Finalist for the National Jewish Book Award for Family Literature, "A Hanukkah Present" is a collection of eleven multigenerational tales and a novella. Whether you spell it with an H or a Ch, these stories will be enjoyed by families of every background. Learn the origin of "The Chanukah Present" Written by award-winning author and storyteller Mark Binder, these stories include "The Lethal Latkes" (mentioned in the New York Times), the Challah that Ate Chelm, and many more.
Mark Binder was born in 1962 in Newton, MA -- but he never lived there. Instead, he's lived in Cambridge, Boston, Washington, London, New York City, San Antonio, and now Providence, RI.
Mark's latest book is STORIES FOR PEACE - resolving conflicts / handling bullies. It combines Mark's 20 years of martial arts experience and storytelling.
He has been writing stories for children and adults for more than 20 years. His work regularly appears in Cricket Magazine. Mark believes that reading and storytelling are critical to children's development of literacy skills. Mark performs at festivals, theaters, libraries, schools, synagogues, churches, community centers, and many other venues around the United States.
More than 200 of his stories for young and old have been published in magazines, anthologized in books, and used on standardized tests. THE BED TIME STORY BOOK collection is a multigenerational masterpiece now in its seventh edition. A HANUKKAH PRESENT was the finalist for the National Jewish Book Award for Family Literature. His first novel, The Brothers Schlemiel was published in a beautifully illustrated hardback edition. His "auto-biographical" collection, IT ATE MY SISTER is humorous and fun for kids and adults with a sense of humor. Mark is also the author of novel, THE BROTHERS SCHLEMIEL.
His parody, THE RATIONALIZATION DIET was recently re-released in an expanded edition ebook.
Mark's books and audio recordings have won numerous awards. His educational performances in school and library settings draw raves from students, faculty, administrators and parents. In addition to a vast repertoire of entertaining and educational stories, he has the unique ability to read a room and instantly adjust the program based on the age range of the audience present. His workshops are transformative. He transmits joy through language and story.
He is the founder of the American Story Theater, and has taught a college course in "Telling Lies" at the Rhode Island School of Design.
He holds a third degree black belt in Aikido, the martial art for peace. He currently practices centering and yoga. In his spare time he bakes bread and makes pizza.
