Welcome back, Ann! I’m delighted to feature my friend and critique partner, Ann D. Koffsky, on the blog again! Ann has several books out this September! She will discuss the inspiration for them all, sharing about stories, creativity, and connection. Congratulations, and take it away, Ann!
1) STORIES – Discuss the inspiration for your ideas and stories, and share the process about your latest projects.
Ok so this is a bit UNBELIEVABLE. I have FOUR books coming out in September, so for this question, I’ve got FOUR different answers for you!
THE THREE LITTLE SHEEP – There was one year that we had built our own family Sukkah—and the very next day, there was a storm and the wind was so strong that it blew the whole thing down. It reminded me of the three little pigs, and the wolf huffing and puffing, and blowing homes down…and I had that AHA! moment. What if the wolf blew Sukkahs down?
KAYLA AND KUGEL’S SUPER SWEET ROSH HASHANAH is the sixth book in the series about a girl and her dog. So the idea for it really originated for me a zillion years ago, when I was watching my daughter play with her tea set, setting foods up, over and over. Watching her “set the table” gave me the idea to have a girl set the table, and get ready for Shabbat. And all the Kayla and Kugel books now do the same, showing Kayla, and her adorable dog Kugel, getting ready preparing for each holiday.
MY SHOFAR is a little board book, that shows a toddler elephant struggling to blow a shofar, with her Mom helping out. It also goes through the classic toddler concepts of loud and quiet. This idea came from the sound of the shofar itself—sounds a bit like an elephant! So wouldn’t it be funny if an elephant struggled with making that sound?
FAIRY GODBUBBIE’s SHABBAT was inspired by the book 24/6: Giving up Screens One Day a Week to Get More Time, Creativity, and Connection by Tiffany Shlain. Shlain detailed the struggle our culture is going through about disconnecting from screens, and suggested an ancient remedy: Shabbat. Or put another way: a digital Sabbath. I found her suggestions super compelling, and wanted to share the same idea with young children…and so Fairy Godbubbie, who comes and magiclly shuts down the screens, was born.
The upshot is that, for me, every book idea comes from very different places.
2) CREATIVITY — How do you showcase your creative side through writing/illustrating and other pursuits?
I think making books showcases my creative side pretty well! I also love making my free Jewish coloring pages that you can find on my website.
3) CONNECTION — How do you connect to your young readers through your writing/illustrating, and how do you stay connected to the KidLit community?
I stay connected to my young readers in many ways including through wonderful school visits. And I stay connected to the KidLit community through social media, and writing groups like ours. Connecting with students as well as other writers is a pleasure!
ANN’S BIO:
Ann Diament Koffsky is the author and illustrator of more than 50+ Jewish books for kids, including PING PONG SHABBAT (Little Bee) the KAYLA AND KUGEL series (Apples and Honey Press), The THREE LITTLE SHEEP ( Greenbean), and The FAIRY GODBUBBIE (Intergalactic Afikoman). She also creates free, Jewish coloring pages which you can sign up to receive at annkoffsky.com.
CONNECT WITH ANN:
On Facebook, Insta, Twitter, and Linkedin: @annkoffsky
Substack: Coloring Jewish
Website: annkoffsky.com