Is there anything Ann Koffsky doesn’t do? She writes, illustrates and is an editor and art director for Apples & Honey Press, which is part of Behrman House.
Ann has written and/or illustrated more than 30 books with Jewish characters and themes — some of them PJ Library selections and one, Noah’s Swim-A-Thon, which is both a PJ Library election and a Sydney Taylor Notable. She’s also unafraid to tackle contentious themes. You may associate Hanukkah books with latkes, laughs and gentle little lessons. But Ann’s Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor takes a different, bold approach. Inspired by the Hanukkah story of the warrior, Judah Maccabee who fought to reclaim and restore the Temple for the Jewish people, Ann marches into a contentious area — vaccination — to tell the story of a little boy named Judah who does a brave thing to protect his little sister.
With Hanukkah approaching, I was delighted to have Ann come to talk to us about Judah Maccabbee Goes to the Doctor and more. Welcome, Ann!
What was your inspiration for Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor?
In my community, there was an incident where a family was refusing to vaccinate their child. They made the argument that it was against their religion—Judaism—to vaccinate, and that struck me as utterly strange and a huge distortion. Judaism so strongly advocates for protecting our health! And that was the inspiration—I thought: I’ll write a kids book that highlights the JEWISH value of protecting our health—shamir et nafshecha.
What was the journey like for this book? Did Judah find a home right away?
Remarkable—and this doesn’t always happen!—yes. Apples and Honey Press loved the story, and chose to publish it. After its publication, it got lots of enthusiastic press from the Washington Post, Tablet Magazine, Kveller, and many others, especially in response to some exciting attacks from the antivax community. (For fun, check out the negative reviews the book it has received on its on the amazon page…it was quite... interesting.)
Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor by Ann Koffsky, illustrated by Talitha Shipman (Apples & Honey Press)
You are an illustrator as well as a writer, but you didn’t illustrate this book. How did it feel to see Talitha Shipman’s images? Were they what you imagined? Did they surprise you?
Talitha did a beautiful job with it. I’m not sure they surprised me, because we carefully chose her style as the perfect, upbeat approach for the book. But they did delight me—especially her depiction of the little sister spitting her cereal at her big brother, Judah!
Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor by Ann Koffsky, illustrated by Talitha Shipman (Apples and Honey Press)
Can you tell us about some of your other popular books, including PJ Library selections Kayla and Kugel’s Almost Perfect Passover, Noah’s Swim-A-Thon and Shabbat Shalom, Hey?
The Kayla and Kugel Series was inspired by the legendary Sammy Spider; I wanted to create a set of stories that introduced the holidays to young kids in warm, friendly way. So Kugel the dog was born! K&K have already celebrated Shabbat and Passover, and I am working on Hanukkah right now, which should be out for Hanukah 2020.
Noah’s Swim-A-Thon is about a boy who shows courage, and overcomes his fear of swimming to be able to participate in the camp swimathon, and Shabbat Shalom Hey is the illustrated version of that classic song.
Noah’s Swim-A-Thon by Ann Koffsky (Apples & Honey Press)
Please tell us about your latest, Creation Colors — another book that you wrote and illustrated.
I am SO proud of this one. It's a retelling of the story of Creation, and I used my paper cut art to illustrate it. I think it includes some of the best art I’ve ever made., plus it has a message of inclusion that I think is both a unique and authentic way to tell the story.
Creation Colors by Ann Koffsky (Apples and Honey Press)
You and I are among the group of women who have founded the Book Meshuggenahs. Please share what made you want to be part of this group. What’s the most important part of the mission to you?
To have other creative friends! To me, that was the most important reason for being a part of the group. Learning from other Creative Jewish women, and sharing our successes, working together is so meaningful.
Kayla and Kugel by Ann Koffsky (Apples and Honey Press)
What are you most looking forward to this Hanukkah? Any special celebrations or treats planned?
Time with family! That’s always the best treat.
Thank you so much for spending time with me on The Kids Are All Write, Ann! Is there anything you’d like to add?
You can let you readers know that I create free Jewish coloring pages for kids, and they can download them from my website at www.annkoffsky.com/ blog, and, if they ask to be placed on my mailing list, they’ll get an email with them as I create new ones. Thank you so much for hosting me here! It was fun.
You can also visit Ann on:
instagram: @JewishArtbyAnn
Pinterest: @JewishArtbyAnn
Twitter: @JewishArtbyAnn
Facebook: Ann Koffsky