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Chat with a Local Author: Ketzi Toney
November 28, 2023 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Chat with a Local Author Ketzi Toney
We will have local author Ketzi Toney reading her children storybook The Onion Bird in the library. The author will then give background of how the story came to be written.
Date: November 28th
Time: 10:00am
Location: R.H. Johnson Library
Onion Bird
The story is about a very unique regional custom from Alsace – Lorraine, France, regarding a sukkah decoration. Sukkot is the Jewish week-long fall harvest holiday, during which time a temporary shelter called a sukkah is erected. The purpose of the sukkah is to recall biblical history and the obligation to share our bounty as well as to elicit appreciation for our daily blessings that can so easily be overlooked. The temporary nature of the structure of a sukkah is also a reminder of the frailty of life.
Ketzi Toney is a story teller by nature. She always dreamed of writing children’s books, but it was always on the back burner, not a reality even when she retired. She lives in Sun City West. After COVID she learned of a very unique custom that sparked her interest, and with the encouragement from her friend she outlined the story. It took her on a two year journey to find Elisa Mack, of Salem Oregon, her illustrator and partner to make her dream a reality. Together they have recently self published their first children’s book: The Onion Bird.
A life long Jewish learner and educator, Ms. Toney reports she “couldn’t resist writing this story.” She admits to intentionally trying to subtly infuse information into the story and she also included a section at the back of the book to serve as a resource for parents and teachers as well as to extend the target audience age from Pre-K to 2nd-3rd grade. The Additional Learning Section also has ideas for further engagement.
