“So when I heard about the awards, I decided to write a story that I’d have loved to have read as a kid.”
So Mensch the Mouse was born – the story of a little brown mouse who lives in a London shul and tries to embody his name by helping the community in any way he can.
“He’s trying to be as good as he can be and help others, and I think that’s something that’s echoed a lot in Jewish values,” said Yaffie. “I’ve kept the story light. It will hopefully give parents a chuckle, as well as kids.”
I decided to write a story that I’d have loved to have read as a kid
A copywriter by profession, Yaffie completed an MA in creative writing in 2017. “I’ve explored a lot of different genres and audiences, but winning the award has definitely encouraged me to continue writing children’s stories,” he said, adding that he would use his prize money to develop as a writer.
Meanwhile, Jacob used her pet cat Rufus as inspiration for her interpretation of the Three Wise Monkeys proverb “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”. “I saw my cat, who is very fat and lazy, and I thought that was a playful way of communicating the idea to children – a cat putting his paws over his ears and mouth,” she said.
Winning illustration Three Wise Cats by Lihie Jacob[Missing Credit]
Jacob, who is originally from Israel and now lives in Berlin, has illustrated books for both Israeli and German publishers. “I’ve always loved illustrating for children. I also enjoy working on botanical illustrations and would love to illustrate a botanical children’s book,” she told the JC. She has put some of her prize money towards buying a ticket to Israel to visit her grandmother – and will also be buying Rufus some treats.
“We were once again bowled over by the quality of the entries,” said Michael Leventhal, publisher of Green Bean Books and one of the judges. “I can’t wait for Joe and Lihie’s works to reach a wider audience. They have set a high bar for what Jewish children’s literature and artwork should be.”
UK-based Alison Green and Sasha Maisel were shortlisted for the writing award, while Cecilia Caporlingua from Italy and Shachar Bechor from the Netherlands were shortlisted for the illustration award.
Together with Leventhal, the awards were judged by author and director of acquisitions at PJ Library Chris Barash, illustrator and writer Omer Hoffmann, associate curator of illustrated children’s books at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Orna Granot, and writer, journalist and broadcaster Hepzibah Anderson.
