Pamela Ehrenberg was only a kindergarten student at Pikesville’s Summit Park Elementary when she first became aware of the dynamic relationship between the writer and the reader.
“One of my earliest memories was when we would have parent volunteers come into our classroom. We would dictate the stories we created,” she says. “I remember sharing my story with the class, and all these kids were listening. At the end of my story, somebody stood up and shouted, ‘… Because the witch ate everyone.’ And that wasn’t at all what I intended to happen [at the story’s conclusion].
“It was a pivotal moment for me as a young, emerging writer,” Ehrenberg says, “the idea that I could create the story, but it was really only when the story interacted with a reader that it achieved its full meaning.”
That realization stayed with Ehrenberg, a Washington, D.C.-based author of seven children’s books, and informs all of her works.
Her latest book, “The See-You-Soon Spice Box” (Kar-Ben Publishing), is about a youngster named Silas and his great-grandmother, Faye. Silas and Faye live far away from each other but stay in touch weekly via Zoom.
On one of their calls, Faye tells Silas about the observance of Havdalah and how the ceremony separates Shabbat from the rest of the week. She shows him a Havdalah spice box made by his great-grandfather.
Silas decides he wants his own personalized spice box, and he and his father make one together. From then on, Silas and his Faye observe Havdalah together on Zoom calls.
The story culminates with an in-person visit when Faye, Silas, his brother and his dad – who is a single parent – observe Havdalah together.
Illustrated by Gabby Grant, “The See-You-Soon Spice Box” is geared toward readers ages 4-7. Ehrenberg says she didn’t initially set out to be a children’s writer.
“I was seeing the only path to being a writer was serious literary fiction for adults. I was thinking this is where my voice had to fit in,” she says. “Then, during my time at [the University of Pennsylvania], a professor sent back a manuscript to me and said, ‘This sounds like the first chapter of a young people’s novel.’ I thought, ‘Wow, all these kids’ books I still enjoyed reading into my 20s — that’s a thing people do.’ It hadn’t really clicked for me that there were actual people out there writing those books. That was mind-blowing.”
“The See-You-Soon Spice Box” is currently under consideration for recommendation by PJ Library, a national program that sends free Jewish books to young families every month.
Several of Ehrenberg’s other books — such as “Queen of the Hanukkah Dosas” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) and “Detour Ahead” (PJ Publishing) — are already highlighted PJ Library selections.
Ehrenberg says PJ Library has been a “gamechanger” in the Jewish ‘kid-lit’ genre because the organization has enabled quality children’s books to be published through an alternative funding source, as opposed to traditional publishing companies.
Not all of Ehrenberg’s books are overtly Jewish, but most have at least a Jewish character or a Jewish sensibility.
“My first novel was ‘Ethan, Suspended’ back in 2007, and it was featured on a [Jewish children’s literature-themed] podcast called ‘The Book of Life,’” she says. “The title of that episode was funny – ‘That Book Doesn’t Look Jewish.’ I think Jewish readers connected with that book [and felt], ‘These are Jewish characters. This is a Jewish family. This is a Jewish story.’ But it was kind of under the surface. I don’t think most non-Jewish readers thought it was a Jewish story.”
Later in her writing career, Ehrenberg discovered a vibrant community of Jewish children’s authors and illustrators. She says she recognized there is a market for Jewish stories told by Jewish authors.
“It’s validating as a writer when somebody’s in a position to publish something, and they’re interested in publishing something that I’m capable of writing,” she says.
Currently, Ehrenberg says she has many writing projects on the horizon.
“I’ve been working on a middle-grade book over the last couple of days, and I have some picture books that are in various states,” she says. “Over the past year, I started working on my first play for adults. We’ll see if that goes anywhere. It’s helpful to keep the creative muscles going, to have different projects going so when one gets stuck, there’s something else or multiple [projects] to work on.”
She’s hopes that “The See-You-Soon Spice Box” leads to some interactive, intergenerational programming and discourse.
“I think I’ve become more appreciative of how books can actually impact real people in real time,” Ehrenberg says.
For information, visit pamelaehrenberg.com.
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