Coming March 6, 2025 from Albert Whitman & Company, from the National Jewish Book Award Winning team of author Nancy Churnin and illustrator Bethany Stancliffe (Dear Mr. Dickens)
Discover the fascinating true story of Jewish immigrants who played a key role in the creation of the beloved teddy bear, connecting their humble Brooklyn candy shop to the President of the United States.
Rose Katz and Morris Michtom grew up in Russia during a period of persecution against Jewish people. Hoping to find kindness and opportunity in another country, they emigrated to the United States, where they got married and opened a candy shop. In 1902, they read a newspaper article about President Theodore Roosevelt sparing a bear on a hunting trip. To the delight of their daughter, Emily, the Michtoms created a small, stuffed version of the animal and named it Teddy's Bear. Before long, this cuddly symbol of one man's act of compassion became a beloved toy that continues to delight children all over the world.
Read the Kirkus Reviews review online here: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/nancy-churnin/a-teddy-bear-for-emilyand-president-roosevelt-too/
Teddy’s Bear almost didn’t make it to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.! In 1963, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the toy, Benjamin Michtom (who was a one-year-old child in A Teddy Bear for Emily, when the bear was created), contacted Kermit Roosevelt, a grandson of T.R. and asked his children to pose with it. Mitchom said he would give the bear to him, with the understanding that it would later be given to the Smithsonian Institution. After the photo shoot, Kermit Roosevelt's children, Mark and Anne Roosevelt, decided they couldn't part with the bear and actually hid it from their parents. A letter from Mrs. Roosevelt to Mr. Michtom said, "I was about to get in touch with the Smithsonian about presenting them with the original bear when the children decided they didn't want to part with it yet." Eventually, however, the children changed their minds, and the bear was given to the Smithsonian in January 1964. Source: The Smithsonian Institute
Come celebrate A TEDDY BEAR FOR EMILY March 8 at 10:30 am at Interabang Books! Bring your favorite Teddy, or take one home from Interabang Books! 5600 West Lovers Lane, Dallas. interabangbooks.com