famil focus

Just A Phone Call Away

Children's book shows the bond
forged with far-away family.

Shelli Liebman Dorfman

Contributing Writer

W

hen Sheryl Chaye Kohl reads
a special book to her grand-
children, it's not only with
words created for them, but is one she
wrote, in many ways, about them.
Kohl titled her book My Telephone
Savta, using the Hebrew word for "grand-
ma',' the name her grandchildren call her.
Like many grandparents, Kohl of
Southfield lives in a different city than
her grandchildren,
and she keeps a spe-
cial bond with them
through letters, occa-
sional visits — and
regular phone calls.
Geared toward
children ages 3-7,
the book's story is
narrated by a young
girl named Brooke
(named after Kohl's
eldest grandchild)
who explains what
it means to have a
grandma who lives
far away, and how she
and her siblings still
maintain a close rela-
tionship with her.
Kohl, who enjoys
reading to her grand-
children and buying
them books, wrote My
Telephone Savta when
she couldn't find other
books that said what she wanted to say.
"I lived far from them and, in my excur-
sions to bookstores, I kept looking for a
book about grandparents who live far
away:' she said. "I never found one. One
day I realized that if I wanted that sort of
book, I would have to write it myself'
Kohl's grandchildren Brooke, 7, Lizzie,
5, Samantha, 3, and Nathan, 1, live in
New Jersey; Yisroel, 5, Shira, 3, and
Ilana, 1, are in Maryland; and 2-year-old
Kinneret and 4-month-old Nedivah live
in Illinois.
The cleverly written, sometimes
humorous book also can be enjoyed
by other children who learn about
this type of long-distance connection
through Brooke and her family.
"The first edition was typed as a
Word document, and I pasted in photos
of the grandchildren and some clip art
as illustrations," Kohl said. "They loved
it! At some point, I sent the manu-
script to an artist friend of mine, Elise

We buy it

Goldberg, in Brooklyn, asking if she
would collaborate with me so that we
could get it published."
Goldberg's charming, colorful illus-
trations depict scenes with exceptional
detail uncommon to many children's
books.
Conversations between Savta and
the children are portrayed in a realistic
manner, with the phone often put on
speaker so everyone can participate.
Topics are common to a family who talk
often, like updates on school and details
of the kids' artwork.
A question about a
song turns into Savta
and Brooke sing-
ing together on the
phone and talking
about where Savta
learned the tune.
"The characters
look suspiciously like
me and three of my
grandchildren," said
Kohl, who teaches
English, is yearbook
adviser, Gap Year
guidance counselor
and organizer of the
Israel Program for
seniors at Frankel
Jewish Academy in
West Bloomfield.
Savta is a teacher,
too.
In the book, Savta
pays a visit, bring-
ing what the kids
call "Savta toys" that their dad played
with as a kid. Also, a lesson is taught
by Brooke and Savta as they look at
the distance between their homes on a
puzzle of the United States.
This is Kohl's first children's book; but
she has been published in newspapers,
magazines and education journals; she
even had letters to the editor published
twice in Newsweek. She is planning a
second children's book and two adult
non-fiction ones.
Kohl said her grandchildren are
thrilled with the book.
"They make comments about the
story line, and they look for the small
details in the illustrations;' she said.
"They love when I read it."

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Detroit Jewish News

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To purchase My Telephone Savta,
go to www.Xlibris.com or email
Kohl at chayekohl®aol.com . Cost:
$18/hardcover; $12/softcover, if
purchased directly from Kohl.

RESTAURANT
714ZERIA

June 14 Q 2012

107