Q&A with Nancy Churnin

  

 

Nancy Churnin is the author of the new children's board book Purim Baskets. Her many other books include Rainbow Allies. She lives in the Dallas area.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Purim Baskets, which focuses on the Jewish holiday of Purim?

 

A: Credit goes to PJ Publishing, the wonderful publisher that asked me to pitch them an idea for a Jewish board book, and my cat, Gloria Swanson. I have always loved the tradition of giving shalach manot – gift baskets – to friends and family on Purim. I also try to stay in Gloria’s good graces by slipping cats into my books whenever possible.

 

And then I had it. Gloria is family – shouldn’t she get a Purim basket, too? And what about other animal, bird, and fish friends? Wouldn’t it be fun, I thought, to make it a guessing game, where kids guess which creature a basket is for based on the contents? I enjoyed the challenge, too, of turning it into a rhyming guessing game with the rhyme giving an additional hint for the correct answer.

 

Q: How did you choose the animals to include in the story?

 

A: The cat was a must because of Gloria (I also have a cat named Toby, but he doesn’t care about things like this). And so was the dog because I have a dog – named Dog. I was trying to feature animals that might be pets or at least be familiar to toddlers. I initially had more creatures, but I needed to trim to five to fit the 10-page five-spread format for PJ Publishing board books.

 

Confession: I was so sad about cutting one of my Purim basket recipients, a snail, that I wrote a whole new story for him, centered around a different holiday. I’m happy to share that Snail’s Perfect Passover, illustrated by Alianna Rozentsveig, will be released by Kalaniot Books in 2027.

 

Q: What do you think Amy Schimler-Safford's illustrations add to the book?

 

A: Amy’s illustrations are gifts, just like the gifts in the Purim baskets! They are soft and sweet and glow with gentle wonder and whimsy. You can feel the love for the creatures in every brushstroke.

 

I love Amy’s art so much that I asked her if I could have a print of her spread with all the Purim baskets. She kindly sent it to me. I have it framed in my home. It gives me so much joy. I know her art will give the children so much joy, too.

 

Q: What do you hope kids take away from the story?

 

A: I hope it inspires kids to remember their pets and animals in shelter with kindness and gifts on Purim and every day. I have been working with a Jewish organization in California that is using Purim Baskets in a program with an animal shelter where kids will make baskets of gifts for the animals. I would love to see this wonderful program spread and will do everything I can to support it.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m very proud to share that The Miracle Menorah of Mariupol, inspired by the true story of a community menorah discovered miraculously intact the day before Hanukkah in 2022, in the rubble of what had been a synagogue in war-torn Ukraine, will be out Sept. 1, illustrated by Marissa Moss for Creston Books.

 

In the midst of despair, a Ukrainian helper lit the lights in the menorah for the eight nights of Hanukkah, just as he had done in happier times, uniting everyone in hope that they would be together, one day, rejoicing again – even those scattered far and wide, too far away to see them in person.

  

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I have four books coming out in 2027. Snail’s Perfect Passover is about a snail whose plan for a perfect Passover goes awry – or does it? -- when an unexpected guest arrives. It is illustrated by Alianna Rozentsveig for Kalaniot Books, which is distributed by Simon & Schuster.

 

We Thank Our Trees, a Tu B’shvat story about the diversity of our trees and the many gifts they give us, illustrated by Bindy James, will launch from Kar-Ben Publishing, an imprint of Lerner Books.

 

1000 Red Stitches is a picture book about Robert Yano, who was sent as a teenager to an internment camp for Japanese Americans during World War II, and proved his love for his country by serving in the 442nd “Go for Broke” battalion, the most decorated military unit in the U.S. Kathryn Otoshi is illustrating for Creston Books, which is distributed by Lerner Books.

 

Diana with an ‘ee,’ co-authored with my friend Diana Serna Aguilera, is the true story of the courageous walkout Diana Serna and her friends organized for Chicano rights at her Crystal City High School in Texas. It is illustrated by Sergio D. Robleto, with bilingual text, published by Lil’ Libros, which is distributed by Simon & Schuster.

 

Thank you so much for hosting me and sharing Purim Baskets joy on your fabulous blog, Deborah!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Nancy Churnin.