Cover Reveal: WHAT I’LL CARRY

Posted on October 19, 2026 by viviankirkfield

Hello dear friends! I often mention how much I love this kid-lit community…and how wonderful it is to meet up with kid-lit folks at conferences and book events. I also talk about how fabulous it is to work with folks on manuscripts…and then find out that they have a book coming out…even if the book isn’t based on the manuscript I helped them with. And today, we have a DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE/DOUBLE YOUR FUN guest! Charlotte Sheer and I met in person at the 2019 New England SCBWI Spring Conference in Springfield, MA.

She and I have worked together on manuscripts as well! And so, when Charlotte reached out to let me know that her debut middle grade novel in verse is coming out next year, we put our heads together to celebrate with a COVER REVEAL!

Oh My Goodness! The cover just pulls me right in! I want to find out what is going on…why the girl looks so sad/worried. Luckily, Charlotte stopped by to chat with us. And what could be better than sharing the story behind the story…I think we all love to learn what inspired an author to write a particular story…and how the path to publication unfolded.

ME: Welcome, Charlotte! I loved seeing that photo from 2019…it was fun to see my hair brown…during COVID, I decided to let nature take its course and now my hair is whatever color it wants to be…white/grey/brown…I think they call it salt and pepper. I call it saving lots of money and time.
I’m so thrilled about WHAT I’LL CARRY, dear Charlotte. Can you tell us a little bit about the book?

CHARLOTTE: It’s wonderful to be here, Vivian. I’m excited about the book…and happy to share a little bit about how it came to be.
WHAT I’LL CARRY by Charlotte Sheer – a middle grade Novel in Verse
(Behrman House/Apples and Honey Press, April, 2027)
The story of my writing journey for WHAT I’LL CARRY began more than ten years ago, before I retired from teaching fifth grade English at Foxborough Regional Charter School in Foxboro, Massachusetts. In connection with a Holocaust educational project my students were doing, a special guest came to school and spoke about how Nicholas Winton’s kindertransport mission rescued her three-year-old self and her nine-year-old sister, as well as 667 other Jewish children in Czechoslovakia, from the Nazis’ reach during 1939.

It was like a lightbulb switched on for me! This amazing lady’s personal story was a snapshot of actual history, experienced by children. It seemed like the perfect basis for a book which might
serve as a soft entry point for middle grade children to begin learning about causes and effects of World War II.

The manuscript began as a picture book in 2015, but by 2019 I agreed with my many critique partners that such an important, emotional story deserved many more pages. As the story
evolved, so did the need to tell it in verse, making some of its heavy themes more approachable for middle grade readers.

And I, a Late Bloomer kidlit author did NOT give up, persevering more than a decade to see my way to book publication. (A little side story: I wrote a play in fifth grade and couldn’t think of a
good title. I don’t recall what the story was about, but my teacher, Mrs. Oliver suggested I call it “Perseverance Wins”. That was the first time I heard that important word…and it turns out, I never forgot the title of my play or what it meant!)

Originally titled, TAGGED FOR DELIVERY, the manuscript won the 2022 New England SCBWI Windows and Mirrors Award and the 2023 SCBWI Novel in Verse Award, the first year it was
ever offered. The recognition helped me acquire the agent who spent a year and a half finding me the best publisher for my book.

Here’s a little description from the book sale sites:

Readers might consider the question, “What would you carry, if you had to leave the only home
you’ve ever known?”
When the Nazis invade Czechoslovakia, Alena and her two sisters flee their village on the Kindertransport to England, leaving their beloved parents and home behind. The once sheltered girls are nearly entirely on their own.

As Alena struggles with her inner turmoil and her growing recognition of what hatred feels like, she slowly grows into a self-sufficient young woman, finally able to contribute to the war effort herself.
Inspired by a true story, this historical fiction novel in verse is not only about surviving impossible cir cumstances but also about taking ownership of your choices, finding your voice, and learning to stand up for yourself.

Publication is set for April 13, 2027, appropriately during National Poetry Month (and just before Holocaust Remembrance Day in early May).

As I’ve pondered “clever” ways to market my debut book, the question occurred to me, “Who IS the oldest debut author of a traditionally published children’s picture book or novel?
I discovered that Laura Ingalls Wilder was 65 when her Little House on the Prairie published. I will have beaten her by 11 years when my book publishes next April.

Additional info about me:
Before retiring as a fifth-grade teacher, I began the Holocaust Stamps Project, an idea inspired by my class. An interactive educational initiative, it was completed by kindergarten through
grade twelve students from 2009-2018, during which time students and countless community members collected, trimmed, and counted 11 MILLION postage stamps, one for every Holocaust victim (6 million Jewish, 5 million others considered inferior by the Third Reich). I regularly returned to the school to work on the project with the students, assisting with design and completion of eighteen 18 x24 inch collage artworks, made from thousands of the stamps, each telling stories about causes and effects of the Holocaust. Today the stamps collection and artworks form the ce nterpiece of a permanent public museum exhibit,
“A Philatelic Memorial of the Holocaust” at the American Philatelic Center in Bellefonte PA.
For my work on the Holocaust Stamps Project, I was presented with the 2017 Leadership in Holocaust Education Award at Fanueil Hall in Boston.

My poetry for children appears in a half dozen anthologies.
Social media links:
Website: www.charlottesheer.com
IG: @charlotte_sheer
FB: https://www.facebook.com/CharlotteSheer.Writer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlottesheer
#applesandhoneypress
#behrmanhouse
Pre-orders
Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/p/books/what-i-ll-carry-a-novel-in-verse/3313d1a9bd78bc75?ean=9781681157337

Dear friends…I know we are all grateful to Charlotte for generously sharing so much about herself and how her book came to be…and most importantly, how she never gave up. Remember the 5Ps…perseverance is one of the most important elements on the path to publication. And I think Charlotte has me beat when it comes to age when first traditionally published book launched…I was 72 when Sweet Dreams, Sarah and Pippa’s Passover Plate and Four Otters Toboggan debuted.

Let’s do what we can to help make WHAT I’LL CARRY a success. We can:
Buy the book
Review the book
Tell friends about the book (please share this post on social media)
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their shelves
Add the title to your Goodreads WANT TO READ shelf

Thank you for spending your precious time with us. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

WHAT I’LL CARRY

WILL WRITE FOR COOKIES: ANN KOFFSKY

Posted on March 28, 2026 by viviankirkfield

WILL WRITE FOR COOKIES

INSIGHT – INFORMATION – INSPIRATION

FOR WRITERS, ILLUSTRATORS, PARENTS, TEACHERS, LIBRARIANS,
AND BOOK LOVERS EVERYWHERE

TODAY’S GUEST

We haven’t had a Will Write for Cookies post in a while…and so I was thrilled when I found out that one of my dear friends, author/illustrator, Ann Koffsky, had several new books coming out this year. Will Write for Cookies posts give us a chance for an inside peek into the writing journey and path to publication.

Ann Diament Koffsky is the award-winning author and illustrator of more than 50 books for children, including PING PONG SHABBAT ( Little Bee) the KAYLA AND KUGEL SERIES (Apples and Honey) and THE MIRACLE OF MATZAH PIZZA (Intergalactic Afikoman). She is the co-author of DIFFERENT KINDS OF MINDS with Temple Grandin.

Ann’s artwork has also been featured on products by Hallmark, Costco, and Rite Lite Judaica, as well as in publications like The Philadelphia Inquirer, 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 creates free, Jewish coloring pages before each Jewish holiday. If you’d like to sign up to receive them, visit coloringjewish.substack.com.
Ann lives with her family in West Hempstead, NY

ME: Thank you so much for stopping by, Ann. I know we are all excited for your upcoming books, as well as the body of work that has graced bookstores and libraries for many years.
Who were your favorite authors/illustrators when you were a child?

ANN: Thank you so much for inviting me to your blog, Vivian. I’ve loved being in the #JewishBoardBooks group with you…and meeting you on so many other kid lit platforms.
I vividly remember loving What the Moon Brought by Sadie Rose Weilerstein, which is a CLASSIC collections of stories about how two Jewish girls celebrate Jewish holidays in the USA.

ME: What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started writing?

ANN: Ya gotta have friends! You think it’s a solo mission you’re on, but I couldn’t have gotten anywhere without so much support from other authors (like you!), my writing groups, family, friends, readers, etc. etc. etc.

ME: Where do you like to draw – inside, outside, special room, laptop, pen and paper?

ANN: I used to enjoy drawing at my drafting table, which had everything set up—pens, paper, ink, light box, a lovely incline…Now I’ve gone all modern, and I work on my ipad. That often looks like me sprawled out on a couch, and not ergonomically correct in any way. But it is very cozy.

ME: When do you write – early morning, late in the day, middle of the night, on schedule, as the muse strikes?

ANN: Ha. I wish the muse would strike on a schedule! Sadly I must wait and write when the muse shows up.

ME: You have three new books coming out in 2026. How did that happen?

ANN: It’s crazy right? Basically, one book was accelerated, another book was delayed from two years ago, and then wham! They kind of all crashed into each other.

ME: Please tell us a little bit about each one.

ANN: Thanks for asking ;)! The first, which just came out Feb. 10, is called The Miracle of Matzah Pizza: A Biblical Tall Tale. It’s about a boy and his zaydie, grandfather, making matzah pizza together on Passover. While they make it, Zaydie tells a true Biblical tale (wink!) about how Matzah pizza was invented when the Jews left slavery. I loved imagining these drawings and tried to make them ridiculous and fun.

I’ve included the recipe for Matzah Pizza in the book, and in this post too. It’s super simple.

My two others are non-fiction:

What Emma Wrote: The Woman Behind the Words on the Statue of Liberty is all about Emma Lazarus: How she helped new immigrants, and how her Jewish heritage was a big part of her identity and advocacy. It even includes Emma writing a passionate reply in response to an antisemitic screed: go Emma!

Shoutout to Naz Tarcan, who did just a wonderful job capturing the time period in her illustrations.

Finally, coming out in April is Blazing Humor: Mel Brooks is Seriously Funny! which was as you might expect, was really fun to research! (Oh no, my job means I have to watch a bunch of Mel Brooks movies and skits—poor me!). The illustrator, Jason Kirschner did a fabulous job with it too, and I think kids are going to love discovering all his many fun and hysterical characters.

ME: Also, if you have any thoughts or advice for aspiring writers, please share. As well as anything else you want to talk about that parents, educators, writers, librarians might want to hear.

ANN: My best advice is related to question two: make friends in this biz! Get yourself a writing group. Find and support other authors and illustrators. Your best work will be its best when you have the input, feedback and support of other crazy people who are trying to do this, too.

That’s fabulous advice, dear Ann. And thank you for all the other insights you’ve shared. Plus, I know we aren’t finished since you will be sharing a Matzah Pizza recipe!

ANN: Oh yes…I’m excited to share that recipe which is so simple…and it’s in the form of coloring pages…so it’s perfect for our youngest helpers in the kitchen.

Dear friends, I know we are grateful to Ann for sharing so much with us. And I am grateful to all of you for spending your precious time with us! I’m hoping to have the results of the #50PreciousWords International Writing Contest posted before the end of the month…hopefully on Monday or Tuesday. Every year it gets more and more difficult to choose prize winners…the quality of the submissions was excellent.

Happy Book Birthday: Call Me Gebyanesh Plus Book Giveaway

Posted on April 28, 2025 by viviankirkfield

Time to dance and sing again, dear friends! It’s time to welcome another new book to the world…a world that needs books like this more than ever before.