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January 23, 2004/Tevet 29 5764, Vol. 56, No. 18
Children's author
Winter resident pens several books
BETH OLSON
Staff Writer
Beverly Geller, a winter resident of Sun City West and author of four Judaic children's books, displays her work at the Beth Emeth Congregation Gift Shop.
Photo courtesy of Irma Epstein
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Beth Emeth Congregation's Gift Shop in Sun City West carries a selection of Judaic children's books. While that's not unusual for a synagogue gift shop, the fact that four of the books were written by a West Valley winter resident is.
Beverly Geller, a winter resident of Sun City West, has written four titles about Jewish customs "The Mitzvah Girl: A Story of Purim" (Gefen Books, $12.95 hardcover), "The Upsherin: Ephraim's First Haircut" (Cis Communications, $8.95 hardcover), "The Shalom Zachar at Nachum's House" (Cis Communications, $8.95 hardcover) and "The Mystery of the Missing Pitom" (Gefen Books, $12.95 hardcover).
While each book explores Torah values, there is an additional underlying message in each story. "They all have secondary themes," explains Geller. " 'The (Mystery of the) Missing (Pitom)' is a Sukkot story, but the underlying message is a child shouldn't be afraid to tell a parent if he thinks he's done something wrong. 'The Shalom Zachar' is the story of an older child's jealousy at the new baby."
Geller says that having Israeli grandchildren led her to write the books, which are published in English and have Hebrew and Yiddish glossaries.
"The way they observe the customs and holidays inspired me to write them," she recalls.
Geller and her husband, Sam, are the parents of three children and grandparents to eight. They have been to Israel 34 times to visit their daughter and five grandchildren.
Geller has also had published a Spanish/English title for children that is used in schools, as well as several poems. She is currently in the process of trying to get a book of poetry published.
"Poetry is very hard to get published," she says.
Writing is a late-life career for Geller, who says she had careers as a registered nurse and as an interior designer before she went back to school to get her master's degree in English after she had turned 60.
"I took courses in children's writing because that's what I always wanted to do," she says.
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