דימוי עצמי

Family reading advice

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Books can help to prepare for a special occasion or collect memories from a recent event. For example, before a holiday, you can choose a book that speaks about it and discuss: Which events did you plan for the holiday? How can both parents and children prepare for it? In preparation for Purim, you can make a costume or mishloach manot together, and after the holiday, you can read the book again to help you remember the beautiful moments you have just experienced together.

תחפושות ופורים

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This book provides an opportunity to share Purim memories: Do you like dressing up, and if so, do you only do so on Purim? Did you, parents, enjoy dressing up while you were growing up? Which costume brings back good memories? You can find out who likes to dress up and who prefers not to, look at photos from the past and be reminded of special Purim moments.

What it means to be different

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We are all different in some way. Scan the QR code to meet Uffnik and friends for a discussion on the word “different”.

Illustrated costumes

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Where in the book can you find an astronaut’s costume? And what about a Queen Esther, firefighters, police officers or Albert Einstein? You can look for the costumes in the illustrations. Which one is your favorite?

Who was Albert Einstein?
Albert Einstein [1879-1955] was a Jewish German scientist. The relativity theory he developed and other studies he conducted made a big impact on the world of science and on how the laws of nature, time and the universe are perceived. Einstein had a sense of humor and imagination, promoted peace and fraternity, and loved corresponding with children from all over the world. Einstein supported the establishment of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and the State of Israel in general.

Pinterest

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

Family reading advice

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Toddlers enjoy reading books together, and when they focus on the story, they use their learning, concentration and imagination abilities. To “get into” the story and allow them to concentrate, you should disconnect from the world for a few minutes, sit somewhere calm, with no background noises, screens or mobile phones, and fly together on the story’s wings.

פעם אני החתול ופעם אני החתולה

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This short book is full of experiences from toddlers’ day-to-day lives: They want to take part, sometimes they experience rejection, they strive to be independent and are busy finding solutions. You can discuss such moments in the story with your toddlers and link them to their world: What did the girl cat want? How did she feel when the boy cat didn’t want her to join him? What did she decide to do? Do you also enjoy going out for a walk? And what do you like doing all by yourself?

Let’s go for a walk!

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You can suggest packing a small bag and going for a walk with your toddler, just like the girl cat, in your home or neighborhood. Together, you can think of all the things you need to take with you on your walk – a bottle of water? A hat? How about a toy?

What do the illustrations tell us?

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When you look at the illustrations together, you could focus your attention on different things each time – Where is the boy cat? And where is the girl cat? What are they doing? Which items can you identify in the picture?

Pinterest

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For more ideas for activities, check out our Pinterest page and discover more surprises.

Family reading advice

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Reading books is a wonderful way to get to know a child’s world. When reading, you may want to pause every once in a while, and allow your child to respond to the events depicted in the book: How do the characters feel? How do we, as readers, feel? Has something similar ever happened to you?

Discussion – large and small

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Have you ever helped to make a salad? Have you ever fallen and hurt yourself? You may enjoy recollecting together, parents and children, moments when you felt big, and managed to do something all on your own, and other incidents when all you wanted was to be hugged and comforted. This may be a good opportunity to get to know your child’s experiences, while sharing special moments with them from your own childhood.

Is it better to be big or small?

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What is better? Scan the QR code to sing along with your child and think what is better – being big or small?

Looking at the illustrations

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While reading, you may enjoy looking at the illustrations and searching for interesting details: What is Matan doing? How many animals can you spot? Who is large and who is small? Where can you see a cat? And which of the illustrations is your personal favorite?

Big or small?

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Pick up two objects and compare them – which of them is small and which is big? Now, replace one of the objects with another, and check again: Is the teaspoon big or small when compared to a bottle cap? And what happens when it is next to a broom? You can use yourselves as one of the objects and check whether you are big or small. And what happens when you stand next to other family members?

Pinterest

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

Pinterest

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Pinterest – Crafts, songs and other activities on the “Elik Belik” book page in Sifriyat Pijama on Pinterest

Reading Together

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Do you also have little friends visiting your home? Are they imaginary friends, or maybe a beloved doll? It is worthwhile to talk about it with the toddlers and hear what do they like doing with the little friend. You can “bring in” the little friend to join and read the story.

How to Read the Story?

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The story is slightly longer than usual, and in order to arouse interest and curiosity it is recommended telling it in a variety of voices: a voice for Dad, a voice for Yaeli and a different voice for Mom and for Elik Belik.  You can look together at the illustrations and invite the toddlers to participate in the identification of details and repeat the words “Elik Belik”.

Hide and Seek

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Where’s the doll?  On the table?  maybe underneath it?  And where’s the ball?  You can hide various objects, look for them and then say: “The ball is on the chair”, “The ball is under the bed”. You can also hide yourselves and look for each other.

From Small to Big

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Dad has big shoes, Mom’s shoes – they are less big, Yaeli has little shoes, and Elik Belik’s? Tiny shoes!  Go on a journey throughout the house, collect items of the same type and arrange them from the smallest to the biggest.

Discussion

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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

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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

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What is a mole? Moles are rodents living in underground burrows. The shape of their bodies is suitable for living in burrows as it is long and cylindrical. The moles’ touch and hearing are evolved, and they eat plants that grow in the ground. If you want to know more, 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?

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You may enjoy playing the following game and finding out what happens 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”?

Pinterest

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Pinterest – arts & crafts, games and moles are all waiting for you on the Nuri’s Tunnel page on the PJLibrary Pinterest

Discussion

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Matan piles the sand up and makes his pile more sophisticated all on his own. having read this book, you may want to discuss actions with your child that they take without needing any help, and compare them with actions they had taken in the past. We recommend that you, parents, share your own similar experiences with them, from your own childhood: What is it that you wanted to accomplish, and indeed did? What does your child want to build and do? Do they need materials or help? You may want to decide on a family initiative to build, make or fix something together. Good luck!

The sands of time

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What can we do with sand? We could make an imprint of our feet in it, and observe our family members’ different footprints. How about using twigs to draw in the sand, or piling it up, or going outside to look at different prints left in it there?

Perspective

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The illustrations in this book were made from various perspectives: from above or below, from high up or far away. Looking at the world from different perspectives – high or low – allow us to discover surprising things: try looking at your room from an ant’s height; through binoculars made from toilet paper rolls; using a magnifying glass, or when standing on a chair: What can you see from that perspective that you couldn’t see from your regular angle?

Imagining and building

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Matan and his sandcastle could inspire you to imagine, plan, and create too: close your eyes and imagine, then share your idea with your family, look for suitable materials, and start to build together. It could be a machine made out of boxes, a car made out of sand, a flying castle made of pillows, or perhaps something else entirely.

Pinterest

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Pinterest – Suggestions for arts & crafts using sand and other fun activities are waiting for you on the Matan and the Great Sand Mountain page on the PJLibrary Pinterest.

Discussing

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“But Robin doesn’t care, she likes sitting on her own like that”: Do you think Robin is really alone? What do you do when you’re on your own? Where do you like to spend your alone time? You may enjoy taking a stroll through the book, and discussing the experiences Robin undergoes when she’s in the tree’s company. Which of Robin’s experiences did you like best?

Illustrations, color, and creativity

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This book is rich in color and details that change with each season. You may want to suggest that your child look through the pages, and search for various items: leaves, clouds, fruit, or animals. Perhaps your child can look for the main colors in each page – a red or green page – and draw pictures that are inspired by the book’s illustrations: a green drawing, a yellow one, or a rainbow-colored one.

A game called "What's my Secret?"

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How good are you at guessing secrets? You may enjoy playing the following guessing game: Each player in turn picks a “secret” according to a pre-determined topic, such as animals, books, or something found in nature. The other participants must guess what the “secret” is by asking “yes or no” questions.

Environment – Adopting a tree

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How about going outside and looking for a tree close to home? What does it look like? What color are its leaves? Perhaps the tree is bare, and has none? Is it bearing fruit? If so, careful! Not all fruit are edible. You could stroke the tree trunk, and notice the birds and other animals nearby. You may want to visit it from time to time to see whether and how it changes throughout the year. With Robin as your inspiration – can you think of a gift that you would want to give your adopted tree?

Pinterest

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

Family Activities

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You may want to re-read the beginning of the story together, and be reminded of the advantages of being a small cloud. Perhaps later you would enjoy discussing your child’s size with them, and mention things that only little children can do.

Despite the advantages of being small, and her friends’ positive attitude towards her, Cloudette wants more. You may want to discuss wishes and desires: is there anything your child wants to do but has yet to try? Is there anything they would like to do but are unable to due to their age or size? You could make a list of desires together. Perhaps some of them can already be fulfilled!

When Cloudette hears “Ribbit” and sees the dry puddle, she realizes what she can do. You could ask your child whether we always know how to help others, and share stories of help given to another, or how others have helped you exactly at the right time using just the right kind of help.

You may like to notice the bigger clouds’ nicknames for Cloudette, and how they treat her. They do not tease her, but instead accept her the way she is and like her. Following the story, you may want to discuss nicknames with your child, the various relationships between those older and younger, and the desire to be “a big kid”.

Do you like the rain? Following the story, you may want to ask your child whether they like the rain and why, who needs rain, and who enjoys it. Do you know other stories, songs and tales about the rain? You may enjoy curling up together in a warm corner of the house and telling rain stories.

Perhaps you would like to create a rainwater receptacle together. Remove the top part of a plastic bottle by cutting across it (watch out for sharp edges!), place the empty bottle in an open space near your home, or hang it on a wire outside your window. How long did it take it to fill up with rain? Your child may enjoy monitoring the level of water in the bottle, and deciding how to use the rainwater collected.

Proposed Family Activities:

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• Perhaps you would enjoy looking at the illustrations and finding the child’s three friends, and their dog, who appear on almost every page. What are they doing in each picture? Are they taking part in the child’s adventures?
• You may want to look through the book together, and read the poems out loud. Unlike a story with a plot, a collection of poems can be read in any order you like. Is there one poem you consider to be your favorite? You could try to learn it off by heart.
• You could also try to write short imaginative poems about something you had supposedly done, or had happen to you.
• Following these short rhymes, you may want to play with words, and make up your own funny rhymes. Does your first name rhyme with anything? And does your other family members’
• The child in the poems experiences funny, unexpected adventures: he rides a cloud; fights giants; and takes a walk in the street with an elephant. Perhaps you’d like to imagine yourself as the child: what would the spaghetti have turned into then? Who would you have taken elephant-back riding? And who would you allow into your secret room? Perhaps you would like to illustrate your own imaginative poems, or draw your secret room.
• Using your imagination may help to cope with daily limitations or difficulties. You may want to think of everyday situations together in which our imagination could help, and ask questions such as: “If I were as tall as a giraffe…”; “If I could fly in the sky…”, or “If I could be in two places at once…”. You may enjoy drawing these imaginary situations, and create your own “If I were…” scrapbook.

Family Activities:

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• Perhaps you would enjoy looking at the illustrations and finding clues for the holidays mentioned in the story: Sukkot, Hanukkah and Purim. You could discuss the holidays in your family together: what do you especially like about each holiday? With whom do you spend them? Does your child have a favorite holiday?
• When you read the story for the first time, did you guess where Grandpa was taking little Hannah? Does your child also share a special relationship with an older member of the family? You may want to ask the elderly members of your family how they used to celebrate Passover. Which special customs or dishes did they have at home? Did they also sing Ma Nishtana as children on Seder Night?
• How do you celebrate Passover in your family? Does your child also have a special role to play on Seder Night? You may want to create a holiday scrapbook together, and suggest that your child draw the family celebrating together on Seder night and throughout the holiday.
• Does your child know any Passover songs, traditional or new? Can they sing Ma Nishtana? You may enjoy singing Passover songs together.
• On Seder Night, Hannah realizes that being the littlest Levine is the best. You may also want to discuss issues of big and small in your family. Ask your child what they would have liked to do on their own, and think of tasks in preparation for Passover that your child can do themselves. Children are happy and love to help – it would be wonderful if you could give them the opportunity to feel all grown-up!

Family Activities

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• This story is a fairytale, a work of fiction that comes to life through magical illustrations. The illustrator chose to place the kingdom inside a book, and have the characters be children playing “pretend” – making up the story about the imaginary kingdom. You may enjoy making a paper crown, cardboard scepter, and glamorous cape using a tablecloth or large scarf, and act out the story together.
• Perhaps you’d like to invent your own imaginary kingdom: What would it contain? What would it be made of? Would it have a king or queen? Would it also be teeny-tiny? You could write a story about your kingdom, or draw it.
• My own private palace: Using a simple, large cardboard box, you could create your own teeny-tiny kingdom. You could cut out doors and windows, and add (by drawing or using other accessories) towers and drawbridges to nyour heart’s content. Small toys can serve as king, advisors, and subjects. Who would you like to invite into your palace?
• The king chose to “change the rules of the game”: he stepped down, and left the comfort of palace life to win a friend. You may want to discuss your child’s friends with them. What sort of effort does your child put into their friendships? What do they like to do with their friends? Have they ever given anything up in order to stay friends with someone? You could share your own friendship experiences with your child.
• A kind deed for a friend: This story is full of longing. The subject misses his friend, the advisor misses the king… and the king misses his advisor… Do you also have a friend of the family or distant relative whom you miss? Perhaps you would like to send them a letter, e-mail, or picture by phone, or anything else that might make them happy. It could be a reminder of your true friendship, one that can overcome the physical distance between you.
• Do you know any other tales of kings and queens, princes and princesses? Perhaps you would enjoy inviting a friend over and reading those stories together.