Authors + illustrators

Bietz-Barbara

Barbara Bietz

When Barbara isn’t reading, she’s probably typing away at her desk, surrounded by her three naughty (but nice) dogs. Sometimes she also does yoga, but, she says, not very well.

Barbara’s chapter book, Like a Maccabee, nabbed the 2006 Midwest Independent Publishers Association Merit Award. And Elizabeth Bird, of the children’s book blog “A Fuse #8 Production,” called Barbara’s The Sundown Kid, “the best Shabbat picture book I’ve ever read.” She is also the creator of the website Jewish Books for Kids and a former chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, which honors exceptional works about the Jewish experience.

Her favorite part about being an author? Visiting schools, meeting young readers, and eating lunch in the cafeteria—especially when it’s grilled cheese day! Barbara lives with her family in Oak Park, California. To discover more about Barbara and the books that she loves, visit her website.