What makes picture books stand out? How do you take a classic tradition, give it a modern twist, and turn it into a picture book an agent and editor will love? What can you do to add authenticity to a story and bridge the gap between the historic and the fanciful? Find out now from the wonderful cast of our third installment in the series, When Picture Books Shine Editors Sign – Teams Tell All, where author, agent, illustrator, and acquisition editor have pulled open the curtain for all of us.

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Today’s special guests plus one little mouse are feverishly working behind the scenes to bring THE PASSOVER MOUSE into the world and place it on store shelves everywhere. This story has been in the works for more than 15 years (albeit thousands of years before that) and it finally found its home with Doubleday Books for Young Readers. Even more, creating this picture book has built friendships nearly 7,000 miles away (read on to know how!).

• Author – Joy Nelkin Wieder @JoyWieder
• Agent – Barbara Krasner @BarbaraKrasner with Olswanger Literary LLC
• Illustrator – Shahar Kober @ShaKober
• Acquisition Editor – Frances Gilbert @GoGirlsGoBooks, Doubleday Books for Young Readers

Author – Joy Nelkin Wieder

How did this idea come to be?

I was doing research about Passover for another book called THE SECRET TUNNEL. While reading the tractate in the Talmud on Passover, I came across a passage about the search for chametz, or leaven. The rabbis debated whether a mouse carrying a piece of bread into a house and then out of the house meant that the house would have to be searched again. The image of a little mouse creating havoc by running around a Jewish village with a piece of bread in its mouth popped into my mind.

What was it like sharing it with other people?

In 2004, I entered my story into a Jewish children’s writing contest, and it won! The prize was submission to two Jewish publishers and two mainstream publishers. I thought I was on my way, but they all turned it down. I was heartbroken and stored it away in my basement until another contest came along for the SCBWI PJ Library Jewish Stories Award in 2018. When it won honorable mention, I was verklempt (overcome with emotion) and hoped this time would lead to publication – and it did!

How did you bring this picture book manuscript to the attention of the agent?

I met another author / illustrator who had received an award from PJ Library, Amalia Hoffman, and her agent was Anna Olswanger at Olswanger Literary. Anna was the perfect agent for this book because she is an author of a Jewish children’s book herself. Anna responded right away and loved the story, but she was not taking on new picture book clients. She suggested her new associate, Barbara Krasner, who also loved the story and was interested in representing me.

What’s been the most challenging aspect of the publishing process and how did you get through it?

The hardest part was to continue to believe in this story – and myself as an author – through all the rejection. PJ Library has an amazing mission to send free Jewish children’s books to families across the world every month. Their hugely successful program has created a market for Jewish children’s books that didn’t exist back in 2004. Winning the award from PJ Library opened the door to landing an agent and signing a contract with my amazing editor!

Agent – Barbara Krasner

Why did this picture book manuscript stand out to you?

The Passover Mouse captures the eastern European Jewish community, its troubles and its triumphs.

Of all the unpublished solicitations available in the industry, why does the world need this book on store shelves?

There are many other Passover stories. But in Joy’s narrative, the community’s helpfulness brings special meaning of the holiday to Rivka, the story’s protagonist.

What is it about the author and illustrator that make this book extra special?

Joy manages to take a Talmudic tale and make it her own. She retells it simply and compellingly.

How does this book speak to you personally?

I can’t say I appreciate a mouse, but I am a fan of “shtetl” stories because it’s a world we lost through the Holocaust. The Passover Mouse keeps the eastern European Jewish heritage alive.

Is this book like anything else on the market that fans of that book would love this one?

The mice reminded me of the below-the-floor running commentary of the mice in Something from Nothing by Phoebe Gilman (1993).

Did this book meet the demands of any current or timeless trends in the publishing industry?

There is always a need for Jewish holiday books. Joy’s story marries the holiday with Talmudic narrative and in that way, perpetuates tradition.

Illustrator – Shahar Kober

How did you receive this project to illustrate?

My agent, Justin from Shannon Associates, was contacted by Doubleday books Editor-in-Chief Frances Gilbert, with an offer to illustrate this book.

What was your reaction when you received or were offered this project?

As I read the manuscript, I was happy for the opportunity to work on this fun project.

What challenges did you face on this project?

There was one technical challenge, to show both human characters and small mice at the same time. I had to place the mice closer to my “camera” so they would appear larger, but on some cases I had no choice but to cheat and draw relatively large mice.

Did anything about this project particularly excite you to try and illustrate?

I decided to choose a 19th century Shtetl as the location for the story. I thought it was the right setting for this story. Visual research is my favorite part of my job, and for me it’s exciting to read and learn about other places and different periods throughout time. After reading and researching, I tried to convey the feel of 19th century Jewish villages and villagers in Eastern Europe in my drawings, giving it my touch of course.

Acquisition Editor – Frances Gilbert

What’s so special about this book that you had to have it?

It’s a new take on a very old story. That was instantly intriguing to me. I love reading a manuscript and thinking, “Oh! A new idea!” I also liked that the basis of this story was a passage from the Talmud. It was intriguing to me that the author took an ancient piece of text and crafted a very modern-feeling story from it.

What does this book bring to the market?

It offers Jewish families a way to talk about and celebrate Passover with a story that’s both fun and event-filled but also warm and with a touching message about the power of community.

When you first came across this manuscript, what thoughts or emotions did it spark within you? I.e., did reading it take you back to an old memory, experience, or situation?

I enjoyed the way the story got increasingly manic as it went along. It made me want to keep turning the pages. And I loved how Joy also seamlessly wove in a deeper subtext to the story about community and selflessness, which she did subtly. Lastly, the ending is perfect. It pulls the rug out from the story in a little way, by bringing back the mouse who started all the chaos in the first place, which is an unexpected surprise, but at the same time also shows a real moment of redemption and kindness. I was enchanted by every page.

Joy is a real storyteller, and that’s something I always try to stress at writers’ conferences: The ONLY thing you have to be is a good storyteller. You must be able to keep your reader engaged on every page.

What stood out to you about the author and agent soliciting the manuscript?

The agent pointed out that the story had received an honorable mention in a PJ Library writing contest. As PJ Library is a foundation that distributes many thousands of books to Jewish families around the world, that detail of course was eye-catching in the agent’s query letter.

What made you select the illustrator for the project?

It was important for me that the illustrator be Jewish, as I wanted to make sure the cultural details were captured perfectly in the art. I’m not Jewish, so as an editor it’s important when working on books about a culture other than my own that the rest of the book’s team are people who represent this culture. I’m the absolute wrong person to decide what should be on a Seder table! The wonderful illustrations were done by Shahar Kober, who lives in Israel. He was a delight to work with.

What do you hope children, parents, and families get from this book?

I hope they’ll find a funny and raucous caper about a little mouse who disrupts an entire village’s Passover celebration; and that while they’re enjoying this caper they’ll also come away with the lesson that we should help our neighbors and look after those in need.

Thank you Joy, Barbara, Shahar, and Frances for sharing the publication journey of THE PASSOVER MOUSE with us! It’ll be exciting to finally see it on store shelves and see just how much trouble one little mouse can make.

If you appreciated this interview with the team behind the picture book, leave a comment and share the post on social media with the buttons provided. If you haven’t read Part 1 or Part 2 of the series, take a look at those incredible books and the teams behind them. Subscribe to my site to you never miss another post!

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