In addition to being a tasty nosh, the unleavened flatbread known as matzah is an important part of Jewish culture, cuisine, and Passover celebrations. In Charlotte Offsay’s new picture book, Matzah Day!, one family joyfully salutes all things matzah during Passover, including the many surprising ways that matzah can be enjoyed year-round. We had the pleasure of sitting down with Offsay to talk about her new book, her children’s literature recommendations, and how her culture influences her work.
About Charlotte Offsay
Charlotte Offsay was born in England, grew up in Boston, and currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. She is an active bookstagrammer, SCBWI, 12×12, and Inked Voices member.
Charlotte is the author of The Quiet Ocean, illustrated by Abi Cushman (SSBFYR/Beach Lane Books, 2026); Matzah Day!, illustrated by Jason Kirschner (Holiday House, 2025), Eight Sweet Nights, A Festival of Lights, illustrated by Menahem Halberstadt (Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2024), The Quiet Forest, illustrated by Abi Cushman (SSBFYR/Paula Wiseman Books, 2024), Challah Day!, illustrated by Jason Kirschner (Holiday House, 2023), A Grandma’s Magic, illustrated by Asa Gilland (Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2022), The Big Beach Cleanup, illustrated by Kate Rewse (Albert Whitman, 2021), and How to Return a Monster, illustrated by Rea Zhai (Beaming Books, 2021). Charlotte is represented by Nicole Geiger at Full Circle Literary.
Thank you so much for joining us, Charlotte! Let’s get started.
While many readers may be familiar with matzah and matzah balls, your book offers some unexpected concoctions as well. Can you tell us about some of the recipes that you introduced in Matzah Day!?
Matzah is made from flour and water and is fairly plain tasting. It is best when dressed up, which is what Matzah Day is all about. It shares the many different ways you can enjoy Matzah, from cooking up savory Matzah Pizza to Matzah candy, which is matzah covered in toffee and chocolate. The possibilities are endless and my hope is that the playful text encourages readers to have fun while eating matzah and learning about the origin of matzah and its role in the Passover story.
This is your third book celebrating Jewish culture and tradition. What drew you to creating books for young readers centered around these themes?
I like to write about the things that take up the most room in my heart. For me, that means I am most often writing stories about my family and loved ones. My children attend a Jewish day school, and our temple and Jewish holidays are a big part of our lives. It is a joy to get to celebrate in my books all that those special occasions mean to me. My hope is that these books serve as windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors while helping to spread Jewish joy far and wide.
This is also your second time working with illustrator Jason Kirschner. Can you tell us about your collaborative process, and if it’s changed at all from your first book together to your second?
I feel very lucky to get to work with Jason Kirschner. As is the case with most picture books with a separate author and illustrator, Jason was selected by my publisher — in this case, Holiday House. When my editor, Grace Maccarone, introduced me to Jason’s work, I was delighted. Jason is incredibly talented, and I was blown away by not only his illustrations but also his work as a set designer. I couldn’t wait to see what he cooked up (pun intended) on Challah Day!
When I finally got to see what he had been working on I was amazed, as his use of perspective brings so much fun to our book and elevates it beyond anything I could have dreamed up. This second time around working on Matzah Day! has been no different. We once again worked fairly separately, and communication continues to go through our editor and art director, respectively, but I am equally delighted with the fun he brings to every spread.
In addition to being a published children’s author, you also offer a whole series of popular children’s book recommendations on your Instagram and other social accounts. What inspired you to start your recommendations series?
I have always loved books. I carry them with me most places. I even packed my hospital bag when I was in labor with an ambitious number of board books eagerly awaiting the chance to read together. Friends who knew my obsession would ask for recommendations of what to read to their own children and those questions only increased when I started writing my own books.
I created @picturebookrecommendations as an answer to the question — a place to easily point to exactly what we are reading. My page has grown a lot since those first days, but it continues to be the place where I share the books my children, and I love the most in hopes that others will read and love them too. It has also been a wonderful place to connect with like-minded book lovers, for which I am very grateful!
What is the best advice you can give to a caretaker seeking to get their children excited about reading?
Find books that both you, as the reader, and the child are excited to read. Kids can tell when you love a book, and that love is infectious. If you can’t wait to read it, they won’t be able to either. If you pause in fascination, they will, too. All reading is good reading, and it doesn’t matter if it is a joke book, a fact book, sports statistics, a graphic novel, or an overly chunky much older than the targeted age book!
My nine-year-old son has always loved sports biographies and for years has sat in wonder as we (and now he) read biographies meant for adults. In the beginning, I often had to stop and summarize or explain what the text was saying, but he and I loved learning together, and it kept both of us reaching for more and more books! There are no parameters to what you should read, just keep searching for the books that make both of you squeal with delight, I promise they exist!
We always love to ask children’s authors what books inspired them as children. What are the childhood reads that you carry in your heart to this day?
I think the best part of reading as a child is the connection it brings those who are reading together. I treasure my memories of Winnie-the-Pooh, partly because The Hundred Acre Wood is a magical place but also because it reminds me of countless hours curled in my parents’ lap, enjoying the journey together.
Lastly, in honor of Matzah Day!, what is your favorite way to enjoy matzah, and why?
Ooo, good question, but a hard one! If I had to pick just one way, it would be the sweet matzah brei that my husband makes for me. It is soaked in milk and cooked with eggs and then covered with maple syrup and is delicious. For a treat, though, I enjoy matzah candy, and for a quick snack, jam on matzah is a favorite, too!
A big thank you to Charlotte for taking the time to speak with us about her work! Be sure to find her online at charlotteoffsay.com, or on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, and Twitter. Lastly, don’t forget to pre-order Matzah Day!, and add it to your family’s TBR list.
To check out more of our exclusive talks with authors, check out our entire One-on-One Interview series!
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