Q&A with Carol Matas

 

 

 

Carol Matas is the author of the new children's picture book Kai and the Golem. Her many other books include Zevi Takes the Spotlight. She lives in Winnipeg. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write Kai and the Golem?

 

A: I wanted to write a book for my grandchildren about bad days. We all know we have bad days and no one has written a better book for children about it than Judith Viorst in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. (What a great title!)

 

The question for my book is why? Why do we have horrible terrible very bad days? Kai is having one of those days in this book, so he tries to figure out why.

 

The only explanation he can come up with is that there must be a monster who wrecks things just for fun. Since Kai happens to be a reading a book about Golems, he calls this monster Golem. (Even though it isn’t one!)

 

As the book progresses, Kai realizes that he has some power over his day. Maybe the day isn’t going exactly as planned but he can make the best of it! You can see in the illustrations that Golem shrinks when Kai is doing his best and grows larger when Kai is not.

 

Q: What do you think Elisa Vavouri’s illustrations add to the book?

 

A: Elisa has imbued the story with old-world charm. I love her depiction of Kai and her Golem is very cuddly once you get to know him better. In fact, my writer friend Joanne Levy made the most amazing Golem replica for me out of felt! It lives in my office now and watches over everything!

 

Q: Did you need to do any research to write the book, and if so, did you learn anything that especially surprised you?

 

A: I didn’t have to do any research for this book so that saved me some time. But the million revisions made up for that.

 

In the early drafts, Bubbe wasn’t part of the story but Deborah Kerbel, who mentored me in picture book writing, pressed me on what would make Kai be so miserable. After all, things happen daily that kids would prefer were otherwise! So why now?

 

It occurred to me that a sick grandparent would be deeply unsettling for a young child, especially for Kai because we see that Bubbe is part of his everyday life. When early illustrations came in, there was a much older Bubbe, but I requested that she be younger and I hope the ending shows that it will all work out.

Q: What role do you see the golem playing in the story?

 

A: Golem was not in the original story. The original book was called Kai and the Wrecker. Joni Sussman, the former publisher at Kar-Ben, was convinced that Golem, or a Golem, would be more meaningful for Jewish kids than a “wrecker” so I worked Golem in as a Jewish wrecker!

 

I think it’s important that Kai makes friends with Golem in the end. When we fight our demons, they only get stronger. If we acknowledge them and even befriend them as another part of ourselves, neither good or bad, or sometimes good, sometimes bad, we can move through life in a healthy and happier way.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Right now, I am working on a sequel to Zevi Takes the Spotlight, a novel about a Jewish teen who happens to be psychic. It was set in the world of film and acting. The sequel is set at a summer camp for psychic kids. All is well until some campers start to go missing. It’s a fun story. I also have a number of picture books on the go and I am focusing on them as well.

 

At the same time as Kai and the Golem comes out in both the US and Canada, I have a novel releasing with Scholastic Canada in September called A Storm Unleashed. Set in 1935 Berlin, it follows Mia, a Jewish girl, her father, and her beloved dog, as the Nazi regime destroys democracy and Mia’s family are faced with a fascist, antisemitic, enemy within. We are hoping to sell it into the U.S. soon.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I started writing for two reasons. The first was to give young people the same thrilling experience I had when reading my favourite authors, like Frank Baum who wrote the Wizard of Oz books.

 

I wanted to write about things that would be new and fresh to them, something that would speak to their imaginations. Underneath that I always explore a more serious question or theme. And this book is no different.

 

The main goal for me is to create a fun, entertaining read so that kids just want to keep reading. The second is to raise a question, and if the reader wants to, they can mull it over. I just hope young readers will enjoy it!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Carol Matas.