Nuri's Tunnel
Written by: Roni Gelbfish Illustrated by:Rotem Teplow
What do we do when we do not understand something? The rule is simple –we ask! But is it really that easy?
A bashful one cannot learn
(Mishna, Ethics of the Fathers, 2:5)
The story about Nuri captures her embarrassment and difficulty asking and admitting that she did not understand, even to someone as close to her as her grandfather. To her surprise, she discovers that her questions are important and welcomed with love. Like Nuri, we all feel puzzled sometimes and are embarrassedto ask. If we only admittedit, we would be able to keep learning and developing. Reading together, experiencing together Discussion.
Nuri and Grandpa spend time together, and it's nice. You may want to discuss and discover the following with your children: What do they like doing with their grandfather, grandmother, or other family members? Is there anything that they wish to learn from them? Perhaps they have a question that they wanted to ask and were too embarrassed to do so?
Looking at the illustrations Which treasures can be found in Grandpa's cave? You may want to look at the illustrations and think about how they ended up being buried in the ground, and to whom they belonged. You could also imagine what might be hidden in the ground underneath your own home. Introducing the mole What is a mole? Moles are rodents livingin underground burrows. The shape oftheir bodies is suitable for living in burrows as it is long and cylindrical. Themoles' touch and hearing are evolved, and theyeat plants that grow in the ground. If you want to knowmore, please look for. information on moles online.You could also be a mole for a day! Make a tunnel out of sofas, bed sheets or pillows, go into it carefully and crawl out. You could also turn off all the lights at home, and use a flashlight to go left, right, backwards and forwards, overcome various obstacles and…reach your destination! What's the question? You may enjoy playing the followinggame and finding out whathappens when we answer before we ask: One player says an answer, and the other players try to guess what the question was. for instance, the answer"My name is Nuri" will be met with the question "What's your name?". Which questions match answers such as "I'm five years old" or "a purple monster"?