I was the nerdy girl who could be found in the back of the library, reading through every book I could find in the children’s section.  I discovered the ALL-OF-A-KIND FAMILY by Sydney Taylor all on my own and loved them.  And yet, I never heard the story of the author until I read today’s picture book.

RICHARD MICHELSON has written many books for children, teens, and adults, that have been named among the 10 Best of the Year by The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and The New Yorker.; and among the Best Dozen of the Decade by Amazon. In fact, I featured one of his poems in my April Poetry Picture books last year.  Michelson has received a National Jewish Book Award (and twice been a finalist), two Sydney Taylor Gold Medals (and two silver) from the Association of Jewish Libraries, two Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowships, and his work was chosen to represent the Commonwealth at the Library of Congress National Book Festival. A native of East New York, Brooklyn, Michelson served two terms as Poet Laureate of Northampton, Massachusetts, where he hosts Northampton Poetry Radio, and owns R. Michelson Galleries.  You can learn more about him at his website or follow him on Facebook.

ONE OF A KIND: THE LIFE OF SYDNEY TAYLOR is a biography of Sarah Brenner.  Don’t be confused!  Sarah and Sydney were the same person!  Sarah apparently chose the name Sydney at one point in her life as she decided it was more fearless.  And that is only one of the many revelations in this book that blew my mind.  I had no idea Sydney was also into dance and theater.  I had no idea how pivotal her books were in the world of children’s literature for depicting normal Jewish life in New York.  And the back matter of this book only gets juicier.  Richard Michelson had a unique connection to the family that really helped him to dig into the subject matter in a way that perhaps no one else could.  This is a fantastic story that needed to be told.

Welcome Richard!

Me: You are quite prolific in a multitude of genres with many writing awards to your name.  Can you tell us a little bit about your writing journey?  When did you start writing stories?  What brought you to this picture book?

Richard: First of all, hi Jena and thank you for inviting me to your blog. I started out as a poet (for adults; my first collection, Tap Dancing for the Relatives, came out in 1985, my latest, Sleeping as Fast as I Can was published in 2023) and didn’t begin writing stories for kids until much later. I did not grow up reading children’s books but when I opened my art gallery, the first artist I represented was Barry Moser. I loved fine art, and I loved poetry, but when Barry got an offer to illustrate a picture book, I discovered, Sendak, and Pinkney, and Keats and Burton; and realized that much of the best of art and poetry being produced today could be found between the covers of a children’s book.

Me: I loved the All-of-a-Kind Family books when I was growing up.  When did you first learn about Sydney Taylor (aka Sarah Brenner)?  What was it about her that first grabbed you and made you want to write her story?

Richard: As mentioned, I was not much of a reader as a child, and I didn’t even know the name Sydney Taylor until I won my first Sydney Taylor Award in 2009 for As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom. I then read All of a Kind Family, and immediately fell in love with the stories. After I was lucky enough to win a second Sydney Taylor Gold Medal in 2018 for The Language of Angels, I met Syd’s daughter, Jo Taylor Marshall, who is a fun, accomplished and entertaining person in her own right. She started telling me stories about her Mom and I started writing my book the very next day.

Me: I appreciated your note in the back matter which explained that you derived some of the dialogue from Sarah’s diary and speeches.  Yet you also invented dialogue.  Why is that important to you, to distinguish the nonfiction from the fictional elements in writing a book like this?

Richard: In many of my biographies I put sentences in the mouths of real historical people, to make the story more accessible. I have only 1000 words or so to create a lifetime of experiences on the page, so I sometimes have to “edit” or paraphrase my subject’s speeches, diaries, letters, etc.  I believe that is fair game, but I also believe that the reader has a right to know when I am doing so—that is what “backmatter” is for!

Me: I love that you had such a personal connection to the subject of this book (from winning Sydney Taylor awards for your own books, to interviewing her daughter).  Did you still have to do a lot of research for this story?  Can you tell us a bit about your research process for this story?

Richard: I love research. It is my favorite part of the process, but I also recognize that research can become an excuse for not delving in and doing the actual writing. In this case I read everything Sydney had published, and I was lucky enough to read her unpublished plays, courtesy of Jo. I found speeches Sydney had given in various library databases, and I read all the critical responses I could find. And while I wrote my story before the wonderful adult biography,  From Sarah to Sydney: The Woman Behind All-of-a-Kind Family  by June Cummins and Alexandra Dunietz, was published, Alexandra was kind enough to share it in manuscript so I could double check my facts.

Me: Wow!  I love that.  I had no idea Sydney Taylor was also into dance and theater, gave awards for outstanding children’s literature, or even that her books were among the first Jewish children’s books to become popular with non-Jewish readers.  I never realized how groundbreaking her stories were.  What was it about Sydney’s story that you wanted to share with young readers?

Richard: Sydney lived an amazingly full life, but she also faced disappointment. Her stories were turned down many times before they found a publisher. But she wrote what she needed to, even when her words were out of fashion. She knew that every child, deserved to see themselves represented in books, and she helped to kick open the door to the multicultural movement we see in books today.

Me: Sarah Green’s illustrations in this book are delightful.  I love the color palette and the digital gouache.  It’s such a distinctive look!  Did you have any illustration surprises?  Any favorite illustrations?

Richard: I love how Sarah captured both Sydney’s daily life and her imagination. There are so many great illustrations in this book. I especially love the spread where Sydney (still called Sarah, then) gets her first book as a gift, and envisions herself in all the stories. And the colors in the Martha Graham dance spread are fabulous. 

Me: Any advice for other new picture book writers?

Richard: Nothing that you haven’t heard before.  Read whatever you can and don’t take rejection personally. Many of your favorite books were also rejected numerous times. Most importantly, sit your butt down and start writing. You don’t get to be a concert pianist by waiting for inspiration to strike. Writing is no different.

That is excellent advice.  Thank you for stopping by my blog today Richard.

Dear readers, this book is released into the world tomorrow and shares the life of a very important writer and dreamer.  I definitely related to Sydney, but I also loved learning so many more things about her than I ever knew.  I highly recommend giving this book a read.