05 Mar HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO Rachelle Burk and SPACE TORAH: Astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman’s Cosmic Mitzvah!

EL: I am thrilled to welcome fellow Book Meshuggenah, Rachelle Burk to Writing Outside the Lines today. I have to say that I am extra excited about her newest book, SPACE TORAH: ASTRONAUT JEFFREY HOFFMAN’S COSMIC MITZVAH because of its Houston connection. Living here, I have known about the Space Torah and Jeffrey Hoffman for years, but this book explains so much more than I knew and does it in a child-friendly way without ever talking down to its readers.   Rachelle’s writing and Craig Orback’s gorgeous illustrations make this book one that should be in every classroom. It’s inspiring, uplifting, and informative.

Welcome, Rachelle! Can you tell us more about SPACE TORAH and what brought you to this story?

RB: I wanted to write a unique Jewish-themed book that would be fun and adventurous. In 2020 I learned about soon-to-be released documentary about Astronaut Hoffman reading from a miniature Torah in space in 1996 on his 5th and final mission. I contacted the executive producer of the film, Rachel Raz, who was excited about the idea of a picture book, and she put me in touch with the astronaut. I interviewed Dr. Hoffman by phone, but it was when I met him in person in a Boston coffee shop that he offered to write the afterword in the book!

My book launch was a dream come true! I just returned from 2 days in Washington DC where I participated in events with the film producer and the astronaut.  I was in the NASA Goddard Space Center where groups of school kids, NASA employees, and the public came for screenings of the documentary followed by Q&A with Jeff Hoffman. And I was there signing my books! I even signed a book for Charles Bolden, the former head of NASA!

EL: That is incredible! You have a huge body of work. Not many people slip as seamlessly as you do between fun fiction and a serious nonfiction book. A good example of this is SPACE TORAH and the upcoming MATZAH BALL CHASE. Can you tell us a bit about how you do this? And please tell us a little about MATZAH BALL CHASE.

RB: When I started writing I had no interest in writing nonfiction, but I expanded my repertoire after stumbling upon many fascinating true stories and fun nonfiction topics. Now I bounce back and forth between fiction and nonfiction depending on what moves me.

Speaking of bouncing, writing  Matzah Ball Chase really was a ball of fun (no pun intended)! I was reminded of the old camp song “On Top Of Spaghetti” and thought, what if it was a matzah ball that rolled away instead of a meatball? The funny rhyming story takes the reader through historic and cultural sites in Israel as the mischievous, bouncing matzah ball is chased by more and more people along the way.

EL: That sounds like a fun book! Do you have anything else in the pipeline you can talk about?

RB: Oh yes! I have other Jewish and secular picture books coming out this year and next. A Mitzvah for George Washington (Creston Books, Oct 2024) is historical fiction. Passover on Everest (Intergalactic Afikoman Publishing, March 2025) is a biography of a Jewish mother-daughter team who claimed the Seven Summits and had a seder on Everest.

I also have a sensitive picture book that honors those who became organ donors after death. It is the only book of its kind and will be used to help children whose lives have been affected by organ donation or transplantation (the illustrator is an organ transplant recipient). Funded by the New Jersey Sharing Network Foundation, the book will be released in time for Donate Life month in April.

EL: Thank you for writing that. Readers, you can find Rachelle’s books at your favorite online store, and

please visit her at rachelleburk.com

I can personally tell you that if you are a children’s author, you should check out Rachelle’s site at  www.ResourcesForChildrensWriters.com. 

You’ll find hundreds of links in over 30 helpful categories, for authors at any stage of their writing career. It was listed several years in Writer’s Digest Magazine’s annual list of Best Websites For Writers.  This is Rachelle’s gift to all of us!

Thanks for visiting with us, Rachelle! I can’t wait to see all of these new books!

On another note,  I invite readers to look at other parts of my website and learn a bit about my work and other authors.

Until next time,

Ellen