The Story Nook by Katalina
Welcome to The Story Nook by Katalina
A place for timeless children’s stories told through animals—or through children discovering who they are. This is where big feelings, quiet wisdom, and imagination live side by side.
Book Club Corner
Book Club Corner is where the story continues, quietly. A space for questions, reflections, and a closer look at why the book was written — and what it’s meant to leave behind.
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Author Q&A with Katalina Klein
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​Q: What inspired you to write this book?
A: This book is dedicated to my father, who filled our childhood with stories of Ladino history, culture, and exile. His reverence for the past—and his belief that we carry pieces of it in us, whether we know it or not—was the seed. I wanted to write a story about what it feels like to uncover something that has always been there, waiting.
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Q: Why did you choose a photograph to unravel the story?
​A: Because photographs don’t explain—they suggest. A photo doesn’t raise its hand and say “look at me.” It waits. I wanted the story to begin with something quiet but loaded, something that could hold a mystery without giving it away. A photograph was the perfect way to start a story about hidden identity—because it invites the reader to look closer, just like the character does.
Q: What message do you want to leave with readers?
A: That identity isn’t always handed to us—it’s sometimes discovered. And that discovery can begin with a photograph, a question, or a name you hear differently one day. The past lives in us whether or not we’re looking for it—but when we do start looking, it has a way of rising to meet us.
Author Q&A with Katalina Klein
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Q: What inspired you to write this book?
A: This book came from a very personal place. I wanted to give voice to the quiet, complicated feelings so many Jewish kids carry—the sense of pride, fear, confusion, and courage that can come with being visibly Jewish in today’s world. I wanted to create something honest that didn’t sugarcoat, but also didn’t give in to despair.
Q: What’s something meaningful about this book?
A: What means the most to me is that the story doesn’t try to resolve the tension—it holds it. Some kids feel joyful in their Jewish identity, others feel uncertain, and many feel both at once. This book creates space for all of those experiences, especially at a time when being openly Jewish can feel risky.
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Q: What message do you want to leave with readers?
A: That you don’t owe anyone an explanation for who you are. Being Jewish today takes courage—not just to feel pride, but to stand up for yourself when it’s uncomfortable or unsafe. Your story is valid even when it’s complicated, and no one else gets to define it for you.