All About Me-Kid Version

Hi, it's me, Rachel, and I'm super excited about my first children's book, Sky High Sukkah.

I wasn't always a writer. In fact, when I was in college, I wanted to be a dancer. When I got older, I became a social worker because I wanted to help my community. After I had children, (their names are Leah and Ari-not a coincidence) I started writing. At first, I would write about food allergies because Ari was allergic to peanuts, tree nuts and eggs. I wrote many articles for newspapers, magazines, and blogs, mostly about recipes for families with allergies.  However, I always had a dream about writing my own children's book.  In fact, Sky High Sukkah didn't start out with that title. It changed FOUR times! It took a long time to find the right home for my book and I'm so glad I had persistence because here I am-FINALLY.

I hope you love reading this book.  Sukkot is my favorite holiday, even more than Chanukah, and if you have a sukkah story of your own, I would love to hear it. Feel free to send me a note and let me know what you think. If you go to my blog, you will get a sneak peek about Al and the story behind his character.

All About Me-Grown-up Version

I have a B.A. in English from City University  New York-Queens College, and an M.S.W. from Yeshiva University, Wurzweiler School of Social Work. Over many years, I worked as a Hebrew school teacher and youth director in New York, followed by Educational management and programming for a variety of  non-profit Jewish organizations such as United Synagogue and Hadassah Women's Organization. Within  the last ten years, I shifted my focus to freelance writing, specifically food allergies and nutrition, a direct correlation to my son's food allergies  and my daughter's Crohn's disease.  Our journey with these autoimmune issues led to certification in nutrition consulting. All throughout  however, I never stopped thinking about writing my children's book . This story has been a labor of love, and it has gone through many transitions, but I am so proud of the final product.  I hope this book will inspire your children to do good deeds, build a community and pursue dreams worth having.