Unveiling Pippa’s Hanukkah Hunt: A Joyful Journey Awaits!

Posted on February 4, 2026 by viviankirkfield

Today is a VERY SPECIAL DAY for several reasons!

Reason #1: It’s World Read Aloud Day! I’ll be sharing ONE GIRL’S VOICE with all of the 4th graders at P.S. 97 in the Bronx, NY.

Reason #2: Today is the anniversary of my very first published book. PIPPA’S PASSOVER PLATE, illustrated by Jill Weber and published by Holiday House, is 8 years old!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR PIPPA!

And Reason #3: We are revealing the cover of Pippa’s next adventure…PIPPA’S HANUKKAH HUNT…which launches this coming fall on September 29!

Oh my goodness…I LOVE this cover…and I hope you do, too!
Jill Weber, the illustrator, really knows what young kids love! Her art is JOYFUL! I’m so excited for children to turn the pages and discover the MYSTERY of the Missing Potatoes. There are clues for the reader on every page, not in the text, but in the illustrations. Great picture book illustrators somehow find a way to show other layers to the story in the pictures…I’m grateful to Jill!

This wonderful book will be flying onto bookstore shelves on September 29…delighting children with Pippa’s search for the missing potatoes. Because Hanukkah is coming and Pippa wants to make potato latkes for all of her friends – and SOMEONE has been taking all of the potatoes.

Do you love Pippa? Did you enjoy the first book? While we wait for the new book to launch, there are a few things followers of Pippa can do:
1. Pre-order the book: At any local bookstore or on Amazon
2. Review the book on Goodreads
3. Ask your local library to purchase copies of the book
4. Tell your friends (Sharing this post on your social media REALLY helps!)

I also wanted to thank folks who have been reviewing ONE GIRL’S VOICE. In my previous blog post, I mentioned that even though that book is a finalist for a Golden Kite in the nonfiction for younger readers category and has received other awards and accolades, it only had 35 reviews on Amazon as of a week ago. After my post, 9 more reviews appeared…THANK YOU to everyone who left early reviews or recent ones! Remember, it’s never too late to review a book! It’s such a worthy book, I hope there will be more reviews. And I will let you all know what happens on Friday night when the SCBWI Golden Kite winners and honor books are announced.

Please make sure you return on Saturday when the Heads-Up-The-Contest-Is-Coming-Soon post goes live…with the huge list of INCREDIBLE prizes for the 2026 #50PreciousWords International Writing Contest. I and my awesome judges, Maria Marshall, Carmen Castillo Gilbert, Leah Moser, Pamela Courtney, Amber Bouchard, Shirin Shamsi, and Diane Tulloch, are so excited to read all of your precious words!

I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week…and find joy in every day, no matter how challenging it may be.

Happy Book Birthday: THE MOUSE WHO LOVED LATKES Plus Giveaway

Posted on October 14, 2025 by viviankirkfield

Hello dear friends! It’s time to sing another Happy Birthday to a book by a long-time kid lit friend, Joy Wieder.

What an adorable cover!!! And what a beautiful book. Here’s a little bit about the story:
When the Katz family moves in, C.J. the mouse is scared. Nibbling jelly doughnut crumbs in the kitchen, he hears a soft voice say, “Hello.” The Katz family is spinning a dreidel and eating chocolate coins. It looks like fun, but a mouse can’t play with cats! “Hello again,” says the soft voice. “Please don’t go. I could use a friend.” Can C.J. overcome his fear and make some new friends just in time for Hanukkah?

Joy is both the author and illustrator…her characters encourage kids to connect to the story…and I know this book will soon become a Hanukkah favorite!

ME: And we are so lucky because Joy stopped by to share a couple of special things with us. Welcome, Joy!

JOY: Hello everyone! It’s lovely to be here. Thank you, Vivian, for sharing this good new I’m having a giveaway for signed copies of the book for 2 lucky winners until Oct. 26. Here’s a link: https://gleam.io/MbBk5/the-mouse-who-loved-latkes-giveaways about my book.

I know that writers enjoy hearing the story behind the story…so here’s a little bit about how THE MOUSE WHO LOVED LATKES:
This book began many years ago as an image in my mind of a mouse up on a rafter, looking down at a Jewish family chanting a Hebrew blessing. The mouse is afraid and worries that this strange, new family is trying to put a spell on him. That image evolved into a Hanukkah book about an unlikely friendship between the mouse and a family of cats named Katz! I love latkes, so I realized a mouse might love them, too, and that food often acts as a bridge between cultures.

I also wanted to share a link for the awesome trailer that will give you a tiny peek inside the book:

Oh, I’m such a fan of book trailers…I’ve never done one, but seeing this one, I’m going to have to give the idea more thought…this is adorable!!!

Here’s a little bit about Joy:
Since childhood, Joy dreamed of joining her two passions – art and books – by writing and illustrating books for children. Her dreams were fulfilled with the publication of her first book in 1999. She has now authored nearly 30 books for young readers. Click on books to read reviews or make a purchase.

Joy has written both beginning chapter books and picture books for young readers. Her whimsical illustrations are created in a variety of drawing and water based mediums as well as digital media. See Joy’s portfolio to view her artwork.
To learn more about Joy and her books:
Joy Nelkin Wieder

jnwieder.com
Twitter: @JoyWieder
Instagram: @jnwieder
Facebook: joynelkinwieder

Lea Ferrante Photography 61 Stacey Circle Concord, MA 01742 lea@ferrante-photo.com

And dear blog followers, what can we do to help this beautiful book become a success? We can:
Buy the book
Review the book
Tell friends about the book
Ask your local library to purchase copies of the book

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