1. Tell us a bit about the inspiration for An Eddie Had an Egg.
When my son (now in his 20s) was little, he had a very limited diet because he was very reluctant to try new things. The story of a little boy who would rather have an egg than most other food choices appeared in my head at some point and circled around in there for years, eventually evolving into the story of Eddie.
2. What does your sons, who inspired the book, think about being featured in it?
My son was very gracious about it and gave it his blessing. These days he is very adventurous with food, so he’s put all that behind him!
3. What approach did you take with him when he was a fussy eater?
I tried to be patient and calm like the family in the book, but I didn’t always succeed! One of my motivations for writing the story was to highlight the issue in a gentle, light-hearted way because a lot of parents get very stressed about it, the way I did.
4. The book mentions several of the Jewish festivals. Which is your favourite festival and what food do you like to eat on it?
My favourite festival has always been Pesach, even though lots of people moan about the food restrictions! I associate it with memories of my parents and grandparents, and the coming of spring. I love coconut pyramids, although I can’t make them taste exactly like my mum and grandma did.
6. The book ends with the Pesach Seder, what are your favourite parts of the Seder and why?
I love seeing the Seder table all set up with family and friends gathered around it. I love the singing – every family has its own traditions about which songs to sing and to what tunes, and it’s lovely to discover different ways of doing things. We always get the giggles at a certain point when we attempt a complicated round, which we almost always get wrong. By that point everyone’s had several cups of wine and it all descends into hilarity.
7. What did you think when you first saw the illustrations for the book?
I was enchanted. It was like seeing old friends for the first time who you’d only ever spoken to on the phone! Sharon Spitz has brought all the warmth, love and joy to the characters that I hoped was in the story. I am full of admiration for her talent.
8. How do you feel about recent reports that children are reading less?
It does make me sad, but we can’t turn the clock back. Children have so many different sources of information and entertainment competing for their attention now. I am still hopeful that there is something magical about books that children will still love, whatever technology comes up with.
9. What can we do to encourage those who aren’t natural book worms?
Let them read about whatever interests them, which might not be story books – it could be comics, facts about trains or articles about sport – as long as it’s not harmful content, why not? Different children come to reading in their own ways and at different ages.
10. Which books (Jewish or secular) did you love as a child and which books did you choose to read with your children?
I read a lot as a child, so it’s hard to narrow it down. The Winnie the Pooh stories and poems were old friends I would return to over and over again – I still have the battered paperbacks on my shelf. I also loved the Moomins, the Chronicles of Narnia series and classics such as Little Women, The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables and Ballet Shoes. When the children were small, we all loved Each Peach Pear Plum, Room on the Broom and I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato. I also read the Moomins and Chronicles of Narnia series with them when they were older.
11. Do you think your work as a translator impacts your writing style?
Translators spend a lot of time examining texts incredibly closely, so I think that has made me more aware of the profound effect the details of language, such as punctuation and word choices, can have on a piece of writing.
12. Do you have any idea what your next writing project will be?
I have various ideas floating around, but nothing definite as yet.
13. Which well-known writer would you love to have dinner with and why?
Katherine Rundell is a brilliant writer with a love of food, so I think she would be great company and hopefully we’d have loads to talk about.
14. The Old Testament is the original treasure trove of Jewish stories; which story from the Bible most captures your attention and why?
I have always been drawn to the story of Solomon – the wisest, richest, most handsome king of Israel, who is said to have written the Song of Songs.
15. For a Jewish story, is it important to have a Jewish author and where do you stand on the ‘Own Voices’ debate? Could your story have been written just as well by a non-Jewish author?
I certainly sympathise with the idea of ‘Own Voices’ and the need for a sensitive, nuanced portrayal of different groups, preferably by writers who belong to those groups. I think it is also possible that a writer who is not from a particular group could portray them in a nuanced, sensitive way, so I would never say never to that.
It’s tricky to think of my story being written by anyone but me, but if a non-Jewish writer had done careful research and had close ties to a Jewish family, I imagine they could come up with a lovely story, but I don’t think it would be quite the same as mine.