In Ilana R. Wieder’s picture book SHIRA THE SINGING PUPPY (Kar-Ben, 2025), illustrated by Alexandra Colombo, an enthusiastic singing dog named Shira is hushed all week long. But when the sun goes down after Shabbat, Shira finally gets to use her voice to help celebrate Havdalah. Young readers and dog lovers will enjoy meeting Shira and her family. The colorful illustrations are engaging, and Shira is an adorable pup that kids will love. I look forward to learning more about SHIRA THE SINGING PUPPY.

I am also pleased to share that Ilana’s publisher, Kar-Ben, is offering a giveaway for a copy of SHIRA THE SINGING PUPPY! If you’d like to be entered to win, leave a comment on this post with your email address. A winner will be chosen at random on March 25, 2026.

*Congratulations to June Sobel, winner of the book giveaway! Many thanks to all who entered.

Can you tell me a bit about what inspired you to create a singing puppy character? Is Shira based on a pet that you know?

My dog, Mitzi, inspired me to create a singing puppy character. In my family, we love music and we love dogs. When we take Mitzi with us on car rides, she starts to howl along with the music she hears. Sometimes we think it’s adorable but other times we tell her to hush and shush so we can listen to our favorite songs. This was the kernel for my story. After a few observations of my family shushing Mitzi on car rides, I began asking myself some questions: What if there was a dog who wanted to sing every day of the week but her family kept telling her to hush and shush? What type of scenarios would she be in where singing would not be allowed? When would she finally get to sing her heart out? Answering these type of questions and revising many drafts eventually lead to this story. 

The story takes us through the week with Shira and her family, culminating in a special Havdalah. Why do you think Havdalah is important to your characters?

I love this question, Barbara. I think Havdalah is a beautiful Jewish ritual that separates the Holy from the everyday. Traditionally, we perform Havdalah at the end of our Sabbath, on Saturday night, when we see at least three stars in the sky. This is a time when the moon is usually visible too! What a perfect time for a puppy to howl! For Shira and her family, Havdalah is that in-between time; when the family is still reverberating from the holiness of Shabbat and have not yet entered the everyday of the week. It’s a time when Shira’s family can be present in being together and appreciating Shira’s passion for singing.

What were your thoughts when you first saw the illustrations by Alexandra Colombo?

I love Alexandra’s illustrations. I’m so happy Kar-Ben chose her to illustrate my book. I love how some of her illustrations turned out to be exactly as I had envisioned them when I wrote the script without us communicating about it beforehand. 

One of the things that surprised me is the choice to illustrate the girl characters wearing kippot (skullcaps traditionally worn by men). This is not something that we practice in my home but I do know many women who find wearing a kippah meaningful to them. I decided to leave it in because there are few picture books out there that have representation of the Reform and Conservative Jewish communities where women enjoy this type of practice.

What do you hope young readers take away from Shira’s story?

My hope is that readers enjoy howling like a puppy as they learn about the days of the week and about Havdalah, our rich Jewish traditional ritual of separating the holy from the mundane. 

I hope they will learn that, with patience and persistence, they can achieve their heart’s desires. And it would bring me so much joy knowing that if a family decided to observe this special ritual, they would read SHIRA THE SINGING PUPPY as part of that ritual.

In addition to being a children’s author you are also a playwright. How is your writing process different in each genre?

I think there are some similarities and some differences in the writing process. 

For me, the similarities are that all genres begin with an idea, a main character and a theme. Then, I answer the: Who Why What Where and When type of questions and then I begin writing my discovery draft.

The differences are that in writing a picture book, I think more visually. I think of my text as a springboard for the illustrator. On the other hand, in playwriting, I think a lot more about action and dialogue; how they reveal the characters’ motivations and the characters’ inner life.

Ultimately, playwriting and picture book writing are similar in that they are both performative. There is always someone “acting out the story” (The reader) and someone who is the “audience” (the listener). The illustrations in a picture book serve as all the gorgeous scene and wardrobe changes you experience in a live stage production.

Thank you, Ilana!

Ilana R. Wieder received her M.F.A. from UC Davis. After many years of working as an actress, Ilana began telling stories through playwriting, stage directing, and writing for children. Ilana is the founder of Shalom Writers where she hosts online meetings with writers who are passionate about telling Jewish stories. Visit Ilana at: www.ilanarwieder.com.

Tagged Ilana R. Wieder, Kar-Ben, picture book