Sulamith Ish-Kishor (1896–1977)

Sulamith Ish-Kishor was born in London, England, one of eight children in an Anglo-Jewish family. Her father Ephraim Ish-Kishor was a well-known writer of Jewish children's literature and an early Zionist leader. Her older sister Judith Ish-Kishor also became a writer. Sulamith began writing as a small child and published several poems in British publications by age 10. When she was 13, the family emigrated to the USA, settling in New York City. She attended Hunter College, where she studied languages and history. She contributed stories to national magazines, including The New Yorker, The Saturday Review, and Reader's Digest; her 1943 romantic short story "Appointment with Love" is now considered a classic. She became a prolific author of fiction and nonfiction books for children, with her finest works being published in the 1960s. A Boy of Old Prague (1963) was named an American Library Association Notable Book, and was a popular selection of the Scholastic Book Club. Our Eddie (1969) won the Association of Jewish Libraries Children’s Book Award and was a 1970 Newbery Honor Book.