Joy Nelkin Wieder is the author and illustrator of the new children's picture book The Mouse Who Loved Latkes. Her other books include The Passover Mouse. She lives in Massachusetts.
Q: What inspired you to create The Mouse Who Loved Latkes, and how did you create your characters C.J. Mouse and the Katz family?
A: This book began many years ago as an image in my mind of a mouse up on a rafter, looking down at a Jewish family chanting a Hebrew blessing. The mouse is afraid and worries that this strange, new family is trying to put a spell on him.
It evolved into a Hanukkah book about an unlikely friendship between the mouse and a family of cats named Katz! I love word play, so I named the kitten Kitty Katz and the mouse Colby Jack, aka C.J.
Q: The Publishers Weekly review of the book says, “Watercolor- and ink- style illustrations lend a homespun, coloring-book warmth to a congenial cat-and- mouse picture book that honors Judaism’s tradition of holiday hospitality.” What do you think of that description?
A: I love it! While I’ve illustrated other books, such as chapter books and anthologies, this is my first picture book as both author and illustrator, so I’m happy that PW had a positive review of the illustrations as well as the text.
Q: Did you work on the text first or the illustrations first--or both simultaneously?
A: It’s difficult for me to work on text and
illustrations at the same time – maybe it uses a different part of the brain!
But I started with the text, then the illustrations, then back to the text,
then back to the illustrations.
Years ago, I created a dummy (a mock-up of the book) and a few full-color
illustrations. But when it did not receive any offers for publication, I put it
away to focus on other projects. In the meantime, my illustration style evolved
to be more confident and refined.
When I picked up the project again, so many years had
passed that the new dummy was a digital pdf while the original one was Xeroxed
copies on paper!
Q: What do you hope kids take away from the story?
A: I hope kids will understand that just because something is unfamiliar, it doesn’t have to be scary! C.J. learns that the rituals that the Katz family perform for Hanukkah won’t harm him. He ends up enjoying Hanukkah (especially the latkes) and making new friends in the process!
In the tradition of windows and mirrors in children’s literature, I also hope to pass along the celebration of Hanukkah for families who are Jewish (mirrors) and families who aren’t (windows).
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I have a couple of projects in the works, including a board book series that combines Jewish holidays with pre-school concepts. The first book, Hanukkah 1-2-3! A First Counting Book, published in September. The second book will be about Rosh Hashanah and shapes, which is slated for publication in spring 2026 from Abrams Appleseed.
I’m also working with a co-author on a graphic novel
about Stolpersteine, or Stumbling Stones, a non-centralized Holocaust memorial
placed all over Europe. It will be a tribute to my great-grandparents who
perished in the Holocaust titled Remembering Rachael.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: The Mouse Who Loved Latkes is also a tribute to my great-grandparents because I didn’t want them to just be associated with the Holocaust. This is a part of their Jewish identity that can be celebrated! The book is dedicated to them along with my husband who makes the best latkes.
I even included my great-grandparents as an “Easter egg” in the illustrations. I put family photos on the wall of the Katz’s family room. One of the photos is taken from an actual photo of my great-grandparents but for the book, I turned them into cats! See if you can find it.
I’m doing a giveaway for two lucky winners to receive a signed copy of the book! Please enter and let your friends know, too. https://gleam.io/MbBk5/the-mouse-who-loved-latkes-giveaway
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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