Emmy Award-winning Production Designer & Art Director
Award-winning Illustrator & Author

By day, JASON KIRSCHNER is an Emmy Award-winning and three-time Emmy-nominated television set designer, with credits that include The Kelly Clarkson Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Dr. Oz Show, and The Sesame Street 50th Anniversary Special. By night, Jason is an award-winning  illustrator and author of children’s books. He lives in New Jersey with his finicky veterinarian wife, persnickety twins, and ridiculously choosy cats. He is a member of United Scenic Artists Local 829, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), and the Children’s Book Illustrator Group (CBIG).

“Kirschner’s vibrant, slightly zany illustrations keep the text as fresh
as the varied matzah toppings the story presents.” —Booklist

“A delightful picture book chronicling the love, unity, and joy braided into a family’s
loaf of challah bread. . . . This book is an oasis of Jewish joy.”—School Library Joural

Please visit Jason online at:
website |  www.jasonkirschner.com
instagram |  www.instagram.com/jkirsch118/

Jason’s Bookshelf:

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I’M SORRY FOR THE BAGEL BURPS: A Yom Kippur Apology
by Jacob Sager Weinstein
illustrated by Jason Kirschner | Rocky Pond Books | Sept 2026

BLAZING HUMOR: MEL BROOKS IS SERIOUSLY FUNNY!
by Ann Koffsky
illustrated by Jason Kirschner | Itergalactic Afikomen | April 2026

 

MATZAH DAY!

CHALLAH DAY!
by Charlotte Offsay
illustrated by Jason Kirschner | Holiday House | 2022, 2025
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• an Association of Jewish Libraries pick for best Jewish holiday children’s books of Spring 2025 (Matzah Day!)
• a MISelf in Books selection, 2025 (Matzah Day!)
• a PJ Library selection (Matzah Day!)
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“No leavening agent needed—this picture book rises to the occasion of matching the success and heart of its predecessor, Challah Day! Offsay and Kirschner team up again, this time to tell the story of a Jewish family making matzah, an unleavened bread traditionally baked for Passover. Rhyming, family-centered text as well as whimsical and cartoony illustrations focus on the family’s antics while making and eating the matzah. Back matter includes recipes and an informative explanation of the food’s importance to Jewish traditions. VERDICT This delightful tale is a solid addition to library collections.—School Library Journal (Matzah Day!)

“How does your cracker crumble? “Matzah day! It’s matzah day! Pesach’s here! Hooray! Hooray!” Bouncy, rhyming text and ebullient digital illustrations bring this cheery Passover story to life. A jolly, rosy-cheeked, light-skinned family celebrates the holiday with matzah at its heart. Even the dog and cat get into the act as the jaunty verse describes how the crackly treat is prepared. Offsay also suggests various delectable ways to enjoy it throughout the holiday; it’s a must at every seder, but it can also be eaten with lox and sour cream, chocolate, or toffee. Matzah pizza, anyone? (Just don’t eat it in bed; it’s too crumbly.) Illustrations of the children perching on hilariously oversize ingredients set a whimsical tone. Though marvelous matzah can be enjoyed long past the eight full days of Passover, by book’s end, many family members are ready to hold off until next year. So who’s ready for matzah day? The tale concludes with a simple recipe: By tradition, matzah must be prepared and baked in only 18 minutes from start to finish! And don’t miss the recipes for matzah pizza and matzah candy. Note also the endpapers, which feature the family members (and cat) peering out through half-eaten matzah. Don’t pass over this winning Pesach story. “—Kirkus Reviews (Matzah Day!)

“In Offsay’s new picture book, a large extended family gathers to celebrate Passover—and matzah! Adult readers may stumble over some of the forced rhymes, but children will be charmed by the variety of ways to eat matzah presented in this book. There is an obligatory nod to the seder, but favorite family recipes are at the book’s heart. These recipes range from matzah itself to chocolate-toffee matzah and matzah pizza to more traditional matzeh brei. Kirschner’s vibrant, slightly zany illustrations keep the text as fresh as the varied matzah toppings the story presents. Sometimes the family members appear at a typical size, while on other pages they shrink to the size of their ingredients. The illustration of beds full of sandy matzah crumbs is delightful. In a final surprise at the end, one family continues enjoying matzah long past Passover. A tasty treat for those who love, or at least tolerate, matzah. Back matter includes several of the recipes encountered in the story.”—Booklist (Matzah Day!)

“Retro cartoon styling and smooth digital art in a color palette of green, blue, yellow, and pink give the illustrations a graphic pop-art feel that complements its warmth and whimsy. Light and fluffy as a fresh challah, this book would be useful as an educational lead-in to a program on Jewish holiday traditions.”—The Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books (Challah Day!)

“It’s time to make the challah, and this loving Jewish family is ready for a day of fun. It will be a long process, but Mom, Dad, Baby, and the young protagonist have the recipe and all the necessary ingredients and utensils—and they plan to work together. The child narrator invites readers to join them (“Come and bake with us today!”) and describes all the action in rhyming couplets as the family makes the traditional braided egg bread. Even the dog is involved, grabbing the challah in its mouth to help braid it and helping to set the table, which might elicit an “Eww, gross” from readers. Grandparents arrive with hugs, the candles are lit, and the challah is perfect and wonderfully delicious. As the events unfold, the family’s reactions are evident in their body language and facial expressions, with the strongest emotions being the sheer love and joy in being together. Delightful cartoon illustrations—both single- and double-page spreads and vignettes—enhance the tale. In the endpapers and in a central double-page spread, the young protagonist is seen as a tiny sprite leaping and dancing among the ingredients. Backmatter explains that challah is customarily eaten on many Jewish holidays, including Shabbat. The brown-haired, light-skinned characters all have large brown eyes, with Dad and the narrator sporting oversized eyeglasses. A timeless Shabbat tradition sweetly told. (author’s note, recipe) “—Kirkus Reviews (Challah Day!)

“With verve reminiscent of a vintage musical number, and crisp digital artwork that nods to 1960s animation, a family pools their respective talents to make challah—the twisted egg bread that’s a tradition of the Jewish Sabbath. The action, set to rhyming text, focuses mostly on bustling kitchen interplay, occasionally breaking into choreographed flights of fantasy. In one spread, the pale-skinned family’s elder child—the book’s narrator—dances and leaps across giant containers of sugar, salt, and oil before hopping onto an enormous spoon that extends out of an equally large mixing bowl. Offsay (A Grandma’s Magic) and Kirschner (Mr. Particular) don’t rush the preparations (they take several frames to show how “the dough will start to rise/ growing till it’s twice the size”), nor do they leave anyone on the sidelines (Baby kneads the dough by crawling on it, and the family dog helps tear plastic to cover the bowl). Guests arrive, Grandma “lights the candles bright,” and everyone gets to enjoy “Finally—our favorite part—// homemade challah/ from the heart.” Brief explanatory material and a recipe conclude. .”—Publishers Weekly (Challah Day!)

“A delightful picture book chronicling the love, unity, and joy braided into a family’s loaf of challah bread. From start to finish, challah is the focus of this story. Rhyming text propels it, keeping readers familiar and unfamiliar with this delicious, traditional Jewish bread engaged. The ingredients, steps for kneading, braiding, and a taste test at Shabbat dinner are all portrayed in whimsical, cartoony illustrations. One particularly adorable spread features a child set in miniature jumping from ingredient to ingredient like a challah fairy. Back matter includes information about the origins and role of challah in Jewish life, plus a recipe for readers to try at home. In a time when Jewish people are facing violence and antisemitism, this book is an oasis of Jewish joy. VERDICT Not just for cultural collections, but for family shelves, children’s baking sections, and any collection that celebrates gatherings and love.—School Library Journal (Challah Day!)

“A sweetly straightforward and celebratory read for Jewish families as well as those wanting to learn more about Jewish culture. Offsay’s jaunty and quick-paced rhyming couplets are perfect for reading aloud. . . . Matching the bouncy tone of Offsay’s writing, Kirschner’s charmingly dynamic illustrations highlight the characters’ actions. . . .”—BookPage (Challah Day!)

MR. PARTICULAR: The World’s Choosiest Champion
by Jason Kirschner | Sterling Books | 2016
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• a Kids BookCase Club picturebook selection, Bookroo
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“I enjoyed Mr. Particular and so will you. This is a great book for kids—a terrific story, beautifully illustrated.”—David Letterman

“A young superhero holds his team back due to his many aversions. Donning a cheery, apple-red cape, a shirt emblazoned with a scarlet “P,” and an aviator’s helmet, Mr. Particular may be a superhero, but he has a very precise litany of things he dislikes, including (but not limited to) tucked-in shirts, squishy mud, the smell of coconut, and humming. He fights alongside his teammates: the brown-socked, yellow-masked Atomic Bear and the striped-tights-wearing, pink-bespectacled Daring Duck. However, Mr. Particular’s fussiness has been keeping him on the sidelines of their world-saving fun, and the team isn’t happy. Exiled from the group, he’s worried that he’ll be stuck playing with the diaper-laden Super Pooper (his little brother). When he discovers Atomic Bear stuck in a tree above some superslimy mud and near a humming beehive (depicted as a wasps’ nest), can Mr. Particular overcome his dislikes and save the day? Told in comic-book format with large, kinetic panels and a pleasantly muted palette, Kirschner’s offering puts an accessible, even enjoyable spin on sensory aversions and adds dashes of giggle-worthy, slight potty humor to keep readers’ interests piqued. While Mr. Particular is white, his team is fairly diverse racially as well as by gender. A tidily wrapped-up resolution shows even the most stickling superhero can muster the inner strength to do what must be done to save the day. A particularly appropriate tale just right for a choosy crowd.“—Kirkus Reviews