The Picture Book Buzz - Interview with Ann Koffsky
- 2 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Ann Diament Koffsky is the award-winning author and illustrator of more than 50 books for children.
Ann’s artwork has also been featured on products by Hallmark, Costco, Great Arrow Graphics, Rite Lite Judaica, as well as in publications like The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Jewish Action Magazine and Hadassah Magazine.
Previously she was an editor and art director at Behrman House Publishers, and an illustration Professor at Stern College, Yeshiva University.
Ann lives with her family in West Hempstead, NY.
She is the author/illustrator of numerous books, including The Miracle of Matzah Pizza (2026), Blazing Humor: Mel Brooks is Seriously Funny, (2026) Fairy GodBubbie's Shabbat (2025), The Peddler and the President, illustrated by Pedro Rodriguez (2025), the Kayla and Kugel's Series, The Three Little Sheep: A Tale for Sukkot (2025), What’s In Tuli’s Box? (2024), The My Jewish Object Board Book Series, Different Kinds of Minds, adapted from Temple Grandin (2023), Under the Sea Seder (2023), and Sheep Says Shalom (2023). And the author of Ping-Pong Shabbat: The True Story of Champion Estee Ackerman, illustrated by Abigail Rajunov (2024), and Yitzy Aims High, illustrated by Margeaux Lucas (2023).
Ann’s newest picture book, What Emma Wrote, releases on March 3rd.
Welcome Ann,
Hi, thanks so much for inviting me here!
Tell us a little about yourself. (Where/when do you write? How long have you been writing? What is your favorite type of book to write?)
I’ve been writing for about 20 years or so. I actually started as an illustrator and then began writing stories that went with my artwork. Now I do both!
I don’t really have a favorite to write. It depends on what my idea is—once I have an idea, part of its development is figuring out what age audience the content would be most appropriate for, and that dictates whether it’s a board book, graphic novel or chapter book.
It is wonderful to "meet" you. What is one of the most fun or unusual places where you’ve written a manuscript?
I had a Bar Mitzvah to go to on a Saturday that was about a mile and half away. I’m Sabbath observant, so I walked to it. I wrote most of the manuscript in my head walking there, and then the rest of it on the way home. All muttering to myself. I must have seemed like a crazy person—but by the end of that Saturday night I had a working manuscript!
I am impressed you could keep the beginning in your head during the Bar Mitzvah! What was your inspiration or spark of interest for What Emma Wrote?
With America’s 250th birthday, the Semiquincentennial, coming up, I thought it might be the right time for a story from America’s history. I like writing Jewish stories, so I started researching how the first Jews came to America. In my research for that manuscript, I discovered that the first Jewish families to arrive in America came in 1654 - 23 people. And then I discovered that one of those first 23 folks was Emma Lazarus’s great-great- great (etc.!) uncles! After that, I was all in on Emma.
Semiquincentennial is such a fun name and it's cool that you found a little known, important person to share with kids. What was the hardest or most challenging thing about writing What Emma Wrote? And what was the most fun?
Most fun was discovering how recent history her accomplishments were, and how I could actually google her articles that she wrote—for example, Century magazine, is all scanned and online!
Hardest was figuring out exactly which parts of her extraordinary life to highlight. In the end, I chose to focus the story around her advocacy for immigrants, her Jewish identity, and how those were interconnected. But there are so many fascinating parts of her life that did not make the book, like her friendship with Ralph Waldo Emerson, because that didn’t fit within that focus. For someone who passed away at 38, she accomplished so much.
Wow, to both Ralph Waldo Emerson and to dying so young. How many revisions did it take from first draft to publication for What Emma Wrote? How does this compare to your other nonfiction picture book, Ping-Pong Shabbat?
I don’t even know how to measure this, because there were many drafts that I wrote and shared with my writing group, and then there were even more drafts that happened with my editor after the manuscript was acquired! Well over 15 for each, for sure.
The one big difference between the two is that Estee, the protagonist of PING PONG SHABBAT, is someone I could call on the phone and clarify facts with, whereas anything about Emma I had to find and research in books and periodicals.
That definitely does make it more difficult and interesting to work out the veracity of source materials. Having written picture books, board books, and chapter books, do you find one genre easier than the other? Or one much harder?
They each have their own challenges. For me the challenge of each is hitting the appropriate language and storytelling for the right age group.
Did anything amaze or surprise you when you first saw N. Tarcan’s illustrations? What is your favorite spread?
I just loved how she captured Emma’s personality! My favorite illustration is when she shows Emma writing a furious response to an antisemitic article. She so captured Emma’s determination and strength in the body language and set of her jaw—wonderful!
I totally agree with you. Her frustration, determination, and conviction radiate from this spread. What's something you want your readers to know about What Emma Wrote?
I’d love for folks to know that the book is based around a theme of helping others less fortunate, and the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam. Even though those ideas are not actually stated outright, I think the story highlights them.
Also, I’d love to share is that the book is dedicated to, and the backmatter mentions, my grandfather and grandmother, and their immigration story too.
Those ideas do come through and it's wonderful when authors and illustrators can tie their own family history or experience into the book. Is there anything that you discovered in your research that you wished you could have included in the book or the back matter?
I still wish I could find a publisher who wanted to take on that original story of how those first 23 Jews arrived in America. That story includes Peter Styversant, pirates —so much amazing history!
I hope you keep trying or maybe discover other individual nuggets to focus on. Are there any new projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?
I’m very excited that my first graphic novel, which I wrote and illustrated, will be coming out in 2027 from PJ Publishing! It’s called the Story of Purim, according to Haman. I loved writing in Haman’s very snarky voice; it was so fun to create.
Congratulations! We'll have to keep our eyes open for the book. Last question, what is your favorite National Park or Forest, regional park, or city park (anywhere in the world)? Or the one you’re longing to visit. Why?
I love the Truman Presidential Library! I got to visit it several years ago with my family. It has a stunning mural by Thomas Hart Benton, a recreation of Truman’s oval office, and so many thoughtful exhibitions and artifacts explaining the complexities of his presidency including the choice to recognize Israel, the Berlin Airlift, the ending of WW 2…really well done.
Thank you, Ann, for sharing with us a bit about yourself and your new picture book.
Thank you for hosting me!
To find out more about Ann Koffsky, or to contact her:
Website: https://annkoffsky.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annkoffsky/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annkoffsky
X(Twitter): https://x.com/AnnKoffsky
Ann also creates free coloring pages for kids, which you can sign up to receive on her website here: https://annkoffsky.com/coloring-pages/
