Call Me Gebyanesh

Arlene Rosenfeld Schenker grew up in New York City. After receiving a degree in Child Development from Cornell University, she taught primary school in Brooklyn and then attended New York University Law School, receiving a Juris Doctor degree. Following a short career as an attorney, she worked as a divorce mediator and then committed her time to mentoring children, volunteering, community activism, and raising her two children. A book reviewer for the Sydney Taylor Shmooze blog, she is thrilled to debut as a picture book author with Call Me Gebyanesh. She has lived in Rochester, NY for 40 years. Gebyanesh Addisu immigrated with her family from Ethiopia to Israel when she was a child. Call Me Gebyanesh, her debut book, was based on her experiences in school. She graduated with honors from Hebrew University and is now completing her masters degree at Hebrew University in History (2024). She lives in Jerusalem, Israel. Chiara Fedele was born in Milan, where she attended art school and received a degree in Illustration at La Scuola del Fumetto. She has worked as a freelance illustrator since 2004 for Italian and international publishers. She uses a combination of mixed traditional media and digital art. She currently lives outside Milan with her family and pets.

"Call Me Gebyanesh is based on the life expe­ri­ences of Gebyanesh Addisu who, with coau­thor Arlene Rosen­feld Schenker, shares her sto­ry of strug­gling to fit into Israeli soci­ety as an immi­grant from Ethiopia.For young Gebyanesh, every­thing in Israel is dif­fer­ent from the home she left — the food, the smells, the sounds, and even her name! On the first day of school, Gebyanesh’s teacher decides that her name is too dif­fi­cult to pro­nounce and declares her Rakhel. This col­or­ful­ly illus­trat­ed book then pro­ceeds to share Gebyanesh’s chal­lenges in her new home. She reflects, “‘I’m so dif­fer­ent from the Israeli kids. I know we’re all Jew­ish, but I look dif­fer­ent, my lunch­es are dif­fer­ent, and every­thing in Israel is dif­fer­ent! I do love my name, and I don’t like pre­tend­ing that I’m Rakhel when I’m Gebyanesh on the inside!’”Ulti­mate­ly, Gebyanesh stands up to her teacher and asserts her iden­ti­ty. She teach­es us all the impor­tance of being true to yourself.This high­ly rec­om­mend­ed book can be appre­ci­at­ed for the pieces of Ethiopi­an cul­ture woven into its words and illus­tra­tions, and for its poten­tial as a valu­able spring­board for dis­cus­sions about iden­ti­ty with chil­dren. It’s sure to res­onate with any­one who has ever felt out of place — and who hasn’t?" —Jewish Book CouncilMoving is never easy, and arriving from Ethiopia, Gebyanesh feels the full weight of her new school in Israel on the very first day. While she shares her Jewish heritage with the other students, everything else about her seems to be different, from her food to her name. Initially, the adjustment from her former home to that in Israel is more challenging than she could imagine, but with bravery and support from loved ones, Gebyanesh is able to stand up for herself and embrace the things that make her unique. While this story takes place in Israel, it is a familiar experience for many people who have had to leave one country for another. This book thoughtfully presents Gebyanesh’s story in a way that is accessible to young children of myriad backgrounds. Best suited to early elementary school-aged readers due to the complexity of its narrative, the book can be enjoyed both in classrooms and in home settings. Colorful illustrations capture the attention as the longer narrative is read aloud, and youth all over the world are sure to recognize this story, no matter which side of it they happen to be on.VERDICT What an unusual, subtle addition to a familiar conflict; this will be a good fit for collections that support social-emotional learning in early elementary students." —School Library Journal