I know many, many Sparkle Boys of all ages.” Newman continued: “I feel like my job as a writer is to be a voice to the voiceless, to make the world a better place, to practice tikkun olam, which is to heal the world, a responsibility given to every Jew at birth. The way I heal the world or try to do my part in that, because nobody’s expected to do that by themselves, is through creating literature that makes the world a safer place, especially for children.” Newman told a writer on the Storytime Underground website: “ Sparkle Boy is for readers of all gender expressions. I have been surprised that the book has brought many adults to tears because of its message of celebration of someone who does not fit into the mold of gender stereotypes.”
Sarah Stone, reviewer in School Library Journal, commented: “Though somewhat on the wordy side, this slice-of-life story will appeal to families, whether or not they include gender-creative members.” “There’s little to distinguish this story from other recent picture books about femme boys and trans girls,” suggested a Kirkus Reviews critic. However, a contributor to Publishers Weekly remarked: “Newman’s straightforward text and dialogue offer examples of language that children and adults could use in similar real-life situations.” A writer in Children’s Bookwatch asserted: “ Sparkle Boy will prove to be an enduringly popular and appreciated addition.”
Based on real accounts, Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story finds a young girl preparing to immigrate to America with her mother. Gittel must make the difficult overseas journey alone after her mother is held back due to a health issue. When she arrives in New York, a photographer helps her find her cousin Mendel there. “The book is beautifully designed and illustrated,” asserted Barbara Auerbach in School Library Journal. A reviewer in Publishers Weekly commented: “Newman … skillfully modulates her narration, capturing her protagonist’s feelings of excitement, loneliness, and fear.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor described the volume as “a heartfelt, lovely evocation of one facet of the immigrant experience.”
[re-resume new]Newman focuses on Jewish culture in the picture books Baby’s Blessings and Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail. The former title finds a family doting on their most recent arrival, with baking, knitting, playtime, and rituals enlivening the day for baby. A Kirkus Reviews writer noted that Newman’s rhyming text, which includes Yiddish and Hebrew vocabulary, “scans well” in this “sweet celebration of a baby, full of Jewish tradition.” In Welcoming Elijah, a family’s Passover rituals get a twist when the young boy, opening the door for the prophet Elijah, finds a kitten needing a new home. In School Library Journal, Rachel Kamin proclaimed, “Anybody who has ever opened the door for Elijah during the Passover Seder will relish this charming, magical, and heartwarming story.”
In writing Remembering Ethan, Newman was partly inspired by the untimely death of the young daughter of a friend. She also noted that a list of topics receiving little coverage in children’s books, compiled by librarians, included the death of a sibling. Being published under the auspices of the American Psychological Association with Magination Press, the material was vetted by a psychologist, and the back matter includes professional tips for adults on guiding discussions with grieving children. The book opens after young Ethan has already passed away—under circumstances never specified—with both parents mired in their grief and unable to speak about him. But sister Sarah wants to remember Ethan, so she draws a picture that prompts her parents to realize they all need to get through their grief together, looking through old photos as they start to recover. Applauding how young Sarah “effects change in the family dynamic that leads to cathartic healing,” a Kirkus Reviews writer deemed Remembering Ethan “gentle, comforting bibliotherapy.”
In light of Newman’s many titles focused on Jewish culture, holidays, and traditions, School Library Journal interviewer Elizabeth Bird asked her about the importance of her faith in her life and writing. Newman explained: “Judaism has been with me since the day I was born and will be with me until the day I die. Being a Jew affects everything that I do, which of course includes my writing. Writing is my self-appointed task to fulfill the obligation of ‘Tikkun Olam’ or repairing the world. Every Jew is assigned this task. … It is up to each one of us to decide how to best participate in tikkun olam. I try to make the world a better place with each book I write by infusing my books with hope, with joy, with comfort, with love.”[close new]
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Bloomsbury Review, June, 1992, Robert Burke, review of Heather Has Two Mommies, p. 19.
Booklist, November 1, 1993, Hazel Rochman, review of Saturday Is Pattyday, p. 531; September 1, 1994, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Fat Chance, p. 35; March 15, 1995, Carolyn Phelan, review of Too Far Away to Touch, p. 1336; February 1, 1996, Hazel Rochman, review of Remember That, p. 939; April, 1998, Ellen Mandel, review of Matzo Ball Moon, p. 1332; February 15, 2001, Helen Rosenberg, review of Cats, Cats, Cats!, p. 1141; September 1, 2002, Ilene Cooper, review of Runaway Dreidel!, p. 139; February 15, 2003, Kathleen Odean, review of Pigs, Pigs, Pigs!, p. 1075; October 15, 2005, Stephanie Zvirin, review of The Eight Nights of Chanukah, p. 58; February 15, 2007, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of Skunk’s Spring Surprise, p. 84; September 1, 2010, Carolyn Phelan, review of Miss Tutu’s Star, p. 1; April 1, 2011, Hazel Rochman, review of Donovan’s Big Day, p. 73; February 15, 2012, Kay Weisman, review of A Sweet Passover, p. 61; September 15, 2012, Michael Cart, review of October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard, p. 68; November 15, 2014, Sarah Hunter, review of Here Is the World: A Year of Jewish Holidays, p. 40; July 1, 2015, Ilene Cooper, review of Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed, p. 63; May 15, 2017, Ilene Cooper, review of Sparkle Boy, p. 59.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, February, 1990, review of Heather Has Two Mommies, p. 144.
Children’s Bookwatch, September, 2017, review of Sparkle Boy.
Horn Book, May-June, 1995, Maeve Visser Knoth, review of Too Far Away to Touch, p. 328; May-June, 2009, Claire E. Gross, review of Daddy, Papa, and Me, p. 285; November-December, 2016, Shoshana Flax, review of Hanukkah Delight!, p. 47.
Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2002, review of Dogs, Dogs, Dogs!, p. 738; November 1, 2002, review of Runaway Dreidel!, p. 1623; January 1, 2004, review of The Best Cat in the World, p. 40; November 1, 2005, review of The Eight Nights of Chanukah, p. 1195; December 1, 2006, review of Skunk’s Spring Surprise, p. 1224; April 15, 2007, review of Daddy’s Song; May 15, 2009, review of Daddy, Papa, and Me; August 15, 2012, review of October Mourning; August 15, 2014, review of Here Is the World; January 15, 2015, review of Heather Has Two Mommies; July 15, 2015, review of My Name Is Aviva; August 1, 2015, review of Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed; January 1, 2017, review of Hanukkah Delight!; April 15, 2017, review of Sparkle Boy; November 1, 2018, review of Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story; September 15, 2019, review of Baby’s Blessings; February 1, 2020, reviews of Remembering Ethan and Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail; July 1, 2021, review of As Babies Dream; November 15, 2021, review of 1 2 3 Cats.
Kliatt, May, 2005, Myrna Marler, review of Jailbait, p. 17.
Lambda Book Report, August-September, 2003, Marissa Pareles, review with Newman, p. 6.
New York Times Book Review, August 27, 1995, Roger Sutton, review of Too Far Away to Touch, p. 27; July 28, 1996, Judith Viorst, review of Remember That, p. 21.
Publishers Weekly, September 19, 1994, review of Fat Chance, p. 72; February 6, 1995, review of Too Far Away to Touch, p. 85; February 23, 1998, review of Matzo Ball Moon, p. 76; January 15, 2001, review of Cats, Cats, Cats!, p. 75; April 12, 2004, review of The Boy Who Cried Fabulous, p. 65; December 13, 2004, review of Hachiko Waits, p. 68; October 19, 2009, Leslea Newman, “The More Things Change … Heather Has Two Mommies Turns Twenty,” p. 58; August 2, 2010, review of Miss Tutu’s Star, p. 44; February 21, 2011, review of Donovan’s Big Day, p. 130; February 20, 2012, review of A Sweet Passover, p. 171; July 28, 2014, review of Here Is the World, p. 95; August 3, 2015, review of My Name Is Aviva, p. 55; August 10, 2015, review of Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed, p. 63; May 8, 2017, review of Sparkle Boy, p. 60; October 29, 2018, review of Gittel’s Journey, p. 74.
School Library Journal, January, 1995, Melissa Yurechko, review of Fat Chance, p. 138; September, 1995, Mary Rinato Berman, review of Too Far Away to Touch, p. 183; March, 1996, Susan Scheps, review of Remember That, p. 179; June, 1998, Susan Pine, review of Matzo Ball Moon, p. 116; March, 2001, Lauralyn Persson, review of Cats, Cats, Cats!, p. 215; August, 2002, Jody McCoy, review of Dogs, Dogs, Dogs!, p. 162; February. 2003, Andrea Tarr, review of Pigs, Pigs, Pigs!, p. 118; October, 2003, Marge Loch-Wouters, review of Felicia’s Favorite Story, p. 132; February, 2004, Susan Hepler, review of The Best Cat in the World, p. 120; October, 2004, Linda L. Walkins, review of The Boy Who Cried Fabulous, p. 125; November, 2004, John Peters, review of Hachiko Waits, and Rosalyn Pierini, review of Where Is Bear?, both p. 113; June, 2005, Karen Hoth, review of Jailbait, p. 167; June, 2007, Catherine Callegari, review of Daddy’s Song, p. 118; November, 2009, Linda Staskus, reviews of Daddy, Papa, and Me and Mommy, Mama, and Me, both p. 85; August, 2010, Martha Simpson, review of Miss Tutu’s Star, p. 82; April, 2011, Donna Cardon, review of Donovan’s Big Day, p. 150; April, 2012, Heidi Estrin, review of A Sweet Passover, p. 141; November, 2012, Jill Heritage Maza, review of October Mourning, p. 124; November, 2014, Teri Markson, review of Here Is the World, p. 130; February, 2015, Claire Moore, review of Heather Has Two Mommies, p. 74; August, 2015, Barbara Auerbach, review of Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed, p. 74, and Martha Link Yesowitch, review of My Name Is Aviva, p. 75; June 1, 2017, Sarah Stone, review of Sparkle Boy, p. 76; December, 2018, Barbara Auerbach, review of Gittel’s Journey, p. 69; January, 2020, Rachel Kamin, review of Welcoming Elijah, p. 60.
Voice of Youth Advocates, December, 2012, Dianna Geers, review of October Mourning, p. 472.
ONLINE
Cynsations, https://cynthialeitichsmith.com/ (March 1, 2019), Cynthia Leitich Smith, “Career Achievers: Lesléa Newman on Thriving as a Long-Time, Actively Publishing Children’s-YA Author.”
Highlights Foundation website, https://www.highlightsfoundation.org/ (July 27, 2019), “Writing the Rainbow: Rob Sanders and Lesléa Newman Talk about LGBTQIA+ Picture Books.”
Huffington Post, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ (June 14, 2017), Lori Duron, author interview.
Jewish Book Council website, https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/ (December 3, 2019), Emily Schneider, “Mirrors and Windows: A Conversation with Lesléa Newman on Diversity in Children’s Books.”
Jewish News, https://thejewishnews.com/ (March 17, 2021), Suzanne Chessler, “‘Welcoming Elijah’: Stray Cat Teaches Kids Kindness at Passover.”
Jewish Women’s Archive, https://jwa.org/ (February 4, 2019), author profile.
KidLit411, http://www.kidlit411.com/ (October 23, 2020), “Author Spotlight: Lesléa Newman.”
LesleaKids, http://www.lesleakids.com (February 4, 2019).
Lesléa Newman website, http://lesleanewman.com (April 25, 2022).
Magination Press website, https://www.maginationpressfamily.org/ (July 30, 2020), “Coping with Grief and Loss: An Interview with Remembering Ethan’s Author.”
Mass Poetry, https://masspoetry.org/ (April 25, 2022), “Getting to Know Lesléa Newman and Her New Book I Wish My Father.”
Matthew Shepard Foundation website, https://www.matthewshepard.org/ (February 4, 2019), author profile.
My Jewish Learning, https://www.myjewishlearning.com/ (February 3, 2016), Emily Jaeger, article about author.
Publishers Weekly Online, http://www.publishersweekly.com/ (March 16, 2015), Shannon Maughan, “A Second Life for Heather Has Two Mommies.“
Salon, https://www.salon.com/ (July 2, 2017), Mary Elizabeth Williams, author interview.
School Library Journal Online, https://blogs.slj.com/ (February 8, 2021), Elizabeth Bird, “The 2021 Sydney Taylor Blog Tour: A Talk with Lesléa Newman and Susan Gal about Welcoming Elijah.”
Storytime Underground, http://storytimeunderground.org/ (June 17, 2017), author interview.
Biography
Lesléa (pronounced “Lez-LEE-uh”) Newman is the author of 75 books for readers of all ages, including A Letter to Harvey Milk; October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard; I Carry My Mother; The Boy Who Cried Fabulous; Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed; and Heather Has Two Mommies.
She has received many literary awards, including creative writing fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Artists Foundation, two National Jewish Book Awards, two American Library Association Stonewall Honors, the Massachusetts Book Award, two Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Awards as well as the Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award, the Highlights for Children Fiction Writing Award, a Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fiction Writing grant, the James Baldwin Award for Cultural Achievement, the Cat Writers’ Association Muse Medallion, and the Dog Writers’ Association of America’s Maxwell Medallion. Nine of her books have been Lambda Literary Award Finalists.
Ms. Newman wrote Heather Has Two Mommies, the first children’s book to portray lesbian families in a positive way, and has followed up this pioneering work with several more children’s books on lesbian and gay families: Felicia’s Favorite Story, Too Far Away to Touch, Saturday Is Pattyday, Mommy, Mama, and Me, and Daddy, Papa, and Me.
She is also the author of many books for adults that deal with lesbian identity, Jewish identity and the intersection and collision between the two. Other topics Ms. Newman explores include AIDS, eating disorders, butch/femme relationships, and sexual abuse. Her award-winning short story, A Letter To Harvey Milk, has been made into a film and adapted for the stage.
In addition to being an author, Ms. Newman is a popular guest lecturer, and has spoken on college campuses across the country including Harvard University, Yale University, the University of Oregon, Bryn Mawr College, Smith College and the University of Judaism. From 2005-2009, Lesléa was on the faculty of the Stonecoast MFA program at the University of Southern Maine. From 2008-2010, she served as the Poet Laureate of Northampton, MA. She has taught fiction writing at Clark University and currently she is a faculty mentor at Spalding University’s School of Creative and Professional Writing.
Recently published books include the poetry collections I Wish My Father and I Carry My Mother (Golden Crown Literary Society Award and Massachusetts Center for the Book “Must Read” title); picture books Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale With A Tail (National Jewish Book Award and Sydney Taylor Award); Ketzel, The Cat Who Composed (Massachusetts Book Award, Sydney Taylor Award, and Cat Writers’ Association Best “Litter-ary” Award); Sparkle Boy (Massachusetts Center for the Book Honor Title); and Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story (National Jewish Book Award). Forthcoming books include Alicia and the Hurricane/Alicia y el huracán, (Lee & Low); What Daddies Do (Abrams); I Can Be….Me! (Lee & Low); The Babka Sisters (Kar-Ben); Song of the Dead Sea Scrolls (Enchanted Lion); The Fairest in the Land (Abrams); and Always Matt: The Story of Matthew Shepard (Abrams).
Listen to a sound file to learn the story of Lesléa’s first name and hear it pronounced correctly.
Awards
Sydney Taylor Award gold sealWinner, American Jewish Library Association Sydney Taylor Award, 2021
Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale With A Tail
National Jewish Book Award WinnerWinner, National Jewish Book Award, 2020
Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale With A Tail
Finalist, Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award, 2021-2022
Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story
Muse Medallion, Cat Writers Association, 2021
Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale With A Tail
Certificate of Excellence, Cat Writers Association, 2020
Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale With A Tail
Research for Readers Best Mentor Texts of the Year, 2020
Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale With A Tail
Tablet Magazine Best Children’s Books of the Year, 2020
Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale With A Tail
School Library Journal Holiday Books List, 2020
Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale With A Tail
Nomination, Pushcart Prize, 2021
“13 Ways of Looking at Life Before the Virus”
(nominated by New Verse News)
Winner, Northern Dawn Religious/Spiritual Children’s Book Award, 2020
Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail
Winner, Robinson Jeffers Tor House Poetry Awards, Honorable Mention, 2020
“The First Time We Visit”
Massachusetts Center for the Book, “Must Read” Title, 2020
Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story
Honorable Mention, Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards, 2020
“My Mother Is At The Bridge”
Bank Street College of Education Best Books of the Year, 2020
Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story
Sydney Taylor Silver MedalWinner, Sydney Taylor Body of Work Award, 2020
Winner, Sydney Taylor Silver Medal, 2020
Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story
National Jewish Book Award WinnerWinner, National Jewish Book Award, 2019
Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story
Finalist, International School of Beijing Panda Book Awards, 2019-2020
Sparkle Boy
Wall Street Journal Top Ten Children’s Book of the Year, 2019
Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story
Tablet Magazine Top Ten Children’s Book of the Year, 2019
Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story
Washington Post Best Children’s Books of the Year List, 2019
Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story
New York Public Library Best Children’s Books of the Year List, 2019
Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story
A Mighty Girl’s Books of the Year List, 2019
Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story
Honor Book, Massachusetts Book Award, 2018
Sparkle Boy
Greater Kansas City Association of School Librarians Great Kids Can Read Award, 2017-2018
Ketzel, The Cat Who Composed
Storytelling World Resource Awards Honor Book, 2018
Sparkle Boy
Bank Street College of Education Best Books of the Year, 2018
Sparkle Boy
Honor Book, Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature Irma Black Award, 2018
Sparkle Boy
Winner, Missouri State Librarians Show Me Award, 2018
Ketzel, The Cat Who Composed
Golden Crown Literary Society Lee Lynch Classic Award, 2017
Heather Has Two Mommies
Finalist, Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award, 2017–2018
Ketzel, The Cat Who Composed
Finalist, Tillie Olsen Short Story Award, 2016
“Mr. Clean”
Winner, Massachusetts Center for the Book “Must Read” Title, 2016
I Carry My Mother
Winner, Massachusetts Book Award, 2016
Ketzel, The Cat Who Composed
Winner, World Best Cat Litter-ary Award, 2016
Ketzel, The Cat Who Composed
Winner, Cat Writers’ Association Muse Medallion for Best Children’s Book, 2016
Ketzel, The Cat Who Composed
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Master List, 2017
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Winner, Golden Crown Literary Society (“Goldie”) Award, 2016
I Carry My Mother
Pushcart Prize Nomination, 2016
“I Carry My Mother”
Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) Choices, 2016
Heather Has Two Mommies
Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) Choices, 2016
Ketzel, The Cat Who Composed
Winner, American Jewish Library Association Sydney Taylor Award, 2016
Ketzel, The Cat Who Composed
Junior Library Guild Best Jewish Children’s Books, 2015
Ketzel, The Cat Who Composed
Los Angeles Public Library List of Best Children’s Books, 2015
Ketzel, The Cat Who Composed
School Library Journal’s Give the Gift of Music “Great Books” List, 2015
Ketzel, The Cat Who Composed
All the Wonders Best Nonfiction Books, 2015
Ketzel, The Cat Who Composed
The Sugarman Family Jewish Book Award, 2015
My Name Is Aviva
Junior Library Guild Selection, 2015
Ketzel, The Cat Who Composed
Nominee, South Carolina Young Adult Book Award, 2014-2015
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Winner, Florida Council of Teachers of English Joan F. Kaywell Books Save Lives Award, 2014
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Kentucky Bluegrass Award Master List, 2014
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Outstanding Books for the College Bound selection (Literature and Language Arts category) 2014
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Featured Book, Diversity Author Series (Campus-Wide Read), Lawrence Academy, Groton, MA 2013-2014
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Arkansas Teen Book Awards Young Adult List, 2013-2014
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
“Read On” Wisconsin Selection, 2013-2014
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Notable Poetry List, 2013
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Maine State Library “Cream of the Crop” Fiction List, 2013
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Texas Library Association TAYSHAS High School Readling List, 2014
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Top Fifty Poem, Provincetown Outermost Poetry Contest, 2013
“Teen Angels”
Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book of the Year List, 2013
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Nominee, Missouri Association of School Librarians Gateway Readers Award, 2014-2015
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Finalist, Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Award, 2014-2015
Finalist, New York State Reading Association Charlotte Book Award, 2014
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Winner, International Reading Association Young Adults’ Choices Reading List, 2013
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Massachusetts Book Awards “Must-Read” Book, 2013
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Young Adult Library Services Association Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults, 2013
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Audie Award, Multiple-Voice Performance Category, 2013
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Finalist, Martin Luther King “Living the Dream” Book Award, 2013
Donovan’s Big Day
Finalist, Provincetown Outermost Cape Poetry Contest, 2013
“Teen Angels”
American Library Association Stonewall Honor Book, 2013
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
American Library Association LGBT Round Table Rainbow Book, 2013
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People, 2013
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Young Adult Library Services Association Best Fiction for Young Adults Book, 2013
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Nominee, Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Reader’s Choice List, 2013
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Sydney Taylor Honor Book, 2013
A Sweet Passover
Campus Book-in Common Selection, Spalding University, 2012-2013
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Nerdy Book Club Poetry Award, 2012
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Poetry Foundation Children’s Poet Laureate Pick November 2012
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Starred Review, Booklist, September 15, 2012
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
Audiofile Earphones Award, 2012
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard (audiobook)
Finalist, Dog Writers Association Maxwell Medallion Award, 2012
I Remember: Hachiko Speaks
Winner, Voices of Youth Award (VOYA) Skokie Public Library, Skokie, IL 2011
Hachiko Waits
Winner, Bluestem Illinois Readers Choice Award, 2011
Hachiko Waits
Second Runner Up, Solstice Literary Journal Poetry Prize, 2010
“Poem for Two Dogs Hanged in Salem, Massachusetts, 1692”
Finalist, ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year, General Fiction Category, 2010
The Reluctant Daughter
Hachamat Lev Award, 2010
Awarded by Keshet Foundation “For enduring commitment to justice and full inclusion for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in the Jewish community and beyond.”
Certificate of Excellence, Cat Writers of America, 2009
“Old Girl”
Muse Medallion, Cat Writers of American 2009
“Old Girl”
Certificate of Excellence, Dog Writers Association of America
“Mon Ami”
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Best Book Award, 2009
Mommy, Mama, and Me; Daddy, Papa, and Me
American Library Association Notable Children’s Books 2010
Mommy, Mama, and Me
American Library Association Stonewall Book Awards 2010
Honor Books: Mommy, Mama, and Me; Daddy, Papa, and Me
American Library Association Rainbow List of GLBT Books for Children and Teens
Mommy, Mama, and Me; Daddy, Papa, and Me
Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) Choices 2010
Mommy, Mama, and Me; Daddy, Papa, and Me
Burning Bush Poetry Award, 2009
“What the Angel Really Said”
Quill and Ink Poetry Award, 2009
Awarded by the Florence Poets Society, Florence, MA
Poet Laureate of Northampton, Massachusetts, 2008
Finalist, Sow Ear’s Poetry Review Competition, 2007
“Jewish Tradition”
Semi-Finalist, Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry, Nimrod: An International Journal of Poetry and Prose, 2007
“The Woodgatherer Speaks”
Semi-Finalist, National Literary Awards, Salem College Women’s Center, Winston-Salem, NC, 2007
“Mother”
Nominee, West Virginia Children’s Book Award, 2006-2007
Hachiko Waits
Continuing the Legacy of Stonewall Award, presented by the University of Massachusetts Stonewall Center, 2006
Nominee, Young Hoosier Book Award, Intermediate Category, 2007-2008
Hachiko Waits
Nominee, Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award, 2007
Hachiko Waits
Winner, Emphasis on Reading Alabama’s Children’s Choice Book Award Program, 2005-2006
Hachiko Waits
ALA Amelia Bloomer List of Feminist Titles for Young Readers, 2006
A Fire Engine for Ruthie
Finalist, Reader/Selector List for Show Me Readers Award (Missouri Association of School Librarians), 2006
The Best Cat in the World
Nomination, Best Book for Young Adults, 2006
Jailbait
Kiriyama Prize Notable Book, 2005
Hachiko Waits
Volunteer State Book Award Master List, 2006-2007
Hachiko Waits
Nomination, Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, 2006
Jailbait
Nomination, Great Lakes’ Great Book Award, 2006
Hachiko Waits
Bank Street College of Education, Best Children’s Books of the Year 2005
Hachiko Waits
Kansas State Reading Circle Recommended Reading List, 2005
Hachiko Waits
ASPCA Henry Bergh Honor Book, 2005
Hachiko Waits
Children’s Book Council & International Reading Assoc. Children’s Choices List, 2005
The Best Cat in the World
Muse Medallion, Cat Writers Association, 2004
The Best Cat in the World
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Book, Gold Seal Award, 2005
A Fire Engine for Ruthie
Booksense Pick of the List, fall 2004
Hachiko Waits
Certificate of Excellence, Cat Writers Association, 2004
The Best Cat in the World
Booksense Pick of the List, Spring/Summer 2004
The Boy Who Cried Fabulous
Seal of Approval, National Parenting Center, 2004
The Boy Who Cried Fabulous
Finalist, Sue Saniel Elkind Poetry Contest, 2003
The Last Word
Nomination, Pushcart Prize, 2003
Nominated by the poet, Antler
Honorable Mention, The Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation, 2003
A Letter to Harvey Milk
Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book for Young Readers, 2002
Runaway Dreidel!
Finalist, Lambda Literary Awards, Romance Category, 2002
She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not
Finalist, Lambda Literary Awards, Anthology Category, 2002
Bedroom Eyes: Stories of Lesbians in the Boudoir
Finalist, Lambda Literary Awards, Children’s Book Category, 2002
Felicia’s Favorite Story
American Booksellers Association Pick of the Lists, Picture Books, 2001
Cats, Cats, Cats!
Finalist, Lambda Literary Award, Lesbian Poetry Category, 2000
Signs of Love
Grant Recipient, Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, Inc., 2000
Awarded on the basis of the short story, “Keeping a Breast”
Winner, Americus Review Poetry Contest, 2000
“The Politics of Buddy”
Nomination, Pushcart Prize, 2000
Nominated by the poet, Antler
First Place Winner, Vice Versa Awards for Excellence in the Gay and Lesbian Press, Humor Category, 1999
“Cher Heaven”
Induction, Jericho High School Hall of Fame, 1999
Finalist, Lambda Literary Awards, Poetry Category, 1998
The Little Butch Book
Finalist, Small Press Book Awards, 1998
Out of the Closet and Nothing to Wear
Nomination, Pushcart Prize, 1998
Nominated by the poet, Antler, for poems from Still Life with Buddy
Finalist, Iowa Teen Award, 1997-1998
Fat Chance
Poetry Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts, 1997
Awarded on the basis of a selection from Still Life with Buddy
Books for the Teen Age, 1996
A Loving Testimony: Remembering Loved Ones Lost to AIDS
Selected by Office of Young Adult Services, The New York Public Library
Community Services Award, 1995
Presented by the Massachusetts Lesbian and Gay Political Caucus
Finalist, Lambda Literary Award, Anthology Category, 1995
A Loving Testimony: Remembering Loved Ones Lost to AIDS
Gemini Award, Best Short Drama 1995
Spoken Word: “A Letter to Harvey Milk”
Presented by The Canadian Academy of Film and Television
Finalist, Lambda Literary Award, Children’s Book Category, 1994
Saturday Is Pattyday
Silver Award, The Parents’ Choice Foundation, 1994
Fat Chance
James Baldwin Award For Cultural Achievement, 1993
awarded by The Greater Boston Area Lesbian/Gay Political Alliance
Winner, Highlights For Children Fiction Writing Contest, 1992
Remember That
Author of the Month: Highlights For Children, December 1992
Remember That
Finalist, Lambda Literary Award, Children’s Book Category, 1992
Gloria Goes To Gay Pride
Winner, Best Narrative Film, Ann Arbor Film Festival, 1990
“A Letter to Harvey Milk”, Produced by Yariv Cohen
Finalist, Lambda Literary Award, Children’s Book Category, 1990
Heather Has Two Mommies
Poetry Fellowship, Massachusetts Artist Foundation, 1989
awarded on the basis of a selection of poems
Commendation, National Poetry Competition, 1988
sponsored by the Chester H. Jones Foundation: “What Good”
Second Place Finalist, 1987 Raymond Carver Short Story Competition, 1987
“Something to Pass the Time”
Honorable Mention, Urban Arts in Transit Competition 1987
“Songs for Ten Scallops”
Runner Up, American Poetry Association Love Poem Competition, 1987
“Love after love after love after love and finally”
Lesléa (pronounced “Lez-LEE-uh”) Newman was born in Brooklyn, NY and grew up there and on Long Island, graduating from Jericho High School in 1973 (where she was voted Class Wit!). Right after graduation, she became a published author for the first time; several of her poems were published in Seventeen Magazine.
Lesléa attended the University of Vermont and graduated in 1977 with a B.S. in Education. After graduation, she moved to Boulder, Colorado to attend Naropa Institute. In 1980, Lesléa received a Certificate of Poetics from Naropa Institute, where she had the great honor of being Allen Ginsberg’s apprentice.
Before moving to Western Massachusetts in 1983, Leslea lived in Boston and New York and had a variety of jobs including preschool teacher, secretary, waitress, freelance reporter, and sales clerk. She now lives in western Massachusetts, and from 2008-2010 served as the poet laureate of Northampton, MA. Currently she teaches writing for children and young adults at Spalding University’s brief-residency MFA in Writing program.
Lesléa always knew she wanted to be a writer and has always worked hard towards that goal. She writes in many different forms: picture books, poems, short stories and novels. She has published many books and won many awards (see list of awards and publications). She says this to anyone who wants to be a writer: “Writing is hard work. It is also lots of fun and very rewarding. If you want to be a writer, you must practice your art. Try to do it every day. Do other things that support the writing life: read as much as you can, visit the library, go to readings at bookstores, join or start a writer’s group. Everyone has interesting and important stories to tell. Allow your writing to take you on a journey. Don’t try to control it—let your writing lead you to new and exciting places. The wonderful thing about writing is, you don’t need much: just a pen, a piece of paper, and your own imagination.”
Listen to a sound file to learn the story of Lesléa’s first name and hear it pronounced correctly.
Lesléa is a member of the following professional organizations:
Poets and Writers, Inc., 1980 – present
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, 1990 – present
Cat Writers Association, 2004 – present
Dog Writers Association of America, 2004 – present
Lesléa’s teaching experience:
Faculty Mentor, Spalding University brief residency MFA in Writing program. Currently teaching writing for children and young adults.
Faculty Member, Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing Program at the University of Southern Maine, 2005-2009. Teaches fiction (including young adult fiction) at low-residency MFA program.
Director of Creative Writing, Summer Math Program, Mt. Holyoke College, 1986-1990. Designed and taught creative writing to high school women from around the country.
Since 1981, Lesléa has designed and taught the following writing workshops privately, and as a guest presenter at universities and other institutions:
Write From The Heart: a writing workshop in which participants use the tool of writing to explore the emotional truths of their lives.
Poems From The Heart: a writing workshop for participants who want to write poems or already do.
A Novel Idea: a writing workshop for participants who want to write a novel, or are already working on one.
Education:
University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 1973-1977
B.S. in Education
Major: Creative Writing and Human Services
Naropa Institute, Boulder, CO 1979-1980.
Teaching Assistant for the following courses:
Imagists and East Asian Poetry (taught by Patricia Donegan)
Literary History of the Beat Generation (taught by Allen Ginsberg)
Received Certificate in Poetics, 1980.
Bread Loaf Writers Conference (Poetry taught by Marvin Bell)
Ripton, VT, 1977.
Women’s Writing Workshops (taught by Kathryn Machan Aal)
Aurora, NY, 1984.
Cummington Community for the Arts
Fiction taught by Grace Paley, poetry taught by Joan Larkin
Cummington, MA, 1986.
Writing Workshop for Women (taught by Joan Larkin)
Blueberry Cove, ME, 1986 – 1987.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lesléa Newman
Where did you grow up?
Leslea Newman with her grandmothers
Here I am on the day I graduated from high school with my two proud grandmothers.
I was born in Brooklyn, NY in a neighborhood called Brighton Beach. I could see the ocean from my bedroom window and the beach was my backyard. In second grade, my family moved to Long Island, to a town called Jericho. Both my grandmothers remained in Brooklyn, so I still spent a lot of time there. I attended Public School 253, George Jackson Elementary School, and Jericho Junior and Senior High School.
What kinds of books did you read when you were growing up?
I loved books about animals. My favorite book was called Caroline and Her Friends, by Pierre Probst. All Caroline’s friends were animals: Rusty the Dog, Bruno the Bear, Inky the Cat. I also loved Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne, Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, and The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford. Other favorites are Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh, and Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank.
Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?
Yes! Ever since I can remember, I have always wanted to be a writer. I was the kind of kid who was always reading a book (except when my mother caught me reading under the covers with a flashlight and I had to put my book away). The public library was my home-away-from-home.
Where do you get your ideas?
From everywhere—from my dreams, from things that happen to me, from things I read in the newspaper, from my imagination.
Do you write every day?
I try to stick to a writing schedule of writing every morning, Monday through Friday for several hours. Sometimes, if I am in the middle of something, I’ll write on the weekends as well. Other times, if I am between projects, I’ll take a little time off.
Couscous the cat with a Macintosh computer
This is the first computer I ever owned. Couscous the Cat was fascinated by it. Photo © Mary Vazquez
Do you write on a computer?
When I start a story or a poem, I begin by writing in a spiral notebook with a Bic medium point pen (either black or blue). Once I have a first draft written, I type it into the computer and edit it. Before I had a computer, I wrote everything out with a pen and then typed up the final draft on my typewriter.
How long does it take to write a book?
Each book takes a different amount of time, from several weeks to several years! Every book goes through many drafts. I just wrote the fifteenth draft of a picture book I have been working on for seven months.
What is your favorite of your own books?
Whichever one I’m working on!
Did you go to college?
I went to two colleges: the University of Vermont, and Naropa Institute in Boulder, CO. I graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.S. in Education. My major was Creative Writing and Social Services. I received a Certificate in Poetics from Naropa Institute, where I apprenticed with the wonderful poet, Allen Ginsberg.
What kind of jobs did you have before you became a writer?
When I was a teenager, I delivered newspapers and babysat. When I was in college, I worked in an ice cream shop. After college I worked as a day care teacher, a newspaper reporter, a salesclerk in a clothing store and a secretary. I also taught writing for many years.
Do you have any pets?
I have a beautiful 12-pound cat named Neshama (her name means “soul” in Hebrew). Over the years, I have had many cats in my life including Princess Sheba Darling, Precious Sammy Dearest, Couscous Kerouac and P.C. (Perfect Cat). And when I was growing up, I had a Cairn terrier named Angus.
What would you tell a kid who wants to be a writer?
Read, read, read! Read every book you can get your hands on. And write, write, write! Make a writing schedule for yourself and stick to it.
What if I don’t know what to write about?
There are many, many books of writing exercises—buy one, or take one out of the library and use it as a guide. Or take a writing class or join a writing group. If you can’t find a group, start one!
What do you do when you’re not writing?
Like most writers, I love to read. I also love to hang out at home with my spouse and our cat. And I like going to the movies and to the theater. I do the New York Times crossword puzzle every day. I eat dark chocolate as often as possible. And I love to shop!
Lesléa Newman and Eric Carle
Lesléa Newman and Eric Carle
Who are your favorite authors?
I like so many writers, I can’t name them all, but some of my favorite writers are the women in my writing group: Jane Yolen, Patricia MacLachlan, Ann Turner, Corinne Demas, Ellen Wittlinger, and Barbara Goldin. They are all wonderful writers of children’s books.
I also enjoy the work of other children’s book authors who live in western Massachusetts, including Rich Michelson, Mordicai Gerstein, Norton Juster, Eric Carle, Grace Lin, Mike Curato, Jeannine Atkins, Lisa Yee, and Lisa Papademetriou.
Lesléa Newman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This biographical article is written like a résumé. Please help improve it by revising it to be neutral and encyclopedic. (August 2020)
Lesléa Newman
Leslea Newman 2017.jpg
Newman at the 2017 Texas Book Festival
Born November 5, 1955 (age 66)
Brooklyn, New York City
Occupation Author
Lesléa Newman, born November 5, 1955 in Brooklyn, New York City,[1] is an American author, editor, and feminist. Four of her young adult novels have been finalists for the Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature, making her one of the most celebrated authors in the category.
Contents
1 Personal life
2 Career
3 Selected Publications
3.1 Heather Has Two Mommies
3.2 Saturday Is Pattyday (1993)
4 Bibliography
4.1 Juvenile Fiction
4.2 Young Adult Fiction
4.3 Adult Fiction
4.4 Short Story Collections
4.5 Poetry Collections
4.6 Nonfiction
4.7 Editor
4.8 Contributor
5 Awards
6 See also
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links
Personal life
Newman is a lesbian.[2]
Career
Lesléa Newman has written and edited 70 books and anthologies. She has written about such topics as being a Jew, body image and eating disorders, lesbianism, lesbian and gay parenting, and her gender role as a femme. Her best-known work is the controversial Heather Has Two Mommies. She was later the subject of another similar controversy in 1997, when her book Belinda's Bouquet was banned by School District 36 Surrey in Surrey, British Columbia, alongside Johnny Valentine's One Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dad, Blue Dads and Rosamund Elwin and Michele Paulse's Asha's Mums.[3] That ban was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court of Canada in its 2002 decision Chamberlain v Surrey School District No 36.[4]
She also authored The Boy Who Cried Fabulous and Hachiko Waits in 2004.
Selected Publications
Heather Has Two Mommies
Main article: Heather Has Two Mommies
Heather Has Two Mommies, originally published in 1989 by Alyson Books and illustrated by Diana Souza, is about a young girl who has lesbian mothers. The book was republished by Candlewick Press in 2015.[5] In 1990, many gay and lesbian couples and their children found the first reflections of their families in this picture book.[6]
However, Heather Has Two Mommies has faced a lot of controversy. The book has landed on the American Library Association's Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books between Between 1990 and 1999 (7),[7] as well as between 2010 and 2019 (87).[8]
In the late nineties, the Wichita Falls library district faced harsh backlash from library-card holders "petition[ed] the city to move controversial materials out of the municipal library's children's section."[9] Questionable material included Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite.[9][10] In 2000, a federal judge ruled that the petition was unconstitutional.[9][10]
Despite controversy, the book received a favorable review from School Library Journal and has received the following accolades:
American Library Association Rainbow List pick (2016)[11]
Lambda Literary Award for Children/Young Adult nominee[5]
Saturday Is Pattyday (1993)
Saturday is Pattyday, originally published in 1993 and illustrated by Annette Hegel, is a book about Frankie, whose two moms get divorced.The book was republished by New Victoria on December 13, 2010.[12]
The book was nominated for the Lambda Literary Award for Children's/Young Adult.[12]
Bibliography
Juvenile Fiction
Heather Has Two Mommies. Illustrated by Laura Cornell. Alyson Press. 1989.
American Library Association Rainbow List pick (2016)[11]
Lambda Literary Award for Children/Young Adult nominee[5]
Belinda's Bouquet. Illustrated by Michael WIllhoite. Alyson Wonderland. 1991.
Gloria Goes to Gay Pride. Illustrated by Russell Crocker. Alyson Wonderland. 1991.
Lambda Literary Award for Children's/Young Adult[13]
Saturday is Pattyday. Illustrated by Annette Hegel. 1993.
Lambda Literary Award nominee for Children's/Young Adult[12]
Too Far Away to Touch. Illustrated by Catherine Stock. Clarion Books. December 1995.
Remember That. Illustrated by Karen Ritz. Clarion Books. February 18, 1996.
Matzo Ball Moon. Illustrated by Elaine Greenstein. Clarion Books. 1998.
Cats, Cats, Cats! Illustrated by Erika Oiler. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. 2001.
Dogs, Dogs, Dogs! Illustrated by Erika Oiler. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. 2002.
Felicia's Favorite Story. Illustrated by Adriana Romo. Two Lives Publ. 2002.
Lambda Literary Award nominee for Children's/Young Adult[14]
Pigs, Pigs, Pigs! Illustrated by Erika Oiler. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. 2003
The Boy Who Cried Fabulous. Illustrated by Peter Ferguson. Tricycle Press. March 15, 2004.
Where Is Bear? Illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev. HMH Books. October 2004. ISBN 978-1-32-856122-0.
Hachiko Waits. Illustrated by Machiyo Kodaira. Henry Holt and Company. October 2004.
A Fire Engine for Ruthie. Illustrated by Cyd Moore. Clarion Books. 2004.
The Best Cat in the Word. Illustrated by Ronald Himler. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. 2004.
The Eight Nights of Chanukah. Illustrated by Elivia Savadier. Harry N. Abrams. October 2005.
Skunk's Spring Surprise. Illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. January 1, 2007.
Daddy's Song. Illustrated by Karen RItz. Henry Holt and Company. April 17, 2007.
Runaway Dreidel! Illustrated by Krysten Broker. Square Fish. October 2, 2007.
Daddy, Papa, and Me. illustrated by Carol Thompson. Tricycle Press. June 9, 2009.
Stonewall Book Award Nominee for Children's and Young Adult Literature (2010)[15]
Mommy, Mama, and Me. Illustrated by Carol Thompson. Tricycle Press. June 9, 2009.
Stonewall Book Award Nominee for Children's and Young Adult Literature (2010)[16]
Just Like Mama. Illustrated by Julia Gorton. Harry N. Abrams. April 2010.
harMiss Tutu's Star. Illustrated by Carey Armstrong-Ellis. Harry N. Abrams. August 1, 2010.
Donovan's Big Day. Tricycle Press. 2011. ISBN 978-1-58-246332-2.
A Sweet Passover. Illustrated by David Slonim. ABRAMS. March 2012.
A Kiss on the Keppie. Illustrated by Katherine Blackmore. Amazon Publishing. 2012.
Here Is the World: A Year of Jewish Holidays. Illustrated by Susan Gal. ABRAMS. September 2, 2014.
My Name is Aviva. Lerner Publishing Group. August 2015.
Ketzel, the Cat who Composed Illustrated by Amy June Bates. Candlewick Press. 2015.
Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Award Winner (2016)[17]
Hanukkah Delight! Illustrated by Amy Husband. Lerner Publishing Group.. 2016.
Sparkle Boy. Illustrated by Maria Mola. Lee & Low Books Incorporated. 2017.
Baby's Blessings. Lerner Publishing Group. October 2019. ISBN 9781-5-41-565913-.
Gittel's Journey: An Ellis Island Story. Illustrated by Amy June Bates. ABRAMS. February 5, 2019.
Welcoming Elijah: A Passover with a Tale. Illustrated by Susan Gal. Charlesbridge Publishing, Incorporated. January 28, 2020.
National Jewish Book Award for Children's Picture Books[18]
Golden Kite Award nominee for Picture Book Illustration[18]
Remembering Ethan. Illustrated by Tracy Nishimura Bishop. American Psychological Association. 2020.
1 2 3 Cats: A Cat Counting Book. Illustrated by Isabella Kung. Candlewick Press. April 29, 2021. ISBN 978-1-53-620995-2.
ABC Cats: An Alpha-Cat Book. Illustrated by Isabella Kung. Candlewick Press. May 4, 2021.
As Babies Dream. Illustrated by Taia Morley. American Psychological Association. 2021.
Alicia and the Hurricane: A Story of Puetro Rico with Georgina Lazaro Leon. Illustrated by Elizabeth Erazo Baez. Children's Book Press. March 2022.[19]
Young Adult Fiction
Good Enough to Eat: A Novel. Firebrand Books. 1986.
Fat Chance. Livewire. 1994.
Jailbait. Delacorte Press. 2005.
Adult Fiction
In Every Laugh a Tear: A Novel. New Victoria Publishers. 1992.
The Reluctant Daughter. Bold Strokes Books. 2009.
Short Story Collections
A Letter to Harvey Milk: Short Stories. University of Wisconsin Press. 1988.
Secrets: Short Stories. New Victoria Publishers. 1990.
Every Woman's Dream: Short Fiction. New Victoria Publishers. 1994.
Out pho the Closet and Nothing to Wear. University of California. 1997.
Girls Will be Girls: A Novella and Short Stories. Alyson Books. 2000.
She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not: Romantic Fiction. Alyson Books. 2002.
The Best Short Stories of Leslea Newman. Alyson Books. 2003.
Poetry Collections
Love Me LIke You Mean It: Poems. The University of California. 1987.
Sweet Dark Places. Windstorm Collective. 1991.
Still Life with Buddy: A Novel Told in Fifty Poems. Pride Publications. 1997.
The Little Butch Book. New Victoria Publishers. 1998.
Lambda Literary Award Nominee for Lesbian Poetry[20]
Signs of Love. Windstorm Creative. 2000.
Lambda Literary Award Nominee for Lesbian Poetry[21]
Nobody's Mother. Orchard House Press. November 2008.
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard. Candlewick Press. September 25, 2012.
Goodreads Choices Award Nominee for Poetry[22]
I Remember: Hachiko Speaks. Finishing Line Press. September 19, 2013.
I Carry My Mother. Headmistress Press. January 2, 2015.
Lovely. Headmistress Press. January 2, 2018.
I Wish My Father. Headmistress Press. January 2, 2021.
Nonfiction
SomeBody to Love: A Guide to Loving the Body You Have. Third Side Press. 1991.
Eating Our Hearts Out: Personal Accounts of Women's Relationship to Food. Crossing Press. March 1, 1993.
The Femme Mystique. Alyson Books. June 1, 1995.
Write from the Heart: Inspiration and Exercises for Women who Want to Write. Ten Speed Press. 2003.
Editor
A Loving Testimony: Remembering Loved Ones Lost to AIDS: An Anthology. Crossing Press. April 11, 1995.
Lambda Literary Award Nominee for Anthologies/Nonfiction (1996)[23]
My Lover is a Woman. Ballantine Books. 1996.
Pillow Talk: Lesbian Stories Between the Covers. Alyson Books. May 1, 1998.
Pillow Talk II: More Lesbian Stories Between the Covers. Alyson Books. July 1, 2000.
Bedroom Eyes: Stories of Lesbians in the Boudoir. Alyson Books. November 1, 2002.
Sappho (Gay & Lesbian Writers Series). Chelsea House Pub. March 1, 2005.
Contributor
Women on Women: An Anthology of American Lesbian Short Fiction. Plume. May 30, 1990.
Bubbe Meisehs by Shayneh Maidelehs: An Anthology of Poetry by Jewish Grandaughters About Our Grandmothers. HerBooks. December 1, 1991.
Xanadu. Tor Books. March 15, 1994.
Garden Variety Dykes: Lesbian Traditions in Gardening. HerBooks. April 1, 1994.
Not the Only One. Alyson Books. January 1, 1995.
Am I Blue?: Coming Out from the Silence. HarperTeen. April 15, 1995.
Stonewall Book Award for Literature (1995)[24]
Lambda Literary Award for Young Adult / Children's Book (1995)[24]
Minnesota Book Award for Older Children (1995)[24]
Set in Stone: Butch-On-Butch Erotica. Alyson Books. May 1, 2001.
Back to Basics: A Butch-Femme Anthology. Bella Books. April 1, 2004.
Mentsh: On Being Jewish and Queer. Alyson Books. August 15, 2004.
Becoming Myself: Reflections on Growing Up Female. Hachette Books. April 17, 2007.
Things Invisible to See. Circlet Press. February 25, 2015.
HYSTERIA: Writing the Female Body. Lucky Bastard Press. June 15, 2016.
Conversing with Cancer: How to Ask Questions, Find and Share Information, and Make the Best Decisions. Peter Lang Us. January 17, 2018.
We Will Not Be Silenced: The Lived Experience of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Told Powerfully Through Poetry, Prose, Essay, and Art. Indie Blu(e) Publishing. November 27, 2018.
No Voice Too Small: Fourteen Young Americans Making History. Charlesbridge Publishing September 22, 2020.
Awards
Leslea Newman's literary awards include Creative Writing Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Artists Foundation, the James Baldwin award for Cultural Achievement, the Dog Writers Association of America's Best Book of Fiction Award, and a Parents' Choice Silver Medal. Nine of her books have been Lambda Literary Award finalists. In 2009 she received the Alice B. Award. Her set of children's picture books Mommy, Mama, and Me and Daddy, Papa and Me were 2010 Stonewall Honor Books as well as her 2013 October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepherd.[25] In 2019, she received a National Jewish Book Award for Gittel's Journey: An Ellis Island Story.[26]
She was the inaugural judge of the Naugatuck River Review Narrative Poetry Prize.
The 2021 Sydney Taylor Blog Tour: A Talk with Lesléa Newman and Susan Gal about Welcoming Elijah
FEBRUARY 8, 2021 BY ELIZABETH BIRD
There was so much to process when the ALA Youth Media Awards were announced last month that one could be forgiven for needing a fuller consideration of all the winners. For my part, one of my favorite awards to track is the Sydney Taylor Award which is, “presented annually to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience.” It is with great delight that I tell you too that I was asked to host the winners of the Sydney Taylor Award for Picture Books as part of the awards’ blog tour right here on this site. Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Susan Gal, was featured on my 31 Days, 31 Lists list of great Holiday Picture Books, so I couldn’t have been more pleased to see it receive the top honor. Lesléa and Susan have joined us here today to answer some of my questions about the book, its process, and where they’re headed next.
Betsy Bird: Lesléa, I’d like to compliment you right off the bat for your recent Sydney Taylor win. Welcoming Elijah utilizes a clever method of pairing Passover and all that it entails alongside the antics of a kitten in the outdoors. Where did you get the idea for the book?
Lesléa Newman: When kids ask me where I get ideas, I answer, “At the idea store!” The truth is, I don’t know where ideas come from; they are little gifts. As my friend the beloved children’s book writer Patricia MacLachlan likes to say, “Sometimes, if a writer is very lucky, a story comes along and taps her on the shoulder.” In this case, I was tapped on the shoulder not by a hand but by a paw. I wrote the book with my 21-year-old white cat purring on my lap; she died shortly after the book was completed. It was the last gift (of many) that she gave to me. That’s one answer. The other answer is, Passover has always been my favorite holiday, and opening the door for Elijah is my favorite part of the Seder. As a child, after being cooped up for what seemed like hours, we got to open the door and stand outside which seemed very magical to me. I looked up at the stars and saw all that space. The house had been very noisy with talking and singing and laughing; now all was quiet. There was a world inside my house and a world outside my house and the kitten was a way to bring those two worlds together.
BB: Susan, congrats to you too on the win! You’ve worked with Lesléa before on other picture books like Here Is the World. How did you hear about this particular project? Was there anything about it that stood out to you?
Susan Gal: My brilliant agent, Gail Gaynin at Morgan Gaynin Inc. presented me with Lesléa’s manuscript. Like our first book together, Here is the World, I was attracted to Lesléa’s lyrical prose and storytelling. Elijah spoke to me of wonder, love of family, and respect for tradition and I immediately started envisioning how I would bring those themes to life. I too have experienced the joy and grief that beloved pets inspire and I was excited to develop the relationship between the kitten and the family. I especially enjoyed the challenge of creating a world that would encourage the reader to experience those emotions too.
BB: Lesléa, I sometimes suspect that Passover makes for particularly interesting picture books. Nothing against the other Jewish holidays but year after year I find myself enjoying the Passover books especially. What, to your mind, is it about this holiday that translates to original picture book retellings so well?
LN: Well the holiday is all about telling a story, so it makes sense that there would be so many books about it. There are so many versions of the haggadah. We are encouraged to participate fully in the Seder by asking questions, making comments, having discussions, even arguing. Story is a part of Passover, so it seems natural to me that Passover would be described, reflected upon, and celebrated in story after story after story. Plus, the holiday is so full of ritual and so full of details, and as Jack Kerouac said, “Details are the life of the novel.” There’s so much to write about when it comes to Passover! I myself, have written 3 Passover books. Besides “Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale With A Tail,” I am the author of “Matzo Ball Moon” and “A Sweet Passover.” And I have an unsold manuscript called “At The Seder.” And I have written many poems for adults about the holiday as well.
BB: Susan, could you tell us a bit about the art that you created for Elijah and why you chose to illustrate it the way that you did?
SG: What I loved about Elijah is that it’s not only a story about Passover but also a story about contrast; darkness and light, indoor and outdoor, loneliness and togetherness. I felt it was important that the story be illustrated in a limited palette to emphasize this contrast; deep blue hues for the cool moonlight spreads and rich golden candlelight tones for the indoor pages.The artwork also needed a sense of place and community. I put a lot of thought into what type of setting would make a family feel warm and welcome and how the people that came together in that space would relate to one another. I wanted to capture what makes family gatherings special; the coming together of the different generations and the joy we feel when we are connected with those we love. As I worked on the first round of sketches I created some rough color spreads so the editor and art directors could see how I was envisioning the palette and the lighting. I’m grateful that they embraced my approach and gave me the opportunity to run with it.
BB: Lesléa, how does your faith influence the books that you write that carry Jewish themes? Is there something that you look to include or make sure to do with them?
LN: Judaism has been with me since the day I was born and will be with me until the day I die. Being a Jew affects everything that I do, which of course includes my writing. Writing is my self-appointed task to fulfill the obligation of “Tikkun Olam” or repairing the world. Every Jew is assigned this task at birth. It is understood that one doesn’t accomplish this alone and that the world will most likely not be fully repaired in one’s lifetime. Still, that doesn’t mean one can shirk one’s responsibilities. It is up to each one of us to decide how to best participate in tikkun olam. I try to make the world a better place with each book I write by infusing my books with hope, with joy, with comfort, with love.
BB: Susan, do you ever interact with Lesléa when creating books together? What kind of feedback did you receive from your editor during the creation of this book?
SG: It’s been my experience that authors and illustrators normally don’t have the opportunity to collaborate. I’ve both written and illustrated picture books so I understand that its a leap of faith for an author to trust an illustrator to bring their book to life. To me, the author plants a seed with their manuscript and then has to trust the illustrator to nourish it and help it grow into a vibrant and captivating flower. I love the process of diving into a story and creating a world through color and texture. My favorite challenge is experimenting with how to draw the characters, getting to know them, and bringing them to life. For example, the little stray kitten in Elijah brought back memories of when I was alone after graduating art school and occasionally felt lonely and anxious about my future. I would bicycle around my neighborhood in the evenings and was comforted by seeing windows beginning to glow with warm lighting. In a way it gave me hope that I would someday have a safe and secure place to share with someone that I loved. I envisioned the kitten having those same emotions and did my best to capture his isolation and his desire to be welcomed into a safe and loving home.
BB: And finally, what are you both working on next?
LN: I have a lot of current and future projects happening! My newest (adult) poetry collection, “I Wish My Father,” a memoir-in-verse and companion book to “I Carry My Mother” was recently published by Headmistress Press. Both books explore the journey an adult Jewish daughter takes as she cares for her parents in turn during the last years of their lives.
On the children’s book front: I have two board books coming out in May from Candlewick: “A-B-C Cats” and “1-2-3 Cats” (I just can’t stop writing about cats!). And I am very excited that in 2022, the Children’s Press (a division of Lee & Low) is bringing out my first bilingual book, “Los coquíes y el huracán: Una canción para Puerto Rico/Coquíes and the Hurricane: A Song for Puerto Rico.” I wrote this book for my spouse who was distraught when Hurricane Maria devastated the beloved island of her birth and even more so by the US government’s response to that destruction. The book was written to give the children of Puerto Rico hope. And there are more projects underway. Stay tuned!
SG: I’m currently illustrating a non-fiction picture book for Scholastic and looking forward to begin work on illustrating a lovely manuscript with Nancy Paulsen Books. I have a book with Nancy Paulsen entitled TWOgether coming out in May of this year. Its a book that I both wrote and illustrated about an elephant shrew, an elephant, and a day at the beach. I’m also continually working on my own picture book ideas; some graciously blossom and others torment me relentlessly, defying me to become a book. Maybe someday it will get easier but I’m not counting on it!
Remember that you can find the full schedule of the 2021 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour Schedule here and a list of all the Sydney Taylor Book Award winners here. A big thank you to Lesléa and Susan for answering my questions and to Rebecca Levitan for setting all this up.
‘Welcoming Elijah’: Stray Cat Teaches Kids Kindness at Passover
By Suzanne Chessler -03/17/2021 3:00 PM253 0
"Welcoming Elijah" book cover
Revered Passover traditions take place in a home setting at a time when pandemic isolation is not required and allow a new direct relationship to be established as shown through illustrations by Susan Gal.
In Lesléa Newman’s new children’s book, Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail, the essence of hospitality extends beyond the holiday as expressed with poetic contrasts.
Revered Passover traditions take place in a home setting at a time when pandemic isolation is not required and allow a new direct relationship to be established as shown through illustrations by Susan Gal.
The book features two Elijahs — one known throughout Jewish history as projecting a time of peace and another in the form of a cat transitioning from unrest into peaceful times after finding a home through the door opened for the symbolic figure.
“I would love readers to see the joy of coming together for Passover,” said Newman, recognized for this project with a National Jewish Book Award, Sydney Taylor Book Award presented by the Association of Jewish Libraries and Northern Dawn Religious/Spiritual Children’s Book Award.
Lesléa Newman
Lesléa Newman
“There are all kinds of people [in the story] and a willingness to be open-hearted to bring a stranger — the kitten represents a stranger — into a home with kind and loving arms. Young readers learn about the beautiful rituals that encompass the holiday.”
Newman, who writes for varying age groups from children to adults, has been a guest speaker at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. Her earlier children’s books with Jewish themes, counted with some 30 books, include A Sweet Passover, Hanukkah Delight! and Matzo Ball Moon.
Among her multiple writing awards are Bank Street College Best Books of the Year (2020), Wall Street Journal Top Ten Children’s Book of the Year (2019) and New York Children’s Library Best Ten Children’s Books of the Year List (2019).
“Welcoming Elijah is short, which I think lends itself well to Zoom seders,” Newman said. “I think it lends itself to be read out loud and have the pictures shown. People in different locations can all have a copy and read it together.
“There’s not a lot of explanation of the holiday, but there is the feeling of the holiday — of togetherness, of celebration, of lovingkindness. That’s what the holiday is all about.”
Newman’s career has been all about writing.
“I knew I wanted to be a writer since I was 8 years old,” she explained. “I was an avid reader, and I wrote poetry from a very young age. When I was a teenager, I noticed that Seventeen magazine published poetry, so I sent them poems, and they accepted some.
“I met with the editor, Hilary Cosell, daughter of the famous sportscaster Howard Cosell. That was the beginning, and I never looked back. I took creative writing in high school and went to the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics in Colorado; it was part of Naropa Institute, now Naropa University.”
Among recent adult books are two dedicated to her late parents, one for her mom (I Carry My Mother) and one for her dad (I Wish My Father). In poetry, they chronicle the last five years of their lives as she cared for them.
Writing for Kids
“The way I got into children’s books was quite accidental,” she recalled. “A lesbian mom told me she didn’t have any books that showed a family like hers to read to her daughter.
“When she said that to me, it resonated, and I wrote Heather Has Two Mommies. I thought about that because I grew up in the 1950s and never read a book about a Jewish family.
“After that, I realized that poetry and children’s books are very similar. They both use very little text and have literary devices (rhyme, repetition, rhythm). I just fell in love with the form of picture books, so I kept at it.”
Newman, raised in Brooklyn and living in Massachusetts, spells her first name Lesléa to combine her English and Hebrew names and reflect her religious commitments, which include membership in Congregation B’nai Israel in Northampton, Mass. She loves crossword puzzles and is thrilled to have appeared in one published by the New York Times.
“This new book brings together several passions of mine — my love of Judaism, my love of Passover and my love of cats,” said Newman, planning this year’s seder only with her spouse. “The artist was kind enough to use my cat as the model for her illustrations.”
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Author Spotlight
Lesléa Newman
AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: LESLÉA NEWMAN
Oct. 23, 2020
We are excited to feature prolific author of children's and adult books, Lesléa Newman and her many books coming out in 2021 and 2022. Enter to win her classic picture book, HEATHER HAS TWO MOMMIES, illustrated by Laura Cornell (Candlewick) and her YA novel in verse, OCTOBER MOURNING: A SONG FOR MATTHEW SHEPARD (Candlewick paperback 2020).
Tell us about yourself and how you came to write for children.
I started my literary career as a poet (poetry is still my first love!) with my first publication being poems I wrote as a teenager appearing in Seventeen Magazine. I also wrote novels and short stories for adults. Then one day in 1988, a woman stopped me on the street and told me that she couldn’t find any children’s books about a family like hers—two moms and their daughter. She looked me in the eye and said, “Somebody should write one!” Growing up in a Jewish family in the 1950’s and 1960’s, I knew how alienating it was to never see myself in a book. So I took that emotional experience and created HEATHER HAS TWO MOMMIES. And the rest is history!
Congrats on all of your books coming out in 2021. Please tell us a little about them.
I have a bunch of books coming out in the next few years (some of them originally scheduled for 2021 have been pushed back because of Covid). Next spring, my two board books, 1-2-3 Cats and A-B-C Cats with illustrations by the very talented, cat-loving artist Isabella Kung are coming out from Candlewick and they are just adorable.
In 2022, I have two books coming out from Lee and Low (though these dates are not set in stone). SONG OF THE COQUIS/LA CANCIÓN DE LOS COQUÍS is my first bilingual book. It is being beautifully illustrated by Elizabeth Baez, and takes place on the island of Puerto Rico during a hurricane. I wrote it for my spouse, who is from Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Lee and Low will also be publishing,
I Can Be….ME! which is being illustrated by the amazing Maya Christina Gonzalez and celebrates the idea that all children should be able to explore their identity freely. And I also have a book of poems for adults called I WISH MY FATHER, a companion book to I CARRY MY MOTHER coming out in January 2021. My parents, may they rest in peace, are now a boxed set!
Was your initial road to publication long and winding, short and sweet, or something in between?
I have been very lucky, and have published at least one book a year since 1986 when my first novel (for adults) GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT came out from Firebrand Books. I have worked with large publishers, small publishers, mainstream publishers, independent publishers…. each book eventually finds just the right home. I am very tenacious. Being a writer is my vocation. Being an author is my day job.
From the very beginning, I made it my business to learn everything I could about the publishing industry. From day one, I sent my work out regularly, aiming for the top (why not?) and having faith that if I put an enormous amount of energy into establishing a literary career, it would eventually pay off. Of course the most important thing is to keep writing, and more importantly, keep revising. And then know the marketplace. And have faith in yourself!
You write both verse and prose, and for all age categories. How do you decide what age and type of book you will write when an idea comes to you?
I don’t really “decide.” The work decides and lets me know. It’s very intuitive. I start off each writing day the same way: scribbling in a notebook (yes, I still write with pen and paper). If I am in the middle of something --my favorite place to be—I will pick up where I left off the day before. If I am between projects—my least favorite place to be—I will force myself to sit down and write
something, anything—even a shopping list—and see what happens. Many days nothing worthwhile happens on the page. I can write for 14 days and have nothing happen. Then on the 15th day, something interesting occurs. I know that I needed those 14 days to get to Day 15, though there are times I forget that and think I’m all washed up (note to self: see above—have faith in yourself!).
What projects are you working on now?
Right now I am writing poems about the pandemic and have had several of them published on line. “Thirteen Ways of Looking at Life Before The Virus” is an imitation of Wallace Steven’s famous poem “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird,” and can be found here: https://newversenews.blogspot.com/2020/03/thirteen-ways-of-looking-at-life-before.html
My favorite thing to write is a series of poems on the same subject, such as my novel-in-verse, OCTOBER MOURNING: A SONG FOR MATTHEW SHEPARD (just out in paperback), which explores the impact of Matthew Shepard’s murder upon the world and is told in different voices including the fence to which he was tied, the truck in which he was kidnapped, the moon who watched over him, and a deer who kept him company during the night. I don’t know if my pandemic poems will turn into a full-length project or not. It’s what’s on my mind right now for obvious reasons. The main reason I write is to make sense of the world around me, the world inside of me, and the relationship between the two. So it makes sense to me that I would be writing about the coronavirus and its enormous impact.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Write every day. Make your writing a priority. Give it the time and space it deserves. Read every day. Read like a writer. Notice what other writers do well.
Find a writers group of like-minded souls. Listen to your peers with an open heart and mind. Send your work out. Don’t “submit” it. “Offer” it. Then it cannot be “rejected,” though it can be “declined.” Or better yet, accepted! Be active in your local literary community. Be kind to yourself and to other writers. This is not a competition.
Remember, when one of us succeeds, all of us succeed. Oh, and last but certainly not least, join the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Trust me, you’ll be glad you did!
What is one thing most people don't know about you?
I suffer terribly from “page fright” – fear of the blank page. I have a quote over my desk that says, “I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life—and I've never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.” This was said by Georgia O’Keeffe. That gives me the courage to face the blank page (which is really facing myself) and see what I find there.
Where can people find you online?
Websites: https://lesleakids.com, https://lesleanewman.com
Twitter: @lesleanewman
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leslea.newman
Coping with Grief and Loss: An Interview Remembering Ethan’s Author
July 30, 2020 10:00 am
COPING WITH GRIEF AND LOSSFAMILYSIBLINGS
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Magination Press recently interviewed author Lesléa Newman, about her experience writing Remembering Ethan, a book about how a family copes with grief and loss. Remembering Ethan was illustrated by Tracy Bishop.
Children reading the book may realize that they are not the only ones who have ever lost a sibling and there is comfort in that.
Magination Press: You are a beloved and award-winning writer who sometimes tackles tough or groundbreaking—even sometimes controversial—topics in your books for children. How do you find your topics?
Lesléa Newman: There is no lack of topics, considering the world in which we live is full of joy and sorrow. I look around and wait for something to tug at my heart.
MP: What inspired you to write Remembering Ethan?
LN: I was inspired by three things:
There was a list, composed by librarians, of topics that weren’t being covered in picture books. Death of a sibling was one of those topics.
I have a friend whose very young daughter died. She said the hardest thing, among many hard things, was telling her son that his sister wasn’t coming home from the hospital.
The character Sarah was inspired by Judy Shepard, who works tirelessly to make sure her son Matthew, who was murdered in 1998, will never be forgotten.
MP: What is Remembering Ethan about?
LN: The book is about grief and how one family unites to remember and mourn a tremendous loss.
MP: What have reader responses been?
LN: Tears. Lots and lots of tears.
MP: What was unexpected about the writing process?
LN: I didn’t expect the character of Ethan, who died before the book begins, to come alive as much as he did on the page.
MP: How do you see Remembering Ethan being useful to kids?
LN: I think the book can comfort a child going through the same situation. Children reading the book may realize that they are not the only ones who have ever lost a sibling and there is comfort in that.
MP: What did the illustrator bring to the story that brought depth or unexpected insights into your story?
LN: The illustrator, Tracy Bishop, did such a beautiful job! I especially appreciate how Sarah is wearing Ethan’s watch throughout the story. That keeps him close to her. I can almost hear the ticking of the watch as similar to the beating of a heart.
MP: Do you have a favorite part of Remembering Ethan or was there a section that was especially challenging to write?
LN: Handling Ethan’s death was particularly difficult. I spent a long time thinking about the way he died, and then decided not to be specific about that. My favorite part of the book is the next to last page when the family is all sitting together, remembering, feeling their sadness, and offering each other comfort.
MP: Was Remembering Ethan your first book to be vetted by a psychologist? If so, what was that process like for you?
LN: I believe it was the first time that a book of mine was vetted by a psychologist. I was very grateful to receive feedback through writing several drafts of the book, and I like to think each revision showed improvement.
MP: Grief is such a difficult topic—one that people are reluctant to talk about. This book is a great conversation starter. What other resources or strategies can families use to help process the loss of a loved one?
LN: In Judaism (my tradition) we have a week’s mourning period called “sitting shiva.” The house remains open, people come and go, bring food, sit and talk about the person who died, or just sit quietly with the mourners. We also donate to charities that were meaningful to the person who died. We remember them on special occasions such as the anniversary of their death. These rituals have helped me while grieving the loss of both my parents.
MP: What do you do when you aren’t writing?
LN: Wishing I was writing! I also solve crossword puzzles, play with my cat, weed my garden, and read, read, read.
MP: Do you have any fun facts about you that readers might not know that you’d like to share?
LN: I have a green belt in karate!
MP: What was your favorite children’s book when you were growing up?
LN: My favorite children’s book was The Golden Treasury of Caroline and Her Friends by Pierre Probst. It’s about a little girl named Caroline whose friends are all animals. I am a huge animal lover and I wanted to be just like her when I grew up with friends such as Bruno the Bear, and Leo the Lion!
Mirrors and Windows: A Conversation with Lesléa Newman on Diversity in Children’s Books
Emily Schneider December 3, 2019
Lesléa Newman is the author of more than seventy books for children and adults. Many of her books explore themes of particular relevance to the LGBTQ community, while others offer her own interpretations of the Jewish experience. We spoke about some of her most acclaimed works, and about her engagement with issues of representation in books for young people. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Emily Schneider: Back when you published A Letter to Harvey Milk, which had some deeply moving short stories and was very favorably reviewed, you had a wonderful quote from one of the stories where a character, Rachel, sums up the challenges of her identity in the statement: “Being a lesbian is lonely…Being a Jew is lonely…Being alive is lonely.” The matter-of-fact brevity of that definition still seems stunning to me. Do you now see it as dated, or do think it is still a reliable summary in some ways of a gay Jewish woman’s life today?
Lesléa Newman: First of all, I’m a little stunned that I was so wise when I was thirty-years-old! I don’t really remember writing that but it’s actually a profound statement that I believe is true. I think there are moments in every human being’s life when one feels lonely, and I really like this quote from Maya Angelou: “I write out of the black experience about the human experience.” That’s kind of how I feel. I write out of a Jewish lesbian experience about the human experience. So, yes, I definitely think that quote is still relevant today.
ES: The Angelou quote is wonderful. It gets to the core of one of the things I’d like to speak with you about — the specific and universal aspects of your work. Even though you have written over seventy books, you will always be known for Heather Has Two Mommies, originally from 1989, reissued in 2015, because it was revolutionary in presenting a role model for children who had not seen themselves in books before. Can you bring us back to the climate for LGBTQ books for kids back in 1989? How did you come up with the idea for that groundbreaking book? And you must have met with some resistance, what gave you the chutzpah to persist?
LN: There was no climate because no LGBTQ books for kids existed. The story of how I came up with the idea for the book has become kind of a legend. A woman stopped me in the street in Northampton, Massachusetts, and said “I don’t have a book that shows a family like that…somebody should write one.” I became that somebody. I thought about my own experience of growing up as a Jewish child in the 1950s and 1960s and never seeing myself in a book. I had a pretty traditional childhood in terms of reading, like Dick and Jane and, when I got older, The Bobbsey Twins. There was absolutely no book about a little girl eating matzo ball soup with her bubby and lighting candles on Friday night. So, I knew the loneliness of that. When I wrote the book, nobody would publish it. I sent it to at least fifty publishers, and what gave me the chutzpah is coming from a long line of fierce women. My maternal grandmother, whom I was very close to, always said, “Just because they said no to me, do you think I’m finished?” So that’s kind of how I live. A friend of mine, Tzivia Gover, and I decided that we would co-publish the book together. The book came out in 1989 by In Other Words press, which was owned by Tzivia, and six months later Alyson Books became the official publisher of the book.
When I wrote the book, nobody would publish it. I sent it to at least fifty publishers, and what gave me the chutzpah is coming from a long line of fierce women.
ES: Two of the main changes from the original book to the later editions were the decision to remove the short section on alternative insemination, and, more significantly, to change Heather’s emotional response to having two moms but no dads, in the 2015 revision. What prompted those changes?
LN: I ultimately decided that the alternative insemination scene didn’t belong there. If a scene can be taken out without affecting the rest of the book, it doesn’t belong there. Kids like forward motion in a book. I also changed the scene in the original edition where Heather cries when she realizes that she is the only child in her class without a daddy. It is a wonderful opportunity as an author to be able to edit your own text. Twenty-five years later, I realized there was nothing to cry about. Heather’s realization is just an observation. It doesn’t carry that sense of emotional devastation. A kid knows that a family is the people who love them, who take care of them, and who keep them safe in the world.
ES: In 1997 you had a piece in The Horn Book which ties together two parts of your identity which have informed your work, being Jewish and being gay. How do you think the situation today has changed for Jewish, gay, and gender non-conforming kids in finding books where they can see themselves?
LN: Being raised as a Jew was great preparation for being a lesbian because I was surrounded by strong Jewish women, and I was taught early on that community and social justice were very important. I carry those values through my whole life as a Jew, and then also in the LGBTQ community. You know, I remember the first time I saw a Jewish children’s book very clearly. I was in a bookstore at about twenty-seven-years-old and it was The Carp in the Bathtub, a wonderful classic, right? I pulled it off the shelf and looked at it. I saw a family just like mine, and in the bookstore, I began to cry; I’m tearing up now, actually, because it was so meaningful to me. So that is why when this woman asked me to write Heather Has Two Mommies, I immediately said yes even though I had never written a children’s book before. Now there are hundreds of picture books that feature Jewish families and, as you know, I’ve written over a dozen myself. So, I’m very pleased about that. And in terms of LGBTQ picture books, I would not say there are hundreds, but there are dozens.
I pulled it off the shelf and looked at it. I saw a family just like mine, and in the bookstore, I began to cry; I’m tearing up now, actually, because it was so meaningful to me.
ES: In The Horn Book piece, you observe that ““Heather Has Two Mommies and “Daddy’s Roommate” are not about sex. They’re about families. Clearly it’s the adults, not the children, who can’t take the sex out of homosexuality. Do you think people protesting or feeling uncomfortable with those books today are any less obtuse about that fact, or has little changed?
LN: The closed mind is a closed mind. These books are about families and inclusiveness. If someone is going to see that as controversial, I don’t know how to fix that, except by putting out books that show all types of children and all types of families. When I write a children’s book, my goal is to have the child reader feel good about themselves. The protests stem from fear, from the desire to control your children. You don’t know who you give birth to — they might be a child who grows up part of the LGBTQ community. Your job is to respect, accept, support, and celebrate them.
ES: You put that very eloquently. Speaking of books which bring tears to your eyes, I really love My Name is Aviva. You received very positive reviews for it, and most of them were sensitive towards its universality. The little girl in the book has a weird, Jewish name and she wants to have an ordinary name that no one will mock. Some reviews categorize the book as almost exclusively Jewish. One recommends it specifically for Jewish collections. Another, from Booklist Online, actually praises it with the phrase, “Although not overtly religious, this will be most welcomed by Judaic collections.” There’s a whole tradition of modern picture books about children dealing with the difficulty of having an ethnic name, including last year’s Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martínez-Neale, and Yangsook Choi’s The Name Jar, from 2003. It is rare to see those books reviewed as exclusively for Hispanic or Asian children. Do you think that Jewish books are still, even to well-intentioned readers and professionals, less intuitively accessible?
LN: So, this is an interesting issue and I will just preface it by telling you a little anecdote. I was in a workshop about diversity many years ago. The workshop leader was trying to make a point, and she said, “If you like strawberry ice cream, go to the left side of the room. If you like pistachio ice cream, go to the right side of the room.” People divided. She said something like, “If your favorite color is blue, go to the right side of the room, if your favorite color is red, go to the left side of the room,” and there was some overlap. And then she said, “If you are a person of color, go to the left of the room, if you are a Caucasian person, go to the right side of the room.” The attitude of the room changed; people weren’t laughing anymore. So people divided, and there was a group of people who, without saying anything to each other, went to the middle of the room. The workshop leader was very puzzled. She asked, “Who are you?” and I said, “We’re the Jews.” Without knowing anything about anybody else, all of us grouped together. I said to myself, “These are my people, and we don’t know where to go.” So, in the “We Need Diverse Books,” movement, it is just as you said. The Jewish book about names is not seen in the same way as others with the same message, as a book about learning to have pride in your name. We are not purely part of the mainstream world, and yet, we’re not seen in the same way as other excluded groups. We should be included more in the conversation about diversity.
ES: Your most recent book, Gittel’s Journey, is deeply Jewish, but at the same time it’s such a universal narrative about immigrants. Given the fact that there are so many immigrant narratives in children’s books, what motivated you to tell your own version of the story?
LN: I’ve seen many reviews about Gittel’s Journey, and I don’t think one has said it is only appropriate for Jewish libraries and readership. It’s a Jewish story, but it also has universal appeal because this is a country of immigrants. It’s also a story that I grew up with, based on my godmother’s mother, whose name was Sadie Gringrass. It was just one of those stories which was in my blood and my bones, and it was lying dormant until, recently, I saw a photo in the news of a boat of Syrian refugees washing up on the shores of Turkey. I looked at the faces of these people who are so hopeful and distraught at the same time. I remembered the story, and decided to write it. Gittel’s character is also based on my grandmother, Ruth Levin, who came to this country in 1900 with her mother and their Shabbos candlesticks, which I now own. I think that every immigrant story deserves to be told, just like for every Holocaust survivor and victim. They all have a common thread, but they’re all unique, because every individual is unique.
It’s a Jewish story, but it also has universal appeal because this is a country of immigrants.
ES: In some ways, Gittel’s Journey seems like an homage to classic picture books. Not only Amy June Bates’s rich color palette and the woodcut frames around the text, but also the high proportion of words to images, a less common choice today than in the past.
LN: Whenever I write a book, I don’t really think about the length of the text. I just write the story that needs to be told in the way that it needs to be told — it’s not a preconceived idea. I let the story take me on its own journey. I was very lucky, because my wonderful editor, Howard Reeves, shared my vision and found Amy June Bates, who I think is a genius, and she clearly put her heart and soul into this book. It’s a picture book for slightly older readers, maybe six- to nine-year-olds, but adults have taken to the book and love it, too.
ES: I’d like to go back for a minute to tie together some of our discussion. The eminent scholar Rudine Sims Bishop famously used the metaphor of mirrors and windows to make the point that children need to see themselves in books; that’s the mirror. But they also need to see windows into the experiences of other groups different from their own. One question I have is, how exact a reflection does the mirror need to be in order for children to identify with characters in books?
LN: I heard from a little girl who wrote me a thank-you letter for writing Heather Has Two Mommies. She said, “I know that you wrote it just for me.” I happened to know that this child, whom I had met, was African-American. Heather is white, but Tasha was convinced that I wrote the book just for her. So, children cross gender lines and racial lines to put themselves right in the books. Kids want to see themselves in books so they will go the extra mile in order to do so. As a writer, I work extra hard to make that happen.
ES: The second part of my question concerns the windows. In order to see through a window, you have to be willing to walk up to someone’s house and look into that window. Are non-Jewish caregivers and educators as motivated as they might be to look into Jewish windows, to give children that opportunity to understand us?
LN: That is a tough question. I have to say, some people will even have an issue with my talking about Jews as a minority group. I have talked to other Jewish children’s book authors who don’t think that the diversity in children’s book movement feels the same way about Jewish children’s books as they do about books from other communities. Maybe the exception is around the holidays. By the holidays, I mean Passover and Hanukkah, of course. I don’t think there are many people out there looking for a book about Simchat Torah.
I don’t want to define my identity around persecution, but it’s a real factor in our history. There is a time and place to work within one’s own group, and a time and place to reach out and work in coalition.
ES: Especially given the climate of our country right now, are you optimistic about how we as Jews, without diminishing the particular experiences of other groups, might be part of the conversation? Or should we focus more on reaching our own community?
LN: I think the answer is both. Looking at our five thousand year plus history, we have always been considered different. I don’t want to define my identity around persecution, but it’s a real factor in our history. There is a time and place to work within one’s own group, and a time and place to reach out and work in coalition. Because until all of us are free, none of us are. It’s especially important to have difficult conversations with an open heart and an open mind. I have a book coming out next year called Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail. It takes place during the seder, and there is a line about welcoming friends to the seder. Originally, there was an illustration of a boy with a mom and dad standing in the doorway. I asked my editor, “Why is that the default?” I would just like the child to open the door. That way, a child with a mom and a dad, or a child with two moms or two dads, or a child from a single-parent household, or a child living with grandparents, can still see themselves. Because you don’t know who’s inside.
WRITING THE RAINBOW: ROB SANDERS AND LESLÉA NEWMAN TALK ABOUT LGBTQIA+ PICTURE BOOKS
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Rob SandersLesléa NewmanWe’re pleased to welcome authors Rob Sanders and Lesléa Newman to the blog today. The two leaders of our workshop Writing the Rainbow: Crafting Picture Books With LGBTQIA+ Themes chat about writing picture books, recognizing important anniversaries and why more LGBTQIA+ voices are needed in children’s publishing.
Rob Sanders: Lesléa, it’s always good to sit and chat with you. Heather Has Two Mommies is recognized as one of the first picture books with LGBTQIA+ representation. I know the story behind the making of this book, would you share it with us?
Heather Has Two MommiesLesléa Newman: Here’s how it happened: a local lesbian mom literally stopped me on the street and said, “I don’t have a book to read to my daughter that shows a family like ours. Someone should write one.” And because I was also a child who did not see her (Jewish) family represented in children’s books, I took her request very seriously. I checked armloads of picture books out of the library to study the form and came up with the story of Heather with her two arms, two legs, two eyes, two ears, two pets, and two mommies.
And then because no one would publish it, a friend of mine who was, at the time, a lesbian mother of a one-year-old as well as the owner of a desktop publishing business (remember those?) and I decided we would publish it ourselves. We started a fundraising effort (stuffing envelopes! licking stamps!) and raised enough money to print 4,000 copies. Then about six months later, Sasha Alyson acquired the book from us and published it as part of his Alyson Wonderland line. And then after about 20 years, the book went out of print very briefly and was brought back to life by Candlewick Press in 2015. And the paperback has just gone into its fifth printing! Heather marches on in her purple cowgirl boots! Things have really changed since I wrote the book in 1988.
Who would have thought there would ever be picture books about the Pride Flag and Stonewall riots? Rob, how did you come up with the brilliant idea for Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag and Stonewall: A Building, an Uprising, a Revolution?
PrideRob Sanders: You’re right, picture books about the Pride Flag and the Stonewall Uprising probably wouldn’t have been published even five years ago. So, it’s extraordinary to see them and an ever-growing number of LGBTQIA+ themed picture books being published, in libraries, and on bookstore shelves.
I know the exact moment I was inspired to write Pride. It was the evening of June 26, 2015, the night of the SCOTUS marriage equality decision. As I watched the news coverage that evening, I—along with everyone else—was amazed when the North Portico of the White House was washed in the colors of the rainbow flag. Do you remember that? It was an emotional moment.
Since I’m an elementary school teacher I view most things thinking about my students. I knew they had seen Rainbow Flags, but I also knew most (if not all) had no idea who created the flag, why it was created, and its importance to the our community. I wrote the first draft of the book that night. Gilbert Baker, the designer of the flag, read the book at two different stages, and it was Gilbert who pointed out that the 2018 release date would be the 40th anniversary of the first Pride Flag.
StonewallThat sent me looking for other anniversaries. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that the 50th anniversary of Stonewall was approaching and so I set out to write the first picture book about the subject. The most difficult part of that process was finding the entry point, the way to tell the story for kids. One day in my office, struggling with the manuscript, I said to myself, “If only these walls could talk.” That was the ah-ha moment for me. Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution. was released this year in time for the 50th anniversary of the uprising.
Lesléa, you’re a well-published author who writes in various forms and genres. Why do you continue to return to picture books?
Donovan's Big DayLesléa Newman: I simply adore picture books. I find writing them extremely challenging, and as a writer I do like to constantly challenge myself. So I’ve written many picture books in various forms: picture books in prose, picture books in verse, historical picture books, holiday picture books, picture book biographies…The only type of picture book I can’t imagine taking on is a wordless picture book! I am primarily a poet—my mentor was Allen Ginsberg with whom I worked at the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics—and I find that the text of picture books, whether or not they are written in verse—have a lot in common with poetry. They have to be succinct, every word has to count, they use a lot of poetic techniques such as rhythm, sound, repetition, alliteration, personification, meter. etc.
What do you love about writing picture books and have you ever considered writing in other forms? And I know you teach elementary school children. Does working with kids give you ideas and/or influence your writing? Do you ever try out your works in progress on them?
Peaceful Fights for Equal RightsRob Sanders: I love picture books, too! I’ve tried my hand at other genres. I worked my way through college and graduate school writing curriculum material. And worked as an editor, editorial group manager, and product designer for many years in religious education publishing. But picture books are my first love. In fact, I’ve spent my entire adult life working in careers centered around children so, yes, I think about them when I’m writing. I believe (or I hope) I have a sense of what kids like, what appeals to them, and what will and won’t work. Of course, kids will surprise you and you can never make assumptions about them. I often say about teaching, “Every plan is perfect, until it comes in contact with a child.”
Ball and BalloonI write down (or dictate into my phone) things kids say, questions they ask, and things I discover while teaching that there aren’t books about. There’s simply not enough time to follow every inspiration—but that’s a nice problem to have. One example of an inspiration I was able to follow through on happened a couple of years ago when I watched two kindergarteners leaving the school library. One student accidentally dropped her books and exclaimed, “I hate gravity.” I pulled out my phone, recorded those words, and added to the idea throughout the day when I had free time. That idea became Ball & Balloon which released in August 2019.
I generally don’t show works-in-progress to my students. They’re like someone’s mother—either they love everything, or they are brutally critical. I do show my students the various stages of the publishing process after a book’s been acquired—editorial notes, various stages of revision, sketches, F&Gs (I know, it sounds dirty but it means “folded and gathered” pages), and we always celebrate the release of a new book with a book birthday party.
Another question for you, Lesléa–Why are more LGBTQIA+ voices needed in children’s publishing?
Lesléa Newman: We need as many voices as possible because there are endless ways to be a family, and all children deserve to see themselves in a book. When Heather first came out, I heard stories of kids going to bed with the book under their pillow, kids hugging the book like it was a friend, kids crossing out the word “Heather” every time it appears in the book and writing their own names instead.
Welcoming ElijahWe definitely need more LGBTQ+ voices, especially transgender voices and voices of people of color. I desperately want to hear those stories. One thing that I am doing in my own work is being very conscious of family constellations and of pronouns. For example, in my forthcoming book, Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail (coming out from Charlesbridge in 2020) the opening scene depicts guests arriving to a home for a Seder (Passover meal). Originally the artwork showed a boy standing next to his mom and his dad on their front porch, which is kind of a default family model. Nowhere in the text did it say that the boy had a mom and a dad. So I asked my editor if we could just picture the boy opening the door to welcome the guests. That way the book is more accessible to kids from all types of families.
I published a book a while back called Just Like Mama, which shows a girl having a wonderful day with her mom. She might have another mom who isn’t home. She might have a dad who isn’t home. Her mom might be her only parent. It’s never explained. And I also published a book called Daddy’s Song which is about a dad singing his daughter to sleep. The child might have another parent–another dad or a mom, or not.
Sparkle BoyI’m also conscious of gender roles. For example, in Sparkle Boy, which focuses on Casey, a little boy who likes to wear sparkly skirts, bracelets, and nail polish, it’s the dad who does the grocery shopping (Dad is also the one who agrees to paint Casey’s nails). I have also written some picture books lately that do not include any pronouns at all, except for the first person pronoun “I,” And I am hoping that the illustrations will depict the characters as gender-free.
I’m not sure I’m really answering your question, so I’ll throw it back at you: Why do you think more LGBTQIA+ voices are needed in children’s publishing?
Rob Sanders: Frankly, Lesléa, you and I aren’t getting any younger, so we need more people writing the stories of our community! (Okay, I’m not getting any younger. You will always be 39!) But seriously, there’s a bigger reason, too. Kids in the world need to hear the stories of our community and they need to hear those stories from authentic voices–people who have a reason to tell each story, people who can relate to the characters they are writing about, and so on. Anyone can research and write any story…they may even get those stories published. Authenticity was added to my forthcoming book The Fighting Infantryman: The Story of Albert D.J. Cashier, Transgender Civil War Soldier with the help of transgender representatives from GLADD who have editorial feedback and vetted the book, and by the illustrator, who is transgender.
Authenticity brings a new level and a new layer to the writing. One of my struggles while writing Stonewall was how to represent the myriad of people who were involved in the Uprising. For the first picture book on the subject, I told the overarching story of the Uprising from the perspective of the buildings. But someone with authenticity needs to write the story of Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Stormie DeLarverie, and others who were there and who contributed to the early LGBTQ+ rights movement. I believe that every child needs to see herself/himself/themself in books, so the more authentic voices in the community who are telling stories, the better. We also need allies telling the stories of allies, family members telling stories from the perspective of family members, and the like.
Our work at Highlights is all about developing, encouraging, and empowering those new voices. Join us!
Posted on: JULY 27, 2019
Tags: faculty interview, lgbtqia, Newman, picture books, Sanders
Career Achievers: Lesléa Newman on Thriving as a Long-Time, Actively Publishing Children’s-YA Author
Home » Career Achievers: Lesléa Newman on Thriving as a Long-Time, Actively Publishing Children’s-YA Author
By Cynthia Leitich Smith
Lesléa Newman is a successful children’s-YA author with a long, distinguished career.
In children’s-YA writing, maintaining an active publishing career is arguably an even bigger challenge than breaking into the field.
Reflecting on your personal journey (creatively, career-wise, and your writer’s heart), what bumps did you encounter and how have you managed to defy the odds to achieve continued success?
I remember reading about a movie star who said, “It is easy to become famous. It is harder to remain famous,” and I think that the same can be true about success. It is easier to become successful than it is to remain successful.
I have been very, very lucky throughout my career. I have also worked very, very hard, and I think that combination is key. Also, I never had a Plan B. I knew if I had something to fall back on, eventually I would fall back on it.
When I tell writers who are just starting out to quit their day jobs, they think I am kidding, but I’m not. Hunger is a great motivator. Seriously.
I started my career as a poet, and poetry is still my first love. I still identify primarily as a poet (even my picture books written in prose are more like poetry than they are like fiction).
My first book was a chapbook of poetry called Just Looking for My Shoes (Back Door Press, 1981). I was studying at the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics in Boulder, Colorado; which was part of Naropa Institute (now Naropa University).
My mentor was Allen Ginsberg, and my job was to help him answer his mail. An editor of a tiny press asked him for some poems, and Allen told me to stick some into an envelope (remember envelopes?) and add a few of mine as well. The editor asked if I had enough poems for a book, which I did, and that’s how it all began.
I moved to Northampton, Massachusetts; in 1982 and while I continued to write poetry, I needed to figure out a way to support myself. After short unsuccessful stints in a candy shop, a dentist’s office, and a clothing store, I got a job in a day care center. I worked there for a year and then I wasn’t rehired.
I went to a psychic and told her my situation.
“What kind of job should I look for?” I asked her.
She said, “You don’t need to find a job. You need to get to work.”
That day, I went home and wrote the first 20 pages of my first novel, Good Enough to Eat (Firebrand Books, 1986) and never looked back.
I started a business called “Write from the Heart” and taught women’s writing workshops in my home as a way to support my burgeoning literary career. I did that for about a decade.
Original cover, illustrated by Diana Souza
Illustrated by Laura Cornell, Candlewick, 2015
I never intended to write children’s books, so it is ironic that my first children’s book, Heather Has Two Mommies, is what put me on the map.
This is how that book was conceived: a woman stopped me on the street in Northampton, where I was living at the time, and which is famous for its LGBTQ+ community. She said that she did not have a book to read to her daughter that showed a family like theirs—a family comprised of two moms and their child—and someone should write one. So I did, and the rest as they say is history.
And then as the years went on, I wrote picture books, board books, middle-grade novels, YA novels, novels-in-verse, poetry collections for adults, short story collections for adults, novels for adults, books of humor, personal essays, pretty much anything except cookbooks (I’m a terrible cook, actually a “non-cook” is more accurate).
As I said, I’ve been very lucky. The only bumps I’ve really encountered are my own roadblocks of self-doubt, discouragement, lack of confidence, and lack of faith. (I have had an on-and-off meditation practice for many years which helps, when it is “on”).
So if I had to boil it down, here’s what I think one must do to persevere:
First of all: persevere!
Keep writing. That might seem obvious, but it’s often the first thing that goes by the wayside when one is feeling discouraged.
Accept the fact that publishing is a business. I think of myself as a writer and to support that vocation, I have a day job: being an author.
My job as a writer is to write. My job as an author is to publicize my work, do school visits, blurb other people’s books, attend conferences, answer the gazillion emails that show up each day, mentor other writers, etc. etc.
Be open to reinventing yourself. I don’t mean write to market. I mean be open to the journey that your writing takes you on. There will probably be many surprises over the years and in the end, your career will probably look very different from what you originally envisioned. Think of yourself in an expansive way.
Be a good literary citizen. Be involved in your literary community, on the local, state, and national level. Show up. Go to readings, conferences, literary salons. Give back.
Think of the writers who have helped you along the way and pay it forward. Be kind. Each time one writer succeeds, every writer succeeds.
If you had it to do all over again, what—if anything—would you do differently and why?
I’m not sure I would do anything differently, as I believe that all my experiences have made me into the writer I am today. Perhaps I would spend less time mired in self-doubt, which still plagues me more often than I’d care to admit. Or perhaps that’s a good thing.
I have heard that when an actor no longer has stage fright, that actor is doomed, because that actor no longer cares.
Perhaps that’s also true for writers, who like myself, suffer from “page fright.” Every time I stare down a blank piece of paper (yes, I still write with a pen and notebook) I am terrified. It doesn’t matter how many books I’ve written.
Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story, illustrated by Amy June Bates (Abrams, 2019) is my 71st book. I wrote this book in the same way I’ve written the previous 70 titles.
As the novelist Gene Fowler said, “Writing is easy. I just stare at a blank piece of paper and wait for three drops of blood to appear on my forehead.”
That’s pretty much my method. I am always afraid when I finish a project that I am all washed up. No one believes me when I say I am afraid I will never come up with another idea, but the terror is very real.
If I had to do it over again, I would spend less time being hysterical and have more faith in myself. But that is easier said than done, or as they say, hindsight is 20/20.
The field and body of literature are always evolving. For you, what have been the stand-out changes in the world of children’s-YA writing, literature and publishing? What do you think of them and why?
In terms of literature, I am happy to say that the publishing world is definitely more open to children’s/YA books with LGBTQ+ content. When I wrote Heather Has Two Mommies in 1988, no one would touch that book, and so my friend Tzivia Gover who had a desktop publishing company called In Other Words, and I co-published it, by sending out actual letters (again, remember envelopes?) asking people for donations of ten dollars so we could publish the book (we raised $4,000 this way and everyone who donated was sent a copy).
In 2015, Candlewick, one of the most respected publishers in the industry, came to me asking if they could reissue the book with brand new illustrations. So that’s a huge change. The publishing world continues to make an effort to publish more diverse books which is absolutely necessary.
I saw firsthand how much it meant to kids with two moms to see a book like Heather Has Two Mommies for the first time. We have to do better to make sure that children’s/YA literature includes all children within its pages. No excuses!
What advice would you give to your beginner self, if that version of you was a debut author this year?
I would tell myself to find other debut authors, band together, and help one another. I would tell myself to say yes to every opportunity that comes along, or as Jerry Garcia so famously said, “Accept every assignment. Build your fan base one person at a time.”
I would remind myself to be a writer first and an author second (in other words, keep writing!). Above all else, I would tell myself to have fun and enjoy the ride. And to be grateful to everyone who is part of this journey which includes your agent, your editor, everyone at your publishing house, your writers group and other colleagues as well as all your readers including teachers, librarians, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, children’s literature students, reviewers, and of course the children themselves, for whom we write.
It takes a village to raise a children’s book writer (I actually give a talk with this title), and it’s important to remember that and to be part of other writers’ villages as well.
What do you wish for children’s-YA writers (and readers), looking to the future?
For writers: I wish for you time and space in which to write. I wish you inspiration. I wish you joy in the writing life.
For readers: I wish for you fantastic books that touch your heart, that make you think, that entertain you, that teach you to see the world in a new way and that inspire you to make that world a better place.
As a writer, what do you wish for yourself in the future?
For myself: I wish to continue writing of course! And to write books that matter. My friend, the novelist Tayari Jones, once said to me when we were discussing my book, October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard (Candlewick, 2012), “It’s more important for a book to do good than it is for it to do well.”
(I can hear my mother saying, “What would be so terrible if a book did good and did well?”).
While I have written books that are silly and fun, such as Cats, Cats, Cats! and Dogs, Dogs, Dogs! (both illustrated by Erika Oller (Simon & Schuster, 2001-2002)), I am most proud of books that tackle social issues.
In the Jewish tradition, there is a concept called Tikkun Olam which means “repairing the world.” It is every Jew’s responsibility to take this notion seriously and leave the world a better place.
I hope that by writing books that deal with important topics such as immigration (Gittel’s Journey), LGBTQ+ rights (Heather Has Two Mommies and October Mourning), gender equality (Sparkle Boy, illustrated by Maria Mola (Lee & Low, 2017)), and eating disorders (Fat Chance (PaperStar/Putnam & Grosset, 1996)), I am doing my part to make the world a better place.
Cynsational Notes
The Survivors Interview Series offers in-depth reflections and earned wisdom from children’s-YA book authors who have successfully built long-term, actively-publishing careers.
Getting to Know Lesléa Newman and her new book I Wish My Father
When did you first encounter poetry? How did you discover that you wanted to write poems?
My first exposure to poetry was the children’s book, HOP ON POP by Dr. Seuss. I fell in love with the bouncy rhythm of the text and asked my parents to read it over and over and over. I started writing poems when my family moved from Brooklyn to Long Island which made me very sad. I missed my school, my neighborhood, my grandmother who had lived across the street from us and was now a 40-minute drive away. I started writing very sad poetry, about dogs getting run over, and things like that. I think it’s very interesting that as an 8-year-old I knew had to find a way to express my sadness, and without anyone’s encouragement or prodding, I chose poetry to do so.
Do you have a writing routine? A favorite time or place to write?
My goal is to write every morning. I am an early riser and I like to write when the house is quiet. I am very lucky that I have a writing studio in my home. I sit on my couch with a cup of tea in front of me, a notebook in my lap (yes, I still write with pen and paper) and if I’m lucky, a cat curled up beside me.
Where do your poems most often “come from”—an image, a sound, a phrase, an idea?
I actually struggle with coming up with an idea, though people are always surprised to hear that since I have created 75 books. I find inspiration everywhere: my own experience and observations and imagination, stories other people tell me (watch out—being related to or a friend of a poet can be dangerous!) the newspaper, dreams. Once I was inspired to write a poem based on a short interview of a Jeopardy contestant (thank you, Alex Trebek!). When I am really stuck, which happens more often than I’d care to admit, I pick up a book of poetry. There’s nothing like reading a good poem to get the creative wheels turning.
Which writers (living or dead) have influenced you the most?
My mentors Allen Ginsberg, Anne Waldman, and Grace Paley greatly influenced my writing and I feel so privileged to have worked with them. Other poets whose work I admire and have studied are Patricia Smith, Tim Seibles, Crystos, Ellen Bass, Molly Peacock, Marilyn Hacker, Marge Piercy, Frank O’Hara…..the list goes on and on and on.
What excites you most about your new collection?
I am very excited to have written a pair of memoirs-in-verse: I CARRY MY MOTHER (published in 2015) and the recently published I WISH MY FATHER. I worked hard to capture both my parents on the page. Each of them was smart, funny, wise, generous, stubborn, frustrating, exasperating, and at times infuriating. In other words, they were complicated people who taught me a lot about life and a lot about myself as I moved into a caretaking role for both of them. I am really excited to share my parents with the world through my poetry. Each of them was very proud of “my daughter the writer.” I hope I did them justice.
HEAVAN CAN REPLY ON YOU
sings a chorus of strapping young
men in sweet, deep voices
that blend inside my father’s head.
“Don’t you hear them?” he asks,
then shrugs, unconcerned about being
the sole witness to this tender serenade.
He holds up a single finger, signaling
wait, wait, the men have stopped
but then they start up again.
Gouda, gouda, gouda, my father sings along.
“Like the cheese?” I tease, trying
to make light of this newest delusion.
My father frowns –it isn’t funny—
and cocks his head, like a puzzled puppy
trying to make sense of what’s being said,
the sound—any sound—a precious gift
since he doesn’t hear much these days,
not the telephone’s startled and startling shriek,
not the blasting TV’s blathering newscaster,
not the neighborhood dog’s insistent sharp bark
not the hard rain’s hammer against the sliding glass door
and not a peep from the little boy
who appears at the foot of his bed
night after night, his eyes as blue
as my father’s before the cataracts floated in
two puffy clouds across his morning sky.
“Who is he, Dad?” I ask. My father shrugs
then lifts his finger again. “Yes dear,”
he says, “I will, dear.” He looks towards
my mother’s chair, and out of nowhere
I hear her, too, her voice the weak whisper
of that terrible last day. “Don’t worry, sweetheart,”
she cupped my cheek with her worn, withered hand.
“There’s no problem so terrible
that it can’t get worse.” Gouda gouda gouda
sings my father, happily off-key,
his ancient voice cracking
like a young Bar Mitzvah boy’s.
Deedle deedle deedle Zuzza zuzza zuzza
Purchase I Wish My Father
Lesléa Newman has created 75 books for readers of all ages including the poetry collections, October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard; I Carry My Mother; and I Wish My Father. She is also the author of many children’s books including Heather Has Two Mommies, Sparkle Boy, and Gittel’s Journey: An Ellis Island Story. Her literary awards include poetry fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Artists Foundation, the Massachusetts Book Award, the National Jewish Book Award, two American Library Association Stonewall Honors, and the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award. From 2008 – 2010, she served as the poet laureate of Northampton, MA. Currently she teaches at Spalding University’s School of Creative and Professional Writing.
Newman, Lesléa 123 CATS Candlewick (Children's None) $7.99 4, 29 ISBN: 978-1-5362-0995-2
Meow! Meet and count a dozen charismatic kitties.
A captivating selection of frolicking felines participate in familiar, kitty-centric activities, such as napping, snuggling, and snacking. Each double-page spread adds another kitty until No. 12, a tiny cream-colored kitten, closes the party--because he "knows that cats come better by the dozen!" Though the rhyming text is easy enough to read aloud, some stanzas feel safe and a bit stale: "Cat Number Six feels like she's in heaven / when she's snuggled up with Cat Number Seven." However, beautiful illustrations, rendered via sumi ink on watercolors, elevate the verses. Each cat--from a fluffy ginger tabby to a slinky Sphynx--is imbued with a unique look and personality. Cats tugging on toys, using stairs as a playground, or grooming each other brim with charm, and going from Cat No. 1 to a cramped cavalcade of 12 of them easily demonstrates number progression. Although Newman took few risks in the text of this book, she goes the opposite direction in ABC Cats, giving readers delightful, vocabulary-rich lines that beg to be read with panache: "Elegant cat with dignified pose / Finicky cat turns up her nose." An oversized letter is paired with a demonstrative cat (S, for instance, introduces a wary, eyes-wide "scaredy-cat"), and all 26 entries in the cattery are purr-fectly entrancing.
Cat lovers will adore this beguiling board book. (Board book. 1-6)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Newman, Leslea: 123 CATS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Nov. 2021, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A682168314/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4beebf13. Accessed 15 Mar. 2022.
Newman, Lesléa AS BABIES DREAM Magination/American Psychological Association (Children's None) $16.99 9, 14 ISBN: 978-1-4338-3681-7
A bedtime story bursting with strong, quiet love.
Hinting at a stunning sunset, illustrations in deeply vibrant, softly dappled oranges, reds, and purples begin this gentle nighttime story of animal parents and offspring settling in for a night’s rest. The text on each page follows a soothing pattern but also plays with both internal and end rhymes for an added treat. “As the crows fly / and the rivers flow, // As the eagles cry / and the winds blow,” the book opens. Later: “As the rabbits hop / and the owls call, // As the leaves drop / and the rains fall,” it continues pages later, still the same sentence. Young listeners are introduced to several birds, farm animals, and woodland mammals as well as frogs, turtles, and snakes. (There’s also a lion family, quite out of place but useful for the rhyme.) By the end of the story, it is now a starry moonlit night illustrated in dark reds, purples, and blues, and readers have moved from wildlife to city life, with the sentence finally concluding: “As the stars gleam / high above, // the babies dream / safe in our love.” The final image frames five different families in urban windows glowing with that love. The illustration suggests both family and racial diversity and includes what appear to be single-parent, two-parent, same-gender, and multigenerational families of White, Asian, and Black origin. In one family, the father wears a kippah. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Lush illustrations and lulling, playful verse create a warm and wonderful bedtime hug. (Picture book. 2-5)
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"Newman, Leslea: AS BABIES DREAM." Kirkus Reviews, 1 July 2021, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A667042138/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8421ed2a. Accessed 15 Mar. 2022.
Newman, Leslea REMEMBERING ETHAN Magination/American Psychological Association (Children's Fiction) $16.99 4, 7 ISBN: 978-1-4338-3113-3
A family begins healing following a devastating loss.
Sarah lovingly remembers big brother Ethan, who has died. Mommy and Daddy won't talk or reminisce about him; neither wants to hear his name. Small acts offer solace: saying Ethan's name aloud, writing his name, drawing his picture. When Sarah hangs the drawing on the refrigerator, Mommy and Daddy, distraught, leave the room. When Sarah angrily shouts that no one else seems to miss or remember Ethan, Mommy and Daddy must finally confront their pain. In doing so, they rehang the drawing in a more prominent location and gently explain that it's grief that's made them seem unfeeling. Poring over a family album allows everyone to openly share happy memories. The upbeat ending of this well-written, reassuring tale feels a tad rushed, and there's no sense of how much time has elapsed since Ethan's death. However, the author gets two important plot points just right. The circumstances surrounding Ethan's death aren't mentioned, suggesting the family (all depicted with pale skin and dark hair) is heartbroken simply because Ethan has died; as in real life, one cause is no less wrenching than another. Furthermore, the child has real agency; Sarah effects change in the family dynamic that leads to cathartic healing. The delicate illustrations are expressive and effective. Useful psychologist's tips in the backmatter guide adults in helping children discuss the death of a family member.
Gentle, comforting bibliotherapy. (Picture book. 4-8)
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"Newman, Leslea: REMEMBERING ETHAN." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Feb. 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A612619168/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=796f6d6f. Accessed 15 Mar. 2022.
Newman, Leslea WELCOMING ELIJAH Charlesbridge (Children's Fiction) $16.99 1, 28 ISBN: 978-1-58089-882-9
Passover nights are different, happily so for a boy and a kitten.
It's a Seder night, and a boy and his large family welcome guests to the festive holiday celebration. There are many rituals in the evening, including filling a cup of wine for the prophet Elisha, but his favorite is opening the door to welcome Elijah in. Writing in contrasting couplets, Newman relates the many elements of the holiday as "inside" activities. There are also "outside" goings-on. A fluffy white cat in the yard does feline things that seem to mimic what the family and their guests are doing except in one respect. The family enjoys plenty of good food while the kitten "swishe[s] his skinny tail." Finally it is time to hold open the door, and who should be standing there but that irresistibly appealing fluffy white kitten. Boy and kitten, to be named Elijah of course, embrace as the others look on in joy. Gal's softly smudged illustrations, rendered in ink, charcoal, and digital collage, warmly reflect the text's contrasts, with bright yellows illuminating the household and iridescent blues bathing the outdoor scenes. The family and friends are racially diverse, with both black- and white-presenting group members. The boy himself presents white; the men wear kippot.
While not the traditional holiday outcome, it should please celebrants and cat lovers all. (author's note, list of Seder rituals) (Picture book. 4-7)
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"Newman, Leslea: WELCOMING ELIJAH." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Feb. 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A612619019/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=1969f2c6. Accessed 15 Mar. 2022.
Newman, Leslea BABY'S BLESSINGS Kar-Ben (Children's Fiction) $5.99 10, 1 ISBN: 978-1-5415-2214-5
A Jewish family celebrates a baby with traditional symbols and rituals.
The whole family--even the cat--dotes on baby in this board book. Newman's rhyming text includes Yiddish and Hebrew vocabulary and Jewish traditions: There's kugel and challah, a mezuzah and a tzedakah box, and, of course, many blessings and much joy. Newman doesn't spend time defining the various terms for non-Jewish readers, allowing Nakata's softly textured illustrations to provide some context clues. While the text is certainly very sweet and scans well, the beautiful images are the stars. There are wonderful details: wallpaper adorned with chicks, Zayde's tortoiseshell glasses, and, delightfully, the cat behaving typically by stuffing itself inside a paper bag. These details bring this family to life. The only point of confusion in the book is that at first, it seems as though the family (all white presenting) is readying the house for a brand-new baby--Bubbe is knitting booties and baking on the first page, for example--but this is no newborn. The baby is shown forward-facing in a baby carrier, sitting up on a lap at the table, and climbing playfully on Zayde. Overall, this book would make a wonderful gift for a Jewish family welcoming a new addition, as it certainly conveys the excitement and joy of having a little one in the house.
A sweet celebration of a baby, full of Jewish tradition. (Board book. 1-3)
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"Newman, Leslea: BABY'S BLESSINGS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Sept. 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A599964359/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=70c8724a. Accessed 15 Mar. 2022.
NEWMAN, Leslea. Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail, illus. by Susan Gal. 32p. Charlesbridge. Jan. 2020. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781580898829.
PreS-Gr 1--Simple, lyrical text describes how a contemporary Jewish family celebrates the Passover Seder. Inside, the house is filled with light and laughter as a young boy fills the ceremonial cup of wine for the Prophet Elijah, dips parsley in salt water, breaks the middle matzo, hears the story of the Jews' exodus from Egypt, and enjoys the holiday meal. Meanwhile, a small stray kitten waits alone in the dark for the moon to rise. When the time comes for the boy to open the door for the Prophet Elijah, the kitten has scampered up the walk and is waiting to be invited inside. The text concludes: "And that's how Elijah [the kitten] found a home." The luminous detailed illustrations--done in ink, charcoal, and digital collage--use deep gold, black, and blue tones to beautifully depict the contrast between the loving, festive atmosphere inside the house and the dark, still night outside. Readers will delight in finding the adorable white kitten on each spread and will notice how the kitten's actions outside mimic the boy's actions inside. A large, intergenerational and racially diverse family is warmly depicted. An extensive author's note is appended, providing background information about the history and customs of the Passover holiday along with a listing of some of the traditional rituals of the Passover Seder. VERDICT Anybody who has ever opened the door for Elijah during the Passover Seder will relish this charming, magical, and heartwarming story.--Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL
Caption: Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tai0l (Newman) [c]2020 by Susan Gal
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Kamin, Rachel. "NEWMAN, Leslea. Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail." School Library Journal, vol. 66, no. 1, Jan. 2020, p. 60. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A610418398/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=df6503b3. Accessed 15 Mar. 2022.