On the Chocolate Trail

Thank you to the following for their running these reviews and interviews about The Boston Chocolate Party:

*At the Sydney Taylor Shmooze, Shirley Reva Vernick recommended The Boston Chocolate Party as a “robust contender for the Sydney Taylor Book Award.” She added:
“This delicious tale of friendship and freedom features bold and highly expressive illustrations. Images of colonial architecture, clothing, sailing vessels, and home furnishings will immerse readers squarely in the pre-Revolutionary setting … Highly recommended for picture book audiences at home, school and library…The Boston Chocolate Party … authentically and positively represents Jewish culture, with an emphasis on Sephardic traditions and Hanukkah celebrations. Jewish values of kindness and friendship are demonstrated in an age-accessible way. Finally, the pre-Revolutionary setting is an added bonus, offering a glimpse of Jewish life in a less familiar era.”

*At the Jewish Book Council, Emily Schneider wrote the following about The Boston Chocolate Party: “Just like any cel­e­bra­tion of Hanukkah/​Janucá, there are many ingre­di­ents con­tribut­ing to this appeal­ing new book. Jew­ish mul­ti­cul­tur­al­ism, com­mu­ni­ty sup­port in the face of adver­si­ty, and a thirst for free­dom all add up to an engag­ing sto­ry about a Jew­ish Amer­i­can past.”

*Don Harrison published “Chanukah Chocolate and the Boston Tea Party” at the San Diego Jewish World … and said: “this is a book that combines years of research with the kind of imagination that will have children reading this book over and over. ”

*Estelle Tracy interviewed me for The Chocolate Professor and also posted about The Boston Chocolate Party at her Facebook page: “This beautiful book … blends the themes of US history, Hannukah, and chocolate. I bought these for my kids and I may have enjoyed this even more than they did. Highly recommended.”

*My co-author, Tami Lehman-Wilzig, and I did a radio interview with Linda Jimenez-Glassman for Radio Sefarad. Linda wrote described the book:

“Set against the backdrop of Hanukkah and the American fight for independence, it is a story of friendship, freedom, and a love of chocolate … end notes provide background about the Boston Tea Party, a brief explanation of the holiday of Hanukkah, and a description of America’s first Jews, predominantly settlers from Spain and Portugal who came to escape religious persecution and to find religious freedom and economic opportunity. Also included are recipes for Colonial-style hot chocolate and bunuelos, a Sephardic pastry typical for Hanukkah.”

*Deborah Kalb posted a great interview of me at Deborah Kalb Books.

*Barbara Bietz included The Boston Chocolate Party in a Hanukkah round-up at Jewish Books for Kids as did Ronna Mandel at Good Reads with Ronna.

*Barbara Krasner interviewed Tami at the Whole Megillah. Faygie Holt’s interview of Tami was published at the Baltimore Jewish Times as part of a story about Hanukkah books.

2023 marks the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. We’ll be celebrating with more chocolate stories!