Holidays
“Potato Pancake” GN Selected As PJ Library Title
I’m happy to announce that my graphic novel The Day I Became a Potato Pancake has been selected as a PJ Library title, and it’s also the recipient of PJ Library’s Grinspoon Jewish Story Award (GJSA).
This means that this book has been selected for use in PJ Library’s fall 2026 lineup.
The Day I Became a Potato Pancake was written by yours truly and illustrated by the incredible Beilin Xu. It was originally published in the fall of 2024 by Behrman House, via their Apples & Honey Press imprint. The book is about two kids, Naomi and Ben, whose friendship is put to the test when Ben is transformed into a walking, talking potato pancake.
Here’s what critics have said about this book:
“This speculative, character-focused graphic novel highlights aspects of Jewish identity and culture through multiple lenses to craft a goofy yet nuanced read.”
“This is a really funny Hanukkah-themed sci-fi graphic novel for middle grade or early chapter book readers…It’s a silly read that kids will love.”
“I happily recommend this book to all readers.”
Anyway, I just want to thank Chris Barash, Tasha Flagg, and everyone else at PJ Library for this great honor. Know what? I had a wonderful time writing The Day I Became a Potato Pancake. The work is its own reward, right? But over the past two years since its initial release, it’s been really gratifying to see this graphic novel find an audience. To see critics and audiences respond to it in such a positive way. And now to have won this award, and to have had the book selected as a PJ Library title? That’s just the cherry on top. Except that I don’t like cherries. They really…I don’t know. I don’t like the way they taste. (No offense to people who like cherries.) Who started that whole deal, anyway? Putting a cherry on top of an otherwise delicious ice cream sundae. Was there a period of trial and error there? Did they first put a pickle on top of a sundae and that didn’t really gel with the taste of the ice cream? Then they tried a nectarine and they were like, “Closer, but we’re not quite there yet…” And THEN they tried a cherry? And why do we spell it “sundae,” while the day of the week is “Sunday”? I mean, it’s not like there’s a computer in my pocket which is shaped like a Pop-Tart, and which could answer that question for me in a matter of nanoseconds. Oh wait, there is! Never mind!
Happy New Year from Li’l Nosferatu!
Happy New Year, everyone! Welcome to 2026! And welcome to my “year-end wrap-up” blog post for 2025. Look, before you say anything: yes, I’m writing a “year-end” post the day after the year ended. Which is probably against the rules, but as I’ve learned over the years, I don’t like rules. Rules are stupid. Also, I was busy yesterday.
So. Here are some of the best things that happened to me in 2025:
I wrote many, many books. Most of them were for kids. Some of them were for adults. Here are the titles of some (but not all) of those books:
The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions.
The Fantastic Four Little Golden Book.
Stitch: Out-of-This-World Numbers.
Also, in January of 2025, I began working as a writer and narrative designer for an upcoming video game called Shadows of Dawn, which is being developed by Next Player Games. Currently, I’m still working on the game with the good folks at NPG.
And as you may recall, back in 2023, I wrote two episodes of the animated preschool series Hey! Fuzzy Yellow. In 2024, one of the episodes began airing and streaming. But starting in 2025, both episodes (“Boomerang Jelly Car” and “Sculpture Jam Abstract”) began airing and streaming. I wrote the scripts and the song lyrics for both episodes. As of this writing, Hey! Fuzzy Yellow still hasn’t begun airing or streaming in the US, but it’s available in various countries in Europe, Central America, and South America.
I also wrote the script for a Passover-themed children’s audio drama, titled “Mort the Misinformed Morsel of Matzah,” which was released in the spring of 2025 as part of Yoto’s 5-Minute Spring Holiday Stories collection. The title character, Mort, was even voiced by a friend of mine, Eli Schiff!
And there are several other projects I worked on throughout 2025, some of which will come out this year. I announced one of them, 96 Facts About Chappell Roan, in my previous blog post. (That book comes out on January 13th.) But I’ll announce some of my other upcoming projects ASAP. Please keep checking this site for more info!
BTW, I wouldn’t have worked on any of the aforementioned projects without the book editors, video game producers, and TV showrunners who gave me these writing gigs in the first place. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who hired me in 2025 (or really, anyone who hired me at any time, ever). And I mean that.
You may also be wondering about the “Baby New Year” photo which adorns this blog post. See, to usher in the new year, I’ve put a “2026” sash around a puppet I built. I call him “Li’l Nosferatu.” If you’re obsessed with me (and why wouldn’t you be?), you’ll notice that I’ve occasionally posted pics of Li’l Nosferatu on social media during the past couple of years. For today’s purposes, Li’l Nosferatu is playing the part of Baby New Year.
Someday, I’ll explain the backstory behind this puppet, because there is indeed quite a bit of backstory there. Basically, I built the puppet for a project which never came to fruition. But more on that some other time.
And to anyone who’s reading this, I just wanted to wish you the best for a wonderful new year!
Happy Thanksgiving from “Pumpkin Spice”!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! And to celebrate the holiday (while also shamelessly plugging a recent project), here’s a cropped image from the “Thanksgiving dinner” spread in Pumpkin Spice, a children’s book which was written by yours truly and illustrated by the super-talented Monique Dong. Pumpkin Spice is out now from Penguin Random House. (In other words: Plug-Pluggity-Plug!)
Pumpkin Spice is out now from Penguin Random House. It’s available at bookstores everywhere, as well as HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.
Here’s what critics are saying about Pumpkin Spice:
“Dong’s warm, cheerful illustrations enhance the cozy fall vibe…A lightly enjoyable seasonal pick that will find a place in fall displays.”—School Library Journal
“…a fun-filled sensory exploration of the sights, sounds, and especially smells that make fall great.” —LitPop
“This board book will be much-loved by everyone who enjoys pumpkin spiced… well, everything… each autumn.” —Kids R Us
“Rich with sensory detail, Pumpkin Spice makes a great introduction to fall for little bookworms.”—Bookstr
“Teachers who teach in early education classrooms will want to add this delightful board book to their collection of fall picture books.”—HubPages
“This sweet board book explores autumn through the senses…with lush illustrations sure to grab attention.” —Cracking the Cover
And here’s a look at the complete, un-cropped “Thanksgiving Dinner” spread from Pumpkin Spice:
Last but definitely not least, if you’d like to see all of the other books I’ve written for Penguin Random House (even the ones which don’t involve talking gourds), click HERE.