Tami Lehman-Wilzig
Born in the United States, Tami Lehman-Wilzig moved to Israel in 1977. Tami holds a B.A. in English Literature and a M.S. in Communications (Boston University). Today, she is one of Israel’s leading English-language advertising copywriters. Known for her expertise in the food industry, Tami works with many of Israel’s leading food exporters and has authored two cookbooks: The Melting Pot and A Taste of Egypt. During her off work hours, Tami writes children’s stories. Her first book, Hlik Lak, was published in Hebrew by Yediot Ahranot in 1996. In 2003 Kar-Ben (a division of Lerner Publishing), published Tasty Bible Stories. In January 2004, Kar-Ben published her second book with them: Keeping The Promise. The idea to write Tasty Bible Stories came to Tami through her joint love of studying the Bible and writing about food. With so many scenarios in the Bible revolving around provisions and feasts, she decided to bring the Bible alive by creating an enjoyable, reader-friendly book for kids and parents that offers quality time both in the reading room and the kitchen. Tami was inspired to write Keeping The Promise the day after the Columbia space shuttle’s launching, when she read the YNET story on the torah scroll that Ilan Ramon took with him into outer space. Keeping The Promise is the recipient of a 2005 International Reading Association (IRA) Teachers’ Choice Award. Married to a university professor and the mother of two grown boys, Tami lives in Petach Tikva, a suburb of Tel Aviv.
Interview
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
Several: All time favorite: Madeline. As a beginner reader, I loved The Cat in the Hat and I gobbled up the entire Nancy Drew series.
What’s your favorite line from a book?
The first page from The Cat in the Hat: “The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house, All that cold, cold, wet day.”
Who are your top three favorite authors or illustrators?
Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, Carolyn Keene.
Why did you want to become an author or illustrator?
I had the writing bug ever since I was in third grade and a big fan of the Nancy Drew series. The summer between 3rd and 4th grades I wrote my first “book”: The Secret of the Green Eyes.
Do you have any advice for future authors or illustrators?
I had the writing bug ever since I was in third grade and a big fan of the Nancy Drew series. The summer between 3rd and 4th grades I wrote my first “book”: The Secret of the Green Eyes.
