אכפתיות והתחשבות

טיפ לקריאה משפחתית

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לאחר הקריאה כדאי לשוחח על רגשותיהם של גיבורי הספר ועל ההתמודדות שלהם עם מצבים שעלו בסיפור, ולהציע לשאוב מהם השראה. ילדות וילדים מזדהים עם הדמויות בסיפור, נחשפים לנקודות מבט שונות ולומדים מהן על רגשות ועל התנהגויות שהם מכירים מחייהם.

"זה היה רעיון טוב לתת לו להיכנס ראשון"

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בעקבות הסיפור תוכלו לשוחח, לשתף ולשאול: מה מרגישים כשמחכים בתור? האם גם לנו קרה שהרגשנו שהתור שלנו דחוף יותר משל אחרים? כיצד לדעתכם כלבלב הרגיש כשהתחשבו בו? כיצד חשו קופיף ושאר הממתינים לאחר שוויתרו על תורם? נסו להיזכר יחד במקרה שהתחשבו בכם או שאתם התחשבתם באחר.

מי הבא בתור?

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קופיף, ג’ירפה, פיל ותנינה מנסים למצוא עיקרון שיקבע את סדר התור. בהשראתם תוכלו לשחק משחק משעשע עם כל בני המשפחה שבו עליכם להסתדר בכל פעם לפי סדר אחר. כך למשל תוכלו להסתדר לפי סדר הגילים מהצעיר למבוגר או לפי צבע החולצה מהבהיר לכהה, ואולי לפי עד כמה אתם אוהבים גלידה. אפשר להמציא יחד מאפיינים שונים ומשעשעים ולבדוק – מי הבא בתור עכשיו?

ממתינים ונהנים

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כיצד בסופו של דבר קופיף העביר את זמן ההמתנה? הוא שוחח עם אלו שהמתינו איתו, העלה רעיונות לסדר התור והכיר חברים חדשים. גם אתם יכולים לחשוב יחד ולהעלות רעיונות שיסייעו לכם להנעים את הזמן כשאתם מחכים למשהו. תוכלו להמציא שיר משעשע שאפשר לשיר במצבי המתנה, משחק תנועות עם האצבעות, ואפילו להכין עזרים שיסייעו לכם להעביר את הזמן – ספר, חוברת ציורים, חידות, כדור מחיץ. או כל רעיון משעשע אחר שיעלה על דעתכם.

האזינו לסיפור "הבא בתור"

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רוצים לדעת איך נשמע קופיף? ואיך נשמעת ד”ר צביה? האזינו לסיפור.

פינטרסט

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יצירות, שירים ופעילויות נוספות בפינטרסט של ספריית פיג’מה

Family reading advice

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Illustrations are an integral part of books, completing details that are not always found in the text itself. For instance, the building blocks Taylor uses only appear in the illustrations. Did you discover any other details through the illustrations? Sometimes, it’s worth trying to read a story “over again” using the illustrations and seeing what else we can discover about.

Discussion – When things fall apart

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Sometimes, things we put a lot of time and effort into fall apart or fail. We can discuss that by asking – Has anything similar to what happened to Taylor ever happened to you? How did you feel? When you’re upset or frustrated – what helpscheer you up? Which of the animals in the book would you have called out to for help?

How to Draw a Rabbit

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Watch the video to learn how to draw a rabbit.

Listening exercises

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Listening exercises can help us sharpen our senses and notice new things: Try speaking to one another while sitting back-to-back, and then face-to-face. How did you feel each time? Another exercise is: Close your eyes for one minute, be completely silent and still, and try only to listen to the sounds around you. When the time is up, tell the others what you heard.

Animal mimicking

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What does the ostrich look like when it buries its head in the sand? What does the elephant do with its trunk when it remembers? And what does the bear look like when it is angry? Try mimicking each of the animals in the book by copying its movements, sounds and suggested solutions.

Pinterest

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More arts & crafts, songs and other activities can be found  on the Sifriyat Pijama .Pinterest page

Family reading advice – Recurring phrases

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Many books written for toddlers have a recurring phrase that helps their target audience follow the story and join in the reading. The recurring phrase can be emphasized while reading using a special voice, body movement, or a change of reading pace. For example, when you read bo itanu (“come with us”), you can add an inviting hand gesture, or make the end of the phrase longer – veyesh etzlenu m-a-k-o-m (“and we have r-o-o-m”).

Hosting friends

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The girl in this book invites the children to join her under her umbrella and “hosts” them. You can ask the children whether they like to host at home, and who they would like to host.
Sometimes toddlers find it hard to share their games when they host others at their homes. You can discuss that and explain that, just as the umbrella in the book is still the girl’s umbrella, even when she allows others to take cover under it, so do their personal belongings remain theirs when sharing.

Listen to the Song

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You can listen to the song as sung on Kan Kids’ children’s show Parpar Nechmad, and join in the singing as well as the dance movements.
Lyrics and music: Datia Ben Dor
Performing Artists: Ester Rada, Uri Banai, Meital Raz, Ami Weinberg.

A family with an umbrella

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How many family members can fit under a single umbrella? And how many can fit under a blanket? Or the dining-room table? This book can inspire you to find out how well you can all squeeze into various places in amusing and fun ways.

A walk in the rain

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On a rainy day, you can pull on some boots, put on a coat, take an umbrella and go out for a walk in the rain! You can step into puddles and observe the special things that change around us when it’s raining – How many people are outside now? What do the skies look like? What happens when the rain falls on soil or the sidewalk? What kind of smell is in the air?

Pinterest

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More songs, arts & crafts and other surprises are waiting for you on the Sifriyat Pijama Pinterest page.

Family reading advice – From book to life

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Books can help us cope with challenging situations: Toddlers identify with book characters and, as a result, learn about emotions, behaviors and challenges that exist both in books and in real life. In situations that are similar to those presented in the book, you can remind your toddlers of the book characters, and suggest that they be inspired by them and behave in a similar way: “Do you think we can maybe shift a little on the bench, and make room for our friends, just like the bears in the book did?”

מה קורה בסיפור?

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You can discuss what is happening in the book with your toddlers – which problem did the bears encounter? Why didn’t the bear have anywhere to sit? What did the other bears do? You can also address the feelings that emerge from the book: How did the bear feel when he had nowhere to sit? Was he happy, sad, or perhaps surprised or confused?

Reading the illustrations

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You can learn, play, and have fun using the illustrations. You can look for a different detail in them every time – can you spot the pink bear? Where’s the spotted bear? Where is the big bear and where is the little bear?
You can swap roles, and let your toddlers beckon you to search for details in the illustrations.

Like a bear

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You can turn the pages of this book and pause at a different page each time to look at the bears and try to copy their movement, sitting posture, and facial expressions so that yours are exactly like the ones depicted in the illustration.

Pinterest

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You can find more activities and special ideas on the Sifriyat Pijama for Toddlers Pinterest page.

Family reading advice

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Reading a book together can evoke thoughts, feelings and emotions in children: Like the young bird, they can feel small and fragile; like Efrat, they can feel misunderstood, or determined to go on doing what they believe is right. We recommend sitting close together, and accompanying the reading with a soothing stroke: Touch brings parents and children closer together, and strengthens children’s faith that they have someone who supports them, and is attentive to the feelings that the book evokes in them.

Getting bigger

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Little Peanut is getting bigger, and Efrat, who is discovering independence and responsibility, is getting bigger too. You can discuss and ask your children what makes them bigger and more responsible than they were before – are they taking care of a pet, for example? Doing things on their own? Helping their friends and around the house? We recommend always reminding children about the areas in which you, as parents, see that they have made progress and grown. Doing so makes children feel good, and bolsters their self-confidence.

Helping animals

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You can also help the animals in your surroundings: You can make a feeding station for birds containing crumbs; place a water bowl for cats; make a sign protecting an anthill, or think of your own ways of helping the animals in your surroundings.

Where are the animals?

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The illustrations in this book depict various animals – some are stuffed, drawn or playthings, some are real, while others appear in the children’s thoughts. Can you find them?

Jumping, skipping, flying

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Do you like to move? Look at the page on which Little Peanut learns how to fly, and try to move along with the story: You can grow wings, hop, skip, or even try to pretend to fly.

Pinterest

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More arts & crafts, songs and other activities can be found on the Sifriyat Pijama Pinterest page

A childhood song – The Little Bunny [HaShafan HaKatan]

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This book was inspired by the well-known children’s song The Little Bunny [HaShafan HaKatan] by Binyamin Caspi. You may want to ask your child which children’s song this story reminds them of, and then sing and dance together.

Do you have any other favorite children’s songs? You could create a family songbook, and select one to sing together from time to time. You too may be inspired to write a story about it.

Where are you in this story?

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Reading both words and illustrations – You may enjoy taking turns reading this book to one another: you can read the words to your child, and then have them tell you the story using the illustrations.

Our table – draw an empty table and choose who to invite over: it can be family and friends, real or imaginary, favorite toys, or characters in books. What would you serve your guests? What do you think would happen when they all meet one another?

Inviting people round

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Having a friend visit us is exciting. You may want to prepare for the visit together and discuss how to welcome this friend, how to pass the time together when they get here, and what to do if each of you prefers to do something else.

Kind words in our family

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The bunny’s friends thank him, and he uses kind words when speaking to them, like “please”, “so glad you came over”, and “bon appetit!”. When you sit together for a family meal, you could take turns saying kind words to each other: the first begins by giving the one on their right a compliment; the second compliments the third, and so on. The compliment can be about something nice they had done, a good quality they have, having behaved pleasantly, or any other positive thing you can think of. If you look for it, you’ll be sure to find it…

פינטרסט

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suggestions for game cards and arts & crafts can be found on the PJLibrary Pinterest page.

Discussing – What about our world?

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What is your responsibility, as parents and children, for your friends, family, and environment? Which roles do you play within the family, and which additional roles would you like to assume responsibility for in order to help others and your surroundings? Perhaps you could discuss and make suggestions that would help your family in their day-to-day, such as: sweeping the porch; checking in with a sick friend; recycling bottles, paper, and bio-degradable materials; set the table for dinner, or tightly close leaking faucets.

Doing some arts & crafts – A family tree

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Cut out some paper leaves. Each family member gets some leaves, and writes suggestions for actions that would be considerate of other members of the family, such as: leaving enough warm water for others to shower; feeding your pet hamsters, or saying ‘good morning’ with a smile. Make your tree in painting form or some other artform using recycled materials or tree branches you have collected, and attach all the leaves to it.

You could try to put your ideas to practice. How about deciding to try out one suggestion each day? And if it doesn’t go too well for you, don’t worry, tomorrow is another day…

Suggestions and examples can be found on the PJLibrary Pinterest page – The Juice Tree.

Playing – How can we pass leaves round?

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The villagers must cooperate for the tree to grow more leaves. Games are a delightful way of working together as a family: cut out a paper leaf, and stand in a row. Ready? Here we go!

Pass the leaf round from one player to the next without touching it with your hands. If any of you struggle, help by giving them advice and cheering them on. By way of celebrating when the game is over, enjoy your favorite beverage.

Raise your glass to your cooperation, and the many collaborations still to come!

Continuing with the story

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The book ends with Mr. Milly’s silence. He smiles, and helps water the tree. And then what happens? You could try to continue the story from this point: What was Mr. Milly thinking while he smiled quietly? What happened to the juice tree and the villagers? Did they keep on picking a single leaf? Or did something surprising happen down the line?

מילות מפתח -

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  – suggestions for game cards and arts & crafts can be found on the PJLibrary Pinterest page.

Proposed Family Activities:

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• You may want to snuggle up to each other and look at the illustrations together. What does Big Wolf do before Little Wolf comes along? Perhaps you could suggest that your child leaf through the book, and tell the story in their own words. You could also try to tell the story from Little Wolf’s perspective.
• You may want to ask your child to look for the illustrations in which Big Wolf helps Little Wolf. What does he do for his friend throughout the book? You could think of your friends together, and remember the little things you do for one another.
• You may enjoy tying two inner toilet paper rolls with some string to make binoculars. You could climb up a hill, and try to locate various objects using the binoculars you made. What is the furthest thing each of you was able to spot?
• When Big Wolf first sees Little Wolf, the latter is no more than a dot on the horizon. You may want to take a blank sheet of paper, and draw together – start off by making a small dot, then ask your child to add some detail to the picture, and keep on taking turns as you go along. What has your dot turned into?
• Big Wolf misses Little Wolf, and awaits his return. You may want to remind your child of a friend with whom they have not spent time recently, and suggest inviting them over.

האזינו לסיפור "החוצה"

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הימים האלו עכשיו הם ימים לא רגילים, ובימים כאלה סיפורים יכולים לשמח, לרגש, אפילו להצחיק. אנו מזמינים אתכם/ן להאזין להקלטה הקסומה של הספר “החוצה”, מאת: רינת פרימו | איורים: איתי רייכרט | ידיעות ספרים.

האם יצליח אבא ללמד את איתמר שגם המסדרון, חדר המדרגות ואפילו הרחוב הם שלו? האזינו לסיפור וגלו!

יוצרים ומגישים: ירדן בר כוכבא – הלפרין ודידי שחר
מוזיקה ונגינה: טל בלכרוביץ’
פתיח ההסכת ולחן השיר בסיפור “החוצה”: דידי שחר

Proposed Family Activities:

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• You may want to lead through this book, and look at the illustrations together. You could ask your child to tell you the story in their own words based on the sequence of illustrations.

• Perhaps you could ask your child for their opinion as to why Itamar’s father tells him that the corridor, stairwell, and street belong to him too.

• Perhaps you would enjoy taking a walk in the neighborhood, and discovering the buildings, roads, and landscape near your home. Does anything in the shared spaces need improving or cleaning? Perhaps you could initiate a local activity, such as tidying up and decorating the stairwell in your building, or setting up a community garden.

• Your child can join Itamar by tidying up their room, and sorting through their toys. Perhaps you will find long-forgotten “treasures”! You may want to decide what to keep and what to throw out, or donate to others, together. You can also try to fix broken toys, or think of ways to recycle some items, and use them in a new way.

• Do you also have some broken crayons you were thinking of throwing out? They can be recycled! Sort them into similar shades, peel off their paper labels, and place them into a paper or silicone baking tray. Bake at a low heat until the crayons melt, cool the mixture, take out of the baking tray, and enjoy your new, multi-colored crayons!

Proposed Family Activities:

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• You may enjoy looking at the special illustrations together while reading the book. You may want to discuss whether letters can indeed have feelings, and whether you recognized the boy who received the letter at the end of the book. 
• What is known and unknown in the book? Perhaps you can guess: What did Nitay’s mother, Lily, whisper in his ear at night? What did the letter say? Why was the man on the bus angry? And why were the old man and his daughter sad? Remember, there are no wrong answers – that’s the magic of the story!
• The illustrations combine photographs with drawings. You may want to print out a family photo or a picture of your child on a black and white printer, and then color in the printout using color pencils, enriching it with color and a creative imagination.
• Sometimes we keep special letters for a long time – official letters, love letters, or letters we received from friends. Have you also kept any special letter? Perhaps you could share such a letter with your child, and tell them who wrote it to you, and what it is about. Inspired by this book, you could start writing letters to one another, and keeping them in a special place.
• A letter need not be long, and does not necessarily require an envelope. You could surprise your child by sticking notes on their lunchbox or bathroom mirror, or placing them under their pillow. Whichever way you choose – spreading a good word wherever you go is the best!
• Who would love to receive a “magical letter” from you? Perhaps a member of your family, a neighbor or classmate? You can go ahead and write one together, put it into an envelope, and mail it. You would not believe how much happiness a letter can bring.
• How about writing a letter in invisible ink? Squeeze a lemon, dip a cotton swab into the lemon juice, and use it to write a note on a white sheet of paper. Your hidden message will only be seen by those who shine a flashlight under your letter.

Proposed Family Activities:

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• You may want to leaf through the book together, and look for all the animals: the hedgehog, rabbit, squirrel, and mouse. Have you discovered any other animals hiding in the woods?

• It may be advisable to read the story several times to allow your child to remember the sequence of events, and join you as you read the recurring lines: “רעבים ביער לא חסר, כדאי מאוד להסתתר” [“Many in the woods are hungry, it is best to hide”], and “התפוח גדול, אפשר גם לכבד” [“It’s a big apple, we can share it”].

• You may enjoy discussing moments in which we share with or give to others together. Remind your child how we host friends, share toys in kindergarten, or offer others some of our yummy snack.

• Each animal has a unique way of walking: the hedgehog takes small steps, the rabbit hops, the squirrel skips, and the mouse pitter patters. You could play charades together, imitating the various characters in the book: one of you does the imitation, while the other guesses which of the characters they are pretending to be.

• You may enjoy acting the story out using stuffed animals you have at home. You could also make animal costumes using old fabrics: cut various shaped ears, attach them to hair bands, and become hedgehogs, rabbits, squirrels, and mice.

• The friends in the book enjoy a meal together in which each of them gives and gets from the others. You may enjoy organizing a picnic with some friends or neighbors, in which each of you brings something from home, and shares it with the others.

• You could make a pinecone hedgehog with your child, and ask them to paint it with some paints and a paintbrush. Who will be the happy recipient of this colorful gift?

Proposed Family Activities:

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• Have you noticed how the illustrator chose to depict the cat and rabbit as children in disguise? Does your child also like to play dress-up? You may want to put on some ears and tails and take a trip together.

• You may enjoy looking for the pages on which the cat and rabbit eat. What sounds do they make while eating? Try to listen to the sounds we make when we drink from a straw, have an ice-cream, or eat a crunchy apple.

• Perhaps you could act this story out using rabbit and cat puppets. You can use leftover fabrics or old socks to make your own.

• Do all of your family members like eating the same food? Which of you drink from a bottle, and which of you have hot coffee in a mug? You may want to suggest that your child try out new dishes every once in a while. Did they like them? Remember, there is no accounting for taste.

• You may enjoy inviting a new friend home, and finding an activity to do together that will make both friends happy: taking a walk, drawing, building something, or reading this book.

Proposed Family Activities:

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• You may want to read this story several times, and look at the special illustrations together. You could ask your child: how can you tell from the illustration that Guy is not feeling well? How does each member of his family try to help him get better? You could search for pictures of Yoyo the dog, and ask what it is doing on each page. Perhaps your child could tell you the story in their own words according to the illustrations.

• Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa and Yoyo try to cheer Guy up and make him happy. Each of them does what they can and think is best for him. You may want to share a memory with your child of a time when you had gone to visit a sick person, or a time when you were sick and received a heartwarming visit.

• Often children are unable to visit the sick, but they can still help them recover, and cheer them up. Do you happen to know anyone who is unwell? You could encourage your child to draw a greeting card for them, call them up, or make something yummy for them, to try and help them get well.

• Perhaps you would enjoy opening a “toy clinic” at home in which to treat your dolls and stuffed animals. You could also play together: you could be the patient, and your child could pretend to be your doctor, or vice versa.

• Grandpa makes sweet, hot tea for Guy. You can also make delicious herbal tea, if you like, to warm up your entire family: place some herbs in a teapot (mint, rosemary, lemongrass or sage), pour boiling water over them, and sweeten the hot beverage. Enjoy!

What makes one a hero?

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What makes one a hero? You may want to stop reading when Pat realizes he has no special powers. You could discuss Pat’s feelings with your child – what would they have told him right now? What could have comforted him? You may also wish to ask: Is not being a superhero that terrible? What sort of qualities might make one a hero? And who are your heroes?

Uniting and distinguishing:

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Uniting and distinguishing: Which qualities do members of your family share, and which make each of you special? What distinguishes your family from others? You could discuss this with your child, and ask them to draw two pictures: a family portrait highlighting common traits, and another emphasizing each family member’s uniqueness.

Make believe:

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Make believe: Many children enjoy playing with superhero action figures, and pretending that they too have special powers. You may want to join in on their game, taking an interest in the superpowers possessed by your child’s favorite characters, and letting your imagination run wild. If you also spent time playing superheroes as children, or reading comic books, you could tell your child about your childhood toys, books, and movies, and compare them with today’s superheroes.

Dressing up as superheroes:

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Dressing up as superheroes: Perhaps you would enjoy choosing or inventing a superhero, and making a costume for your child – from head to toe, or just using a cape. What superpowers does the superhero you chose have? What are their special qualities?

Walking in the dark

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Walking in the dark: Pat can find his way in the dark. Can you? You may want to turn off all the lights, and walk from one room to the other holding hands. Feel your way around, and rely on your knowledge of your surroundings. After several times, you could allow your child to lead you.

Interesting animals

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Interesting animals: You may enjoy reading the fun facts about bats printed on the last page of the book together. Did your child know bats shared these characteristics? You may want to visit a petting zoo, zoo or pet store, look for information online or at the library, and prepare a similar page about a different animal.

האזינו לסיפור "העופר המסכן" מהספר "סיפורי חיות"

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הקשיבו, הקשיבו!!! 🎧 ילדות וילדים, הורים וצוותים חינוכיים ❤️ הימים האלו עכשיו הם ימים לא רגילים, ובימים כאלה סיפורים יכולים לשמח, לרגש, אפילו להצחיק. אנו מזמינים אתכם/ן להאזין להקלטה הקסומה של הסיפור “העופר המסכן”, מתוך “סיפורי חיות”, מאת: עודד בורלא | איורים: אסיה אייזנשטיין | הוצאת: ידיעות ספרים.

יוצרים ומגישים – ירדן בר כוכבא – הלפרין ודידי שחר מוזיקה ונגינה – טל בלכרוביץ’ פתיח ההסכת ולחן השיר בסיפור “החוצה” – דידי שחר.

מוכנים/ות? מת – חי – לים! ▶️

האזינו לסיפור "ההמצאות של קרפד"

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הקשיבו, הקשיבו!!! 🎧 ילדות וילדים, הורים וצוותים חינוכיים ❤️ הימים האלו עכשיו הם ימים לא רגילים, ובימים כאלה סיפורים יכולים לשמח, לרגש, אפילו להצחיק. אנו מזמינים אתכם/ן להאזין להקלטה הקסומה של הסיפור “ההמצאות של קרפד” מתוך הספר “סיפורי חיות” מאת: עודד בורלא, איורים: אסיה אייזנשטיין.

יוצרים ומגישים: ירדן בר כוכבא – הלפרין ודידי שחר
מוזיקה ונגינה: טל בלכרוביץ’
פתיח: דידי שחר

Oded Burla (1915–2009)

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Author, poet and painter Oded Burla was born in Jerusalem Sephardi family that had lived in this country for over thirteen generations. He published his first book at the age of 45, and went on to write and illustrate more than 70 children’s books, in which, he once claimed, 346 different animals were mentioned! Burla is considered the founding father of nonsense in Hebrew children’s literature; his books are filled with sophisticated humor and a use of language that is both surprising and amusing. For his work, Oded Burla has been awarded the Zeev Prize, ACUM Award, and Bialik Prize.

Proposed Family Activities:

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• Animal stories have morals from which people can learn. You may enjoy reading the stories together, and trying to discover the subtle messages conveyed by them. What makes someone pitiful? Why did the tiger help the warbler? Is kindness contagious? And what can a squirrel teach us about independence?

• What about the stories did your child find amusing? The animals and their behavior? The surprising endings the author chose for his stories? Or perhaps the illustrations?

• The toad is an inventor with a great imagination. But are all his inventions necessary or useful? Perhaps you could also let your imaginations run wild, and invent new things together. Are your inventions useful?

• In the poem entitled “Noah’s chick” (HaEfroah shel Noach), almost every line rhymes with “Noah”. You may also choose a word or sound, and try to write a poem in which every line rhymes with that sound. How long was your poem?

• The story about Sakiki the Saki contains a plethora of idioms and phrases containing the Hebrew word for “eye” – ayin. You may want to make an amusing, illustrated dictionary together containing all the expressions found in this story in picture form.

• Do you also like animals and stories? Then how about going to the zoo with a notebook and pen, and drawing all the animals that remind you of certain people? Together, you can make up stories with morals about them, and write them down, to create your very own animal stories.

You may enjoy looking at the book together.

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You may enjoy looking at the book together. What do you see on the cover? You may want to ask your child their opinion as to the feelings of both girl and cat in the picture.

Do you own a pet?

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Do you own a pet? Is your child attached to it? In what way do they help to take care of it? Perhaps you could go to a petting or regular zoo, and discuss your favorite animals together.

Perhaps you would like to observe the cats on your street.

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Perhaps you would like to observe the cats on your street. How do they walk? What sounds do they make? What do they eat? Are they domesticated cats or street cats? You could place an empty cardboard box in the yard. Maybe a cat would use it to sleep in?

You could act the story out using puppets

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You could act the story out using puppets. You could also make a puppet from bits of fabric, or an old sock. You could take turns being Maya and Kishta.

Why is the cat called Kishta

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Why is the cat called Kishta (“shoo”)? Perhaps you could help Maya pick out a new name for her new friend? If you had a cat, what would you name it?

Life is full of childhood transitions

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Life is full of childhood transitions – moving from a crib to a bed, a new bedroom, or kindergarten. We hope that the joy found by Maya and Kishta in their new friendship will be a source of support for your child in their transitions.

Suggested Family Activities

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• You can flip through the illustrations with your children and identify the work that the brothers do together. In every home there are tasks that invite collaboration.  Which household chores are easier and more pleasant to carry out together?
• There are many verbs that describe the work of the farmer. Do your children know them? You can act out the different actions using pantomime.
• Each of the brothers considers the other’s needs and gives up his share without being asked.  Together with your children, you can make an illustrated list of examples where members of your family share and are considerate to one another.
• Like the brothers in the story, you too can prepare a surprise for your children in the middle of the night. Following your example, your children may surprise you too!
• The brothers in the story understand that fair does not always mean equal. How true this is in family life as well! You can demonstrate this principle using clothes: Gather up different pieces of clothing belonging to the members of the family and ask your children to sort them. Would it be fair to give Mommy’s blouse to a child, or Daddy’s slacks to a baby? This can lead into a discussion of the needs of members of your family, and to your assurance that their needs are met, even if they don’t always get exactly the same thing as their siblings.
• “Everyone has a city named Jerusalem” (Natan Yonatan): After reading together the tale of the Temple, you can show your children pictures of Jerusalem (or visit!), sing songs about Jerusalem, and relay to your children stories about “your Jerusalem”.

Family Activity

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• Bear’s friends try to cheer him up and make him happy. Each one of them does their best. But how do they do it? Pick one animal and focus on its actions throughout the book. What kind of help does this animal give Bear?
• Have you ever visited a sick friend or relative? Did anyone ever visit you when you were not feeling well? How can we cheer up our kindergarten friends when they are sick?
• The badger gives Bear a herbal tea to drink, made from the medicinal herbs picked by Bear’s friends. You can also make a delicious, warm, herbal tea for your family: Put some herbs like mint (nana), rosemary, lemon verbena, or sage in a teapot. Add four cups of hot water and some honey. Pour a cup of tea for every family member and decorate it with a lemon slice.
• Play “make believe sick”: practice the mitzvah of visiting the sick with your family. Let your child take care of you and help you relax. Tell them what helps you when you’re not feeling well. This is a golden opportunity to remind your children that they have the power to heal others!
• At the end of the story, Bear gets better, and finds out that the friends who helped him recover are all sick! How does Bear “know” to take care of his friends, and how does he manage to take care of so many friends at once? Using stuffed animals or dolls, make a small play showing how Bear takes care of his friends.

“You must exercise great caution concerning your lives” Venishmartem meod lenafshotechem

Sickness is a part of life. We get better thanks to the treatment we receive, as well as thanks to our body, which manages to overcome the illness. In the book of Deuteronomy (Devarim), chapter 4 verse 15, it is written: “You must exercise great caution concerning your lives” (venishmartem meod lenafshotechem). This means that we have the responsibility to take care of our body and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

• How do you take care of your body? Discuss: How do you keep the body clean? What kind of food is healthy? How can we use our body to make it stronger? How do we rest to regain energy?
• Bear’s illness is contagious. Try to think how we can be careful to avoid getting infected (for example: washing our hands, not coming to kindergarten when we are sick). What more can we do?