More than three decades ago, a colorful, curious little spider named Sammy made his picture book debut and scurried into the homes and hearts of Jewish families across the country.
Starting with “Sammy Spider’s First Hanukkah,” he crept his way through Jewish holidays, prayers and practices throughout more than two dozen books, all illustrated with bright watercolor collages instantly recognizable to generations of Jewish children.
Those images were the work of Wheaton, Maryland, resident Katherine Janus Kahn, who died earlier this month. The Washington, D.C., native was 83.
A fine artist also known for her works on political justice and women’s issues, Janus Kahn illustrated more than 50 books for Kar-Ben, a publishing house for Jewish children’s books that counts the “Sammy Spider” franchise as among its best-selling.
“We are heartbroken,” the Minneapolis-based Kar-Ben stated in a Facebook post. “We are profoundly grateful for her legacy, and for the countless stories and memories she leaves behind.”
Adam Lerner, CEO of Lerner Publishing Group, parent company of Kar-Ben, wrote in an email, “Katherine’s art and storytelling helped shape the landscape of Jewish children’s literature. Her books have been recognized with many national awards, honoring her creative vision and her lasting impact.”
Kar-Ben was a small company when first the publishing house first connected with Janus Kahn in the early 1990s. She had drawn attention with her paper-cut illustrations for “A Family Haggadah,” which became a bestseller when published in 1987.
Kar-Ben wanted to pair Janus Kahn with Sylvia A. Rouss, an award-winning Jewish children’s author (and former Baltimore resident) who dreamed up a little, plucky spider with a big Jewish future.
“We liked her many styles and thought the collage work would be fun for Sammy’s Hanukkah,” wrote Judye Groner, Kar-Ben’s founder, in an email. “We had no idea that Sammy would become a children’s favorite character featured in over 20 books.”
Over the last three decades, Sammy learned about empathy in “Sammy Spider’s First Mitzvah,” and celebrated the entire Jewish holiday cycle, from Rosh Hashanah to Shavuot. He also stowed away in the luggage of his pal Josh Shapiro in “Sammy Spider’s First Trip to Israel.”
The most recent book of the series, “Sammy Spider’s Big Book of Jewish Holidays,” came out this year and compiles many of the classic stories that are now widely distributed to Jewish families through PJ Library program.
Janus Kahn’s art brought the characters sparkling to life, said Heidi Rabinowitz, past president of the Association of Jewish Libraries and host of the “Book of Life” podcast about Jewish children’s literature.
“Her rainbow-soaked collage artwork gives the Sammy Spider books a huge advantage,” Rabinowitz wrote. “They make Sammy and Mrs. Spider friendly and even beautiful, completely removing the ‘ick factor’ from their arachnid identity.”
For Janus Kahn, who studied art at Jerusalem’s Bezalel Academy after graduating from the University of Chicago, the work connected to her core Jewish identity.
In a 2017 watercolor essay, she said her study at Bezalel came after she volunteered to support Israel during the Six Day War.
“My Judaism and my books are tied together so integrally that I don’t think I could ever untie them,” she said in a 2013 video with Rouss.
Among Janus Kahn’s other titles was “The Hardest Word: A Yom Kippur Story,” published in 2001, the first in a series written by Jacqueline Jules about a Ziz, a large, magnificently colored bird in Jewish folklore. Like Sammy Spider, the Ziz books struck a chord with families and are now part of the canon of Jewish children’s books.
“She was just so creative,” said Jules, who had multiple books illustrated by Janus Kahn.
Their first book together, “Once Upon a Shabbos,” published by Kar-Ben in 1998, was about a bear who gets lost in Brooklyn just before the start of Shabbat. Jules was struck by how Janus Kahn’s illustrations added new texture to a story inspired by an Appalachian folktale.
Janus Kahn would often join Jules for a Ziz storytelling at Jewish venues, bringing a felt board to embellish the Ziz props and a hand-made Ziz puppet that was used by the author.
At one memorable event, at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in D.C., Janus Kahn arrived with two colorful feather boas, Jules recalled. “She made the Ziz come alive,” she said.
With Janus Kahn’s death, Jules, Groner and Rouss not only lost the gifted master illustrator for their books but also a treasured friend of many decades.
“Kathy was a gift and our friendship was a gift,” said Jules.
Wrote Rouss, who lives in California: “Thirty-plus years of shared creativity with Sammy Spider books built more than a working relationship — it built a friendship and changed the world for the better for generations of Jewish children.”
Janus Kahn is survived by her husband, David Kahn; her son, Robert; and her brother, Edward Janus.
Penny Schwartz is a Boston-based journalist who writes about Jewish subjects and the arts, with a specialty on children’s books. She wrote this article for the JTA global Jewish news source. Jmore staff contributed to this report.
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