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Hi, readers, writers, and bears-lovers of all sorts! Have you ever thought about inviting a bear over for the holidays? Whether you have or haven't you're still in the right place. We're thrilled to have author Karen Rostoker-Gruber with us today sharing her charming new book, Don't Invite a Bear Inside for Hanukkah! This sweet story follows a family who invites a bear over for their special celebration only to find the bear makes a mess. Can they still celebrate the holiday together? With a little creativity, they can! Want to know more about Karen and her new book, PLUS want a chance to win your own signed copy? Read on...
Q: Hi, Karen! Thanks so much for joining us today. Can you share a little bit about your book’s path to publication? What was it like working with Apples and Honey Press?
A: I love working with everyone over at AHP!
I was always looking to write Jewish books for Jewish Publishing companies. For whatever reason, I had sent a few manuscripts over to Behrman House a long time ago. Back then, they kept rejecting them because they didn't have a children's book line.
One day, though, upon sending yet another Jewish-themed manuscript their way--expecting another rejection letter--I'm very persistent--they called me (bac then editors called instead of sending emails) and told me that they were launching an imprint called Apples & Honey Press. They asked me if I would be interested in being one of the first children's book authors in their line-up along with David Adler. (David Adler is famous for his Cam Jansen books--everyone knows him!)
Two years later, in 2015, Behrman House publicly launched Apples & Honey Press at BookExpo in New York.
Here's Dena Neusner, David Adler, the author of "Hanukkah Cookies with Sprinkles," and me (with "Farmer Kobi's Hanukkah Match") sitting at their booth holding our new books. (Sadly enough, I wasn't at BookExpo the next day when Dr. Ruth Westheimer stopped by. Ugh!).
So, I've been there from the beginning and I've worked with Dena Nuesner (Executive Editor) and Ann Koffsky (Senior Editor and Director, before she left) on three books: "Farmer Kobi's Hanukkah Match," which in 2013, was initially titled, "Farmer Alon's Dinner Date;" "The Family (& Frog) Haggadah;" and "Maddie the Mitzvah Clown." They really care about the books they put out there in the world and they pick wonderful illustrators who elevate my writing.
This time I'm working with Deborah Bodin Cohen. Deborah took Ann Koffsky's place. I love working with her, too, because in addition to being an editor, Deborah is also a Rabbi and a picture book author. I don't know how she finds the time. LOL.
Vicki Weber, a partner at Behrman House and Chief Marketing Officer, is another magical person over at AHP. She tries really hard to get books into places that I've always dreamed of being in: "Farmer Kobi's Hanukkah Match" became part of Bed, Bath, and Beyond's Hanukkah set up; "Maddie the Mitzvah Clown" became a PJ Library selection two years in a row; and she now has "Don't Invite a Bear Inside for Hanukkah" in the holiday section of the Scholastic Book Fair! I've never had a book in the Scholastic Book Fair!
Q: We enjoyed reading Don’t Invite a Bear Inside for Hanukkah. How did you come up with the idea of the main character? Story? What inspired you to choose a bear?
A: This book took a different road to publication than the other three AHP books.
In 2020 I sent a board book (about a cat and a bear) to Dena. She told me to rewrite the board book as a picture book, give the bear and cat (at the time there was a cat) more personality, flesh out the story, give it a story arc, and she'd look at it again. Yikes! It was a total and complete rewrite. All that remained in the end was the bear. It took my mind until February 2022, to rework it for her. (You can't rush creativity.)
Once the title popped into my head at 3am, I just kept writing. The book BEGGED to be a metafictional tale and I didn't know of any books like that for Jewish children. (A metafictional tale is where the narrator speaks directly to the reader telling the reader what to do and what not to do.)
Q: What do you hope young readers will take away from the story, no matter their background or what they celebrate, and no matter what the season?
A: This book is about including all kinds of people--and bears, in this case--into your holiday plans, even if they have differing abilities or different needs. (I know that I feel a lot better when I go to people's houses and they tell me what dishes I can have and what dishes I can't have; I'm gluten-free and dairy-free.)
At my daughter’s wedding, just recently, they had gluten-free and dairy-free signs for all food at the rehearsal dinner and the cocktail hour. It was very freeing.
Q: Can you share some of your favorite spreads? Why are they your favorites?
A: Carles's work has a magical feel to it. My favorite spread is when the child and the bear are walking back through the woods together, right after the child hatches a beary best plan.
Here's Carles holding the spread that I LOVE! The facial expressions--sheer joy--in both the bear and child--make me smile.
There's also soooo much detail in his illustrations. In this spread, in addition to the gorgeous winter scene, there are rabbits scurrying around, birds flying above, a fox, a squirrel, and, I'm in LOVE with the tree-branch menorah! (I did have a note that I wanted the bear to have a tree-branch menorah in the manuscript, but Carles illustrated it better than I ever could have envisioned it.)
Q: What’s one question you wish we would have asked you?
A: Since I'm both an author and a ventriloquist, I now have a bear puppet for story times at bookstores!
My BFF, Bernice Goll, @bernicegoll, wove a scarf for Bear that looks exactly like the scarf that Carles has the bear wearing in the book!
Here's the scarf on her loom! And here's the bear wearing the scarf.
PS, Readers: On December 8th, we'll be at Scattered Books in Chappaqua, NY, at 12:00.
If you can't come to that storytime, but would like a signed book, just call them at 914-529-8013.
I'll be there with Chana and Larry Stiefel with their book, "Mendel's Hanukkah Mess Up." Larry will be dressed up as Mendel!
You have an exciting holiday season planned - thanks for sharing this with us!
Q: Are you leaving a stocking stuffer or gelt for the readers?
A: Yes! A signed book will be going out to one lucky reader!
Wow - thanks for such a neat treat! And thanks again for joining us - we loved connecting with you.
Giveaway Details: Readers, to enter to win a copy of Karen's book, 1) share this post on social media and 2) leave a comment below to thank her for stopping by! Bear-themed pictures and GIFs are welcomed and appreciated.
BONUS: Those who leave a comment on and share all posts on social media, tagging Heather Macht and Lynne Marie, will be eligible to win their choice of either (1) of (3) SpeedPasses from RYS or critiques from Heather or Lynne Marie.
Heather Macht Tags: X: @AuthorHMacht, IG/Threads: @heatherauthormacht, Bluesky: @authorhmacht.bsky.social
Lynne Marie Tags: X: @Literally_Lynne, IG/Threads: @literally.lynne.marie, Bluesky: @
Giveaway winners will be drawn on or about 12/15!
Books will be shipped in the US only.
About Karen Rostoker-Gruber
Karen Rostoker-Gruber is a multi-award-winning author of many picture books with hundreds of thousands of copies sold. Farmer Kobi's Hanukkah Match, was named a National Jewish Book Award Finalist and was awarded the 2016 Outstanding Children's Literature Award from the Church and Synagogue Library Association. Her books Bandit (Marshall Cavendish 2008), Bandit's Surprise (Marshall Cavendish 2010), and Ferret Fun (Marshall Cavendish 2011) all received starred reviews in School Library Journal; Rooster Can't Cock-a-Doodle-Doo (Dial 2004) and Bandit were both International Reading Association Children's Book Council Children's Choices Award recipients; three of her books, Rooster Can't Cock-a-Doodle-Doo (in 2005), Bandit (in 2009), and Ferret Fun (in 2012) were all chosen for the 100 Best Children's Books in the Bureau of Education and Research's Best of the Year Handbook. Rooster Can't Cock-a-Doodle-Doo and Ferret Fun were nominated for the Missouri Show Me Award; Bandit was nominated for the South Carolina Book Award; and Rooster Can't Cock-a-Doodle-Doo was a Dollywood Foundation selection two years in a row (in 2007 the Dollywood Foundation bought 73,579 copies and in 2008 it bought 88,996 copies). Karen's book, Maddie the Mitzvah Clown, published by Apples and Honey Press, a division of Behrman House, was named a PJ Library book selection in July of 2017 and went out to 21,000 4-year-olds and will be going out to 27,700 4-year-olds this July (2022) in the US and Canada. Her two latest books came out in 2020: A Crowded Farmhouse Folktale (Whitman) and Happy Birthday, Trees (KarBen), which is also a PJ Library Selection and went out to 30,294 children in 2021. In 2024, Apples & Honey Press will be publishing her latest book, Don't Invite a Bear Inside for Hanukkah. She is an active member of SCBWI, and she has co-chaired the Rutgers University Council on Children's Literature's One-on-One Conference four times. Karen is also a ventriloquist.
For more about Karen, check out the below ways to connect:
Linkedin: Karen Rostoker-Gruber
Instagram/Threads: rostokergruber
To attend Karen's book readings, check out the below:
December 7th from 11-12
The Howling Basset Bookstore
39 Old Turnpike Rd,
Tewksbury, NJ 08858
To RSVP and sign up for the reading / signing:
https://www.howlingbassetbooks.com/event-details-registration/storytime-with-karen-rostoker-gruber/form
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December 8th from 12-2
Scattered Books
29 King Street
Chappaqua, NY
914-529-8013
This bookstore will also ship to you! Just call!
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The book is NOW available for pre-order at any store, but you can order it here:
To purchase Karen's books on Amazon, or to leave a review for them, click here.
I love anything with bears! Congratulations on your latest book! It looks delightful and I love the theme of inclusivity!
I'm really impressed that you were able to rewrite your original board book so successfully--it must have been challenging to make such significant changes. Congratulations!
Adorable. Can’t wait to read. Congrats!
Looks like a fun read!
I love everything about this book - the metafiction, the adorable relationship between the boy and the bear, and the amazing art. Mazel tov, Karen! I'm off to share on X.