A Special Anniversary

This week marks the 20th anniversary since journalist and author Judie Oron finally tracked down a young Ethiopian Jewish girl--whose younger sister Judie had adopted in Israel a few years earlier--and paid to free her from the family who was using her as an unpaid servant. Judie then brought the young woman to be reunited with her sister and family in Israel, and many years later wrote a book, Cry of the Giraffe, based on this heartbreaking true story. As part of Black History Month, Judie was interviewed about this emotional experience on Daytime TV: click here to watch the interview on the Rogers website.

Cry of the Giraffe is available in e-book format from Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and other e-retailers.

Five Things for Friday!

Happy Friday! (Friday the 13th, that is... are you superstitious?) I've got a hodgepodge of neat book-related things for you to check out this week, hence the post title.

First thing!
Kobo is running a great promotion of e-books published by independent Canadian publishers. Buy one and be entered to win a Kobo Touch eReader. Contest runs till Jan. 22: click here for more details!

Second thing!
Callista's Ramblings is running a giveaway: New Year, New Reads. There's a prize pack from Annick up for grabs, so head on over and enter. You can also use this special code for an extra entry (enter it in the secret giveaway spot): KIDSLOVEBOOKS.

Third thing!
Two of our titles have been featured in 10x10 book clubs: Chanda's Secrets and Cry of the Giraffe in the 10x10 Young Adult book club, and Cry of the Giraffe in the 10x10 Ethiopia book club. 10x10 is a campaign promoting girls' education in the developing world. Find out more here.

Fourth thing!
Want a free copy of our new YA thriller Erebos? You can enter now on GoodReads! Click below:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Erebos

by Ursula Poznanski

Giveaway ends February 10, 2012.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Fifth and final thing!
Have you all seen this yet? I know it's been making the rounds, and with good reason. It's a bookstore I've been to, too!


That's it! Have a great weekend, everyone!

Judie Oron on the Anna Aidoo Show

Last week, Judie Oron appeared on the Anna Aidoo Show to talk about Cry of the Giraffe. If you missed it, never fear: we've got the video!


Judie Oron with Anna Aidoo from David Grossman on Vimeo.

"Cry of the Giraffe" Wins Prestigious Award

Cry of the Giraffe, the moving story of author Judie Oron's daughter, Wuditu, whom she rescued from slavery in Ethiopia, has garnered a number of prestigious awards. Fittingly, in the 20th anniversary year of Operation Solomon, the clandestine airlift of thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel, Cry of the Giraffe was honored once again with the Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Award for Youth Literature. In her acceptance speech to a packed audience in the Bram and Bluma Appel Salon at the Toronto Reference Library, Judie spoke of her difficult decision to tell Wuditu's story, but in the end, she is gratified to know that Cry of the Giraffe has brought to the public's attention the harrowing experiences of Ethiopian Jews whose dream to one day reach Yerusalem sustained them through famine, wars and persecution.

Other honorees at the star-studded event included Charles Foran for his acclaimed biography of Mordecai Richler, Mordecai: The Life and Times, Alison Pick for her novel Far to Go about a Czech family during the Holocaust, and Tarek Fatah for his courageous essay about anti-Semitism in the world today, The Jew is Not My Enemy: Unveiling the Myths that Fuel Muslim Anti-Semitism.

Congratulations to Judie and to all the winners of this coveted award!

Event Wrap-Up: Operation Solomon 20th Anniversary

On Tuesday, May 24th, author Judie Oron (Cry of the Giraffe) hosted an event at Kensington Place Retirement Residence to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the secret airlift of Ethiopian Jews to Israel, known as Operation Solomon.

The event attracted a crowd of grandparents and their children and grandchildren; 120 celebrants shared food, a film of the Operation and a lively talk about some of the refugees who arrived on that airlift in May, 1991. “Being a part of the Operation was an experience I’ll never forget--it was history in the making,” Judie recalled. “But even in the midst of all that drama there was comedy--one of the problems I was asked to solve that day was to redirect a group of young Ethiopian kids who’d never seen an elevator before. They’d been gleefully riding up and down for hours and preventing everyone else from moving around the building. I had to bribe them with candy to get them to stop!”

Here's Judie reading at the event:

Photo credit: Krystyna Lagowski

Thanks to everyone who came out!

Twenty Year Anniversary of Operation Solomon

Twenty years ago, over the course of one weekend, a clandestine airlift took place. 14,323 Ethiopian Jews were plucked from Addis Ababa, a city in Ethiopia about to fall into rebel hands, and flown to Israel. Well, to be precise, two babies were born during the flights--so, in fact, 14,325 people were rescued over those two exhilarating days. The mission was named Operation Solomon, and Judie Oron, author of Cry of the Giraffe, recalls, "It was an unbelievable privilege to not only be a witness but to actually play a small part in those thrilling events." She continues, "I just couldn't let that day go by unnoticed. So, I'll be hosting an event in Toronto on May 24th at 6:30 p.m. Please join us there!"

For details and to reserve a place, call Lisa at 416-636-9555. Here's the event's poster (click on the image to enlarge it):

Watch Judie Oron on KioskToronto

Journalist and author Judie Oron recently appeared on KioskToronto, along with Muluken Muchie (@hawarya on Twitter), to talk about Muchie's new publication, The Multicultural Journal.

In the video below, Judie discusses her role as one of the writers on the new journal's editorial board, and also talks about her book, Cry of the Giraffe, which recently won the Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Award in the Youth Literature category. The awards ceremony will take place in Toronto on May 30th.

Books for Black History Month

February 14th may be Valentine's Day, but the entire month of February is Black History Month in Canada and the United States--so let me introduce you to some of our books set in Africa.

For Spring 2011, we're proud to announce a new book called Africans Thought of It: Amazing Innovations, by Bathseba Opini and Richard Lee. Readers are introduced to African inventions and discoveries from ancient times to today, including the xylophone, coffee, and the use of aloe vera to treat burns. Find out more by watching this book trailer:



Another great book set in Africa is Cry of the Giraffe by Judie Oron. Based on a true story, the book follows 15-year-old Wuditu, an Ethiopian Jewish girl who is separated from her family when they attempt to escape to Israel. Alone, she must find a way to survive by any means possible, while hiding her Jewish faith to avoid persecution.



Set in sub-Saharan Africa, Chanda's Secrets, by Allan Stratton, is a heart-breaking, powerful story about 16-year-old Chanda, who struggles to help her friends and family deal with the devastation and stigma of the AIDS epidemic. The book has won 25 awards and honors, and has also been adapted into an award-winning film called Life, Above All. Look for it in theatres this spring! (Bonus for teachers: click here to download a free comprehensive lesson plan!)

More Accolades!

We're just two weeks into 2011 and already we're proud to announce more awards and recognition for our Fall 2010 books. Congratulations to all the authors and illustrators!

Cry of the Giraffe 

By Judie Oron

• 2011 Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Teens
• 2011 USBBY Outstanding International Books Honor list
• Amelia Bloomer Project 2011 list

Fatty Legs

By Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton

Illustrated by Liz Amini-Holmes

• 2011 USBBY Outstanding International Books Honor list

Kings and Carpenters: One Hundred Bible Land Jobs You Might Have Praised or Panned

By Laurie Coulter

Illustrated by Martha Newbigging

• 2011 Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Older Readers

Thunder over Kandahar

By Sharon McKay

• 2011 USBBY Outstanding International Books Honor list
• Amelia Bloomer Project 2011 list

Accolades for Fall 2010 titles

I hope you all had a very relaxing holiday season. The end of the year sparked many "Best of 2010" lists, and we're very proud to see two of our Fall 2010 titles recognized as exceptional.

First, YALSA included Judie Oron's Cry of the Giraffe on its "Hidden Gems of 2010" list.

In addition, The Globe and Mail's Susan Perren selected Fatty Legs, by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton (with illustrations by Liz Amini-Holmes) for her "Top 10 Children's Books of 2010" list. Christy and Margaret are working on a sequel, scheduled for this fall... more on that as it develops!

If you know of any more great "Best of 2010" book lists, post a link in the comments!

Guest Post from Author Judie Oron

Today, we have a great guest post by author Judie Oron:

In 2007, I interviewed Free the Children co-founder Craig Kielburger for a magazine article, and I’ve got to admit that I’ve been a total fan of the organization ever since. At the time, he told me that he’d been inspired by a newspaper story about the death of a former child slave in Pakistan. And there I was, talking to him about my own experience in freeing Wuditu--the real-life protagonist of Cry of the Giraffe--from slavery in Ethiopia.

Back then, I was just starting to write the book and struggling to do justice to Wuditu’s painful story. This October, things came full circle for me. At the Toronto Jewish Book Fair, Wuditu was standing beside me and I was listening with pride as she described the work she now does with people who’ve been traumatized in their own right.

Several weeks later, on December 9th, I was privileged to speak at a Free the Children ‘Lunch and Learn.’ I outlined the way in which Wuditu had fallen into slavery. It was a classic method--pretend that you’re hiring a servant; then, when the child is waiting to be paid their wages, explain that, rather than being owed money, they’ve fallen into debt and must work to pay it off.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed thinking about the other children out there in Wuditu’s former circumstances. I’m often asked, "What can we do?" I think that if we keep reading, keep caring and staying informed--not to mention informing others--we’ll have come a long way toward bringing this issue out of the dark and into the public forum.

–Judie Oron

Cry of the Giraffe Launch

Last night, we celebrated the launch of Judie Oron's book Cry of the Giraffe with a party at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto. Guests mingled and enjoyed delicious hors d'oeuvres while waiting to get copies of the book signed by Judie.

Esteemed MC Theo Heras kicked off the evening's presentations with a short, moving speech. Next, Annick Press Director Rick Wilks said a few words, and then Judie shared some of her experiences writing the book. The presentations concluded with a touching speech by Judie's adopted daughter, on whom the main character Wuditu was based. (One of Judie's sons, Daniel, assisted by being both an interpreter and a supportive brother.)

It was a wonderful night--thank you to everyone who came out to help us celebrate this book. You can see the rest of the photos on our Flickr account.


For more info on Cry of the Giraffe:
Listen to a podcast interview with Rick Wilks (starts at 1:24) for The Book of Life:

Book Expo: Kids sound clip

Watch the book trailer:

Guest Post by Judie Oron: We Day 2010

Today, we're lucky to have a guest post by author Judie Oron, who attended We Day in Toronto yesterday. Take it away, Judie!

18,000 teenagers filled the Air Canada Centre yesterday. It was We Day and I’d been anticipating this event, knowing that Free the Children co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger would be speaking, along with celebrated performers and a sprinkling of Nobel Prize Laureates.

And what an event it was! Since then, people have been asking, “What was the high point?” Whew! There were so many.

Betty Williams, the Nobel Prize Laureate who worked for peace in Ireland, asked the audience to get up and give each other a hug! But her manner was warlike when speaking of freeing children from slavery and abuse. “They said it couldn’t be done. So I said, ‘will ya just get out of my way!’”

“A dream that you dream alone remains a dream,” said renowned physician and author, Deepak Chopra. “But a dream that we dream together, combined with action--this can transform the world!” To the young listeners who had been working all year to build schools in Africa, this was just the reinforcement needed.

At twelve, Craig Kielburger went to Pakistan on a fact-finding mission and found himself freeing a child slave. As a boy who grew up in Canada, “I looked at him, and, except for our age, there was nothing similar between us.”

I couldn’t help thinking of my own experience in going to Ethiopia to look for Wuditu, heroine of Cry of the Giraffe. I remembered how she’d bow with her nose nearly touching the ground whenever I looked at her. What must her years in slavery have been like, to have produced such a horrifying, instinctive response?

My attention was caught by the mass of enthusiastic teenagers shouting, “freedom!” And I realized that this was not a moment to cling to sad thoughts but to celebrate achievements.

-Judie Oron

(top: the packed Air Canada Centre in Toronto; bottom: Craig Kielburger addresses the crowd)

More Fall Sneak Peeks!

Last week I posted about Sharon McKay's new book Thunder over Kandahar, which is set in Afghanistan. Now let's move a little to the west and talk about another exciting new fall title: Cry of the Giraffe by Judie Oron. This novel is based on the true story of Wuditu, a 15-year-old Ethiopian Jewish girl (note: her name has been changed to protect her privacy). As members of a Beta Israel community, Wuditu and her family face persecution in their native Ethiopia, and so they plan to secretly move to Jerusalem. However, things go horribly wrong and Wuditu becomes separated from her family. How will she survive completely on her own, let alone make it from Ethiopia to Jerusalem?

Listen to Judie's podcast to find out more about her experiences in Ethiopia and what inspired her to write this book. And check out this gripping book trailer: