Erin Silver Shares Cultural and Community-based Knowledge in I Am Jewish

One of the best ways to connect with diverse communities is to learn about their culture from someone who carries lived-in knowledge of it, and to explore the many beautiful elements that make a group of people unique.

This is part of the aim for the I Am... series from Saunders Book Company, where readers can "learn about the lives of people from marginalized communities through the author's experience." The series covers a variety of cultures and religions, all to familiarize young readers with folks who they may not know or understand as they should.

Erin Silver adds to the series with I Am Jewish, a title that looks at Judaism, and how Jewish people celebrate their culture. The author has a vast range of titles published, winning awards and plaudits along the way, and this is her intimate account of what it means to be Jewish today.

We're thrilled to share this Kid's Club interview with the author, where she discusses her new non-fiction title and why these explorations of diverse communities really matter to young readers.

Open Book:

Tell us about your new book and how it came to be.

Erin Silver:

My new book, I Am Jewish, is about what it means to be Jewish, from the perspective of someone who is Jewish—me! I was so thrilled when my editor Abbie Saunders from Beech Street Books asked me to write it. There is a lot of confusing information out there right now and I wanted to be able to talk about my heritage with young readers so they could better understand and relate.

OB:

Is there a message you hope kids might take away from reading your book? 

ES:

I hope readers come away from reading this book with an open mind and a willingness to embrace inclusion and diversity. We might all have different backgrounds or religions, but we have a lot in common, too. We all love our families, eat certain foods and have fun traditions. Even if we disagree about certain topics, we can all respect one another and get along.

OB:

Did the book look the same in the end as your originally envisioned it when you started working, or did it change through the writing process?

ES:

This book was very special to me. I didn’t realize how special until I put it all down on paper and added some family photos. It made me feel really proud of my culture and heritage and excited to share it with others.

OB:

What do you need in order to write – in terms of space, food, rituals, writing instruments?

ES:

I definitely need coffee! Lots of it. Also some quiet time to focus with only my dog Piper in my office with me. I also am grateful for friends and family who read over my manuscripts to make sure there aren’t any errors. It’s great to have a wonderful and supportive team around me.

OB:

How do you cope with setbacks or tough points during the writing process? Do you have any strategies that are your go-to responses to difficult points in the process?

ES:

I definitely have setbacks, like in any job. Being a writer involves being rejected all the time by editors or agents. It can be disappointing but I’m so passionate about writing that I keep on going. This is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do so I can’t give up. 

OB:

Do you feel like there are any misconceptions about writing for young people? What do you wish people knew about what you do?

ES:

Writing for kids is harder than people might think! Kids are so smart and it’s important to get all the facts right and think of things they would want to read. Being a children’s author forces me to be extra creative, do lots of research and make sure I’m writing in a way that is interesting.

OB:

What are you working on now?

ES:

I’m always working on something new, pitching a project or revising another. I have more books coming out in the months ahead, which is great. I also love presenting to kids at schools and libraries. This job is so fun and rewarding that I always make sure I’m keeping busy!

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Erin Silver an award-winning children’s author and freelance writer/editor with more than 20 years of experience. Her books for children include Just Watch Me (Krystal Kite Award nominee), What Kids Did: Stories of Kindness and Invention in the Time of COVID-19 (Hackmatack Award nominee), Proud to Play: LGBTQ+ athletes who made history, Rush Hour: Navigating Our Global Traffic Jam (Blueberry Award winner), Sitting Shiva (Ontario Library Association Best Pick, Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor, Vine Award finalist, TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award finalist) and Good Food, Bad Waste: Let’s Eat for the Planet, Mighty Scared: The Amazing Ways Animals Defend Themselves, In It To Win It: Sports and the Climate Crisis and I Am Jewish.