Take your child on a colorful adventure to share the many ways Jewish people celebrate Shabbat around the world. Shabbat Shalom ! Beginning in an old Jerusalem market Friday morning, shopping for foods to make Shabbat meals special - Setting a beautiful Sabbath table in Australia Friday afternoon - Lighting Shabbat candles with a family in Turkey - Singing zemirot with relatives in Russia - Making hamotzi as a congregation in the United States - Parading the Torah scrolls at Shabbat morning services in a synagogue in Germany - Relaxing in the peace of Shabbat day in Canada - Enjoying a special Sabbath afternoon meal in Morocco From Israel to Thailand, from Ethiopia to Argentina, you and your children are invited to share the diverse Sabbath traditions that come alive in Jewish homes and synagogues around the world each week―and to celebrate life with Jewish people everywhere. ChallahCrumbs: Tell us a bit about your book. Durga Yael Bernhard: AROUND THE WORLD IN ONE SHABBAT (Jewish Lights, 2011) follows the cycle of one Sabbath, beginning with preparation on Friday morning through Havdalah (candle lighting to end Shabbat) at sundown the following day. Each activity of the Sabbath is portrayed through the eyes of a child in a different country, beginning and ending in Israel. I chose to represent countries with large Jewish populations (France, the USA, Argentina) as well as places where the Jewish population is quite small (Ethiopia, India, Thailand) . . . thus we get a feel for the global shape of Judaism today. CC What inspired you to write this book? DYB: The idea that on every Shabbat, people all over the world are doing the same things. We are all lighting candles, reading the same weekly Torah portion, singing the same blessings and songs, and living the same traditions. Yet these similarities are taking place within very diverse contexts. Shabbat customs reflect the cultures in which they take place, and they evolve with time. I also want this book to introduce the Sabbath itself; to describe in pictures and words the meaning of Shabbat; how it works; and why it's important for us today. We are peeking into the lives of families (and there are many real people portrayed throughout the book). Bit by bit, we gain a sense of what this ancient tradition is all about. The wisdom woven into the Sabbath has endured for over three millennia, and it is not just for Jewish people or Christians and Muslims who observe their own holy day too. The Sabbath is universally human, and undergirds much that is good in our society. The world needs us to take a break from our weekly grind; to stop producing and replenish our souls; to celebrate Creation and our place in it. Shabbat is life-affirming, and supports healthy family living. It is nurturing to children. It reduces stress and speaks to the need for shifting values in our age of advanced technology. It brings people together in a balanced cycle of time. I want all children to know about this! CC: Congratulations! We understand your book won the Sydney Taylor Honor Award. Tell us a bit about that experience. DYB: It was totally unexpected. The phone rang on an ordinary weeknight, and a friendly voice announced a lovely surprise. I'll never forget that. I am proud to receive the Sydney Taylor Honor Award because it endorses my book as a teaching tool and an authentic representation of Jewish life. The awards are not officially announced until June; after that I will have shiny silver stickers to put on my book! CC: How did you get started as a writer? DYB: I began first as a fine artist and then an illustrator. I always had a special place in my heart for children's books, and it wasn't long before my work went in that direction. The first books I wrote – What's Maggie Up To? (Holiday House, 1992) and Alphabeasts (Holiday House, 1993) – were visually-driven and required little text. I had always enjoyed writing, and decided to do it myself. Likewise, my concept books – such as To & Fro, Fast & Slow (Walker Books, 2000) or In the Fiddle Is a Song (Chronicle Books, 2006) – contain only a few words per page. Around the World in One Shabbat is the first book I've written that has substantial text. It is modeled after other multicultural books that I've illustrated, including A Ride on Mother's Back (Gulliver Books 1997, written by Emery Bernhard) and Happy New Year (Dutton Books, written by Emery Bernhard). I enjoy writing, and would like to pursue it further. Some of my ideas for books are even moving in the direction of young adult novels. CC: What are some of your favorite children's books? DYB: I could fill a whole blog with that list. Here are half a dozen of my favorite titles: The Peddler’s Gift by Maxine Rose Schur and Kimberly Root; Castle on Hester Street by Linda Heller and Boris Kulikovn; Gershon’s Monster by Eric Kimmel and Jon Muth; Henry Hikes to Fitchberg by D.B. Johnson; The Hungry Clothes and Other Jewish Folktales by Peninnah Schram and Gianni D