ספרים אשר עוסקים בסובלנות יכולים להוות השראה ופתח לשיחה על המפגש עם מי ששונים מאתנו בדעותיהם, אמונותיהם או במנהגים שלהם. הספרים שלפניכם מעודדים את מציאת המשותף, ומסייעים בפיתוח היכולת לקבל ולכבד את האחר כשווה לנו, גם אם אינו דומה לנו.
Books featuring characters who are imperfect and make mistakes generate empathy, and enable a discussion on subjects that are not easy to directly address. Use this book to spark a discussion and ask questions about the characters’ actions and feelings to encourage your children to express their own inner thoughts and feelings.
You may want to ask your children: “What did you think about what Chico said to Pilchas?” “Which situations may lead to a hurtful exchange?”. You can also discuss similar situations they had to deal with, and ask: “Have you ever said something you later regretted?”, “Did you say you were sorry?” “How did you feel afterwards?”
What is the speed of sound that the rabbit was trying to achieve? This Davidson Institute of Science video will teach you all about it using a fun experiment with a sound pipe.
You can help Chico ask for Pilchas’ forgiveness in various ways – a letter, drawing, poem, or dance. “Helping” Chico will enable children to develop their own forgiveness-asking skills, and help fix situations even when they seem too hard.
You can be inspired by this book to have your own marksmanship competition. You can make a bow and arrow using sticks and elastic bands, or take turns shooting balls into a bucket. Don’t forget to decide which of the forest animals you are!
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.
Walk around the house and pick an item: a spoon, a plant, a ball or… a rug. Take turns describing a costume that includes the chosen item: Is the rug part of a rug seller’s costume? Or is it a flying carpet? Is the ball part of an athlete costume? Or a clown’s nose?
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.
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.
You can find something to like in every book: The drama, the characters, or maybe the illustrations or interesting words. After reading the book, try asking the children what they liked about the story, and share what you, the parents, enjoyed. You can even tell each other which books you especially like and why.
Peetz and Morchella are spending time together. She’s growing vegetables and he’s nurturing them. In the meantime, they are chatting, singing, and simply enjoying their time together. You can ask the children what they like doing with friends. What do they do together? As parents, this is a good opportunity to reminisce with your children and share your experiences and memories with childhood friends.
Cabbage? Kohlrabi? – Thirteen types of edible vegetables appear in the book. Can you find them all? You may want to eat your favorite vegetables or try new vegetables.
So, who are you, Morchella? If you scan the code, you’ll learn about the morchellas that sprout up in Israel each winter. Do you want to learn more? Go to the library together or surf the internet and look for information on morchellas and other mushrooms.
You can grow vegetables, even if you don’t have a plot of land. Try taking a cut carrot top, cloves of garlic, or the bottoms of lettuce or celery, and soak them in a transparent container with water. Wait patiently, add more water if needed, and little by little, you will see leaves and roots sprout. You can cut them off and eat them, or plant them in a flowerpot, and wait for new vegetables to grow. Don’t forget to water them!
Toddlers like to be part of the story: Repeating words and sounds found in the book, or dramatizing the actions taken by the different characters. It is their way of identifying with the story, enriching their emotional worlds, and acquiring vocabulary and concepts. That is why, when reading together, you could “play” the trumpet, “beat” on a drum using your hands, and pretend you’re a choir conductor.
Gilly finds a job that suits her as the conductor of the orchestra. Following her decision, you too can discuss your toddlers’ roles at home: What can they do and what do they want to do? Pick up their toys? Sweep the floor? Help set the table for dinner?
Almost any item can become a musical instrument: You could clap together to the rhythm of the song, or collect any instruments, rattles, and utensils you can find. A pot with spoons can be a drum, a used roll of paper towels can be a trumpet. You could even try to tap various materials to find out what kinds sounds tapping wood makes? And what about tapping the floor? Or metal? You may enjoy picking one of your favorite songs and playing it together.
Are your toddlers conductors? While listening to your favorite music together, you could hold a small stick and “conduct”. Perhaps you could dance to the music, acting out the various instruments, and switch roles from time to time.
Gali and Gaya love doing stuff together, but also separately. You may want to discuss and discover what your toddlers like to do together with a sibling, friend or you, their parents, and what they prefer doing on their own.
Would you like to play with Gali and Gaya, and dramatize the story? Please scan the QR code, print out two adorable ducks, cut them out, and act the story out with them…!
Like Gali and Gaya, you too could walk together. How about making a trail at home, and marking it with a piece of rope or various items. Next, walk along it in single file, one behind the other, or perhaps together, side by side. You can also take turns being in the lead and exclaiming: “Follow me!”
A sheep, frog or butterfly? You may enjoy looking at the illustrations in this book together, and discovering the various animals. You could make the sound that each oft them makes, or move like them: Flying like a butterfly, buzzing like a bee, or… What else?
All houses consist of walls, a roof, doors and windows: What’s special about your house? What makes it your home? You may want to discuss special objects and items found in your home, or the things you do there together.
How about making a house out of blankets, cardboard boxes, sticks and clothespins? And what else would you need? Decide on a location and workplan, gather the necessary items and accessories, and off you go!
Take turns announcing a topic and having all the other players try to work together to find a suitable item. For instance, when “red” is announced, all players must search the house for a red item. In the next round, another player might call out “big”, “small”, “cute”, “old”, “multicolored”, “annoying” or “wheel”, sending the other players to look for an item matching their announced topic.
The main characters in this book are a hedgehog, rabbit and mouse. But other animals also appear in the illustrations –
Can you find them?
How many animals have you found?
“Did you find me in the illustrations?”
The illustrations in this book demonstrate how Itamar and the rabbit imagined one another versus what they really look like. You may want to check and compare: Do the monsters resemble the real child and rabbit? Are there any similarities between the monsters both Itamar and the rabbit had imagined?
Were you, parents, also afraid when you were younger? Perhaps you could tell your children what you were afraid of, and how you grappled with your fear. You could also listen to your children as they tell you what scares them, and together, think of ways to overcome the fear.
What does a scary monster look like? How about drawing one together, and then trying to imagine: What is the monster’s name? Who are its friends? What does it enjoy doing, and what is it afraid of? Now that you’ve gotten to know the monster, it may be worth asking yourselves whether it is still as scary as it was before.
“Jimalaya Jim! Zuzu buzu Yam Pam Puzu!” Each of the characters in this book has a magic word it uses when something scary happens. What is your magic word? You’re welcome to chose a family magic word together, and think of times when it would be appropriate to use it.
Have you ever wanted to do something and had someone interrupt you? how did it make you feel? What did you do and say? This book offers the opportunity to discuss these kinds of situations, as well as some good-spirited solutions.
Someone snatched something from me, took something I wanted, interrupted me, bothered me – what do I do? You could think of positive responses together, like using the word “please”, or explaining what bothered you. How about making a paper die and writing all kinds of positive responses on each side, perhaps adding an illustration that depicts the written text? That way, whenever you come up against a problem, you could always throw the die and see what it suggests that you do in response.
Various animals appear in this book: Which one meows? Which one lays eggs? And which one lives in the shed? Let’s find out! One of the players picks an animal, and the rest of the family has to guess which animal they picked by posing questions, and getting hints, such as “the animal I picked meows”, “the animal I picked lives in a pen”. Keep adding more clues until your family has guessed which animal was chosen.
You could act the story out using clothes, hats, accessories, or stuffed animals. You could make the sounds made by the animals, show how each one responds upon encountering the elephant, or be the elephant sleeping on the path.
You may want to snuggle up and look through the book together. Ask your child some of the following questions: did any of the illustrations make you smile or sad? Are you familiar with all the animals in the book? Do you think they all make suitable pets? Try to imagine being able to have an unusual pet: which one would you choose?
We suggest taking a moment at the page on which the boy and his tiny elephant reach the pet club, and reading the sign out loud. You could discuss what, in your opinion, is the reason why elephants are not allowed into the club. How does that make the boy and his tiny elephant feel? Before you go on reading, you could perhaps hazard a guess as to what the boy would do next.
How about making a model pet club from a shoebox, and acting the story out together using some puppets. You could enhance the story by making up conversations between characters.
“Because that’s what friends do” – you may want to share a special friendship you had during your childhood with your child. What did you enjoy doing together? Which games did you play? Who are your child’s friends, and how do they like to spend their time together? Is there a boy or girl from kindergarten who has never been round to your house? Perhaps you could have a gathering of friends of all ages – because all are welcome to the family club!
You may enjoy making a sign for your child’s bedroom together, and writing a welcoming greeting on it, such as “all are welcome here”, or “welcome, one and all”.
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.
Perhaps you would enjoy taking a look at the illustrations together: can your child name all the shapes on every page? While reading the story, you may want to pay attention to the shapes’ facial expressions. When are they happy? And what makes them smile?
You may enjoy using some colored paper to cut out shapes, or playing with a ready-made game of shapes. Together, you could invent other combinations of shapes, and create more things.
Perhaps you would enjoy going on a search, and discovering the shapes that are hidden in books, toys, and various rooms of your home, such as the square floor tiles of your living room, or the round holes in your sieve.
You may want to play with building blocks, and use the different shapes to create various artistic structures together. For although it is sometimes nice to be alone, it is so good and pleasant to play together!
Does your child know the song Hinneh ma tov uma naim (“Behold, how good and how pleasant…”)? Perhaps you would enjoy singing it and dancing together.
On the final page of the book, the shapes create a windmill together. Has your child ever seen a windmill? You may want to make a paper pinwheel, blow on it, and see how the rush of air moves its wings, just like a windmill.
The story of the three butterflies was first published in 1938, and has since accompanied many generations of Israeli children. Do you know of an earlier version of the book containing other illustrations? You may want to take a look together at Orit Bergman’s illustrations. Have you noticed that the butterflies’ wings are multicolored? You may like to consider why the illustrator chose to paint the butterflies this way.
The three butterflies look out for one another and refuse to be separated. You may want to discuss friendship and mutual obligation together, be it between friends or family members. Perhaps you’d like to share stories about your friends and your child’s, and the things you enjoy doing together. Following the story, you might want to ask your child if they or their friend had ever been prevented from joining in a game, how that made them feel and what they did in response.
The flowers are only willing to allow those who are of a similar color in. You may want to compare the illustrations of the flowers to those of the butterflies. What similarities and differences can you find between them? You may like to ask your child what they think of the flowers’ behavior.
You may also want to act the story out as a family by dressing up in the colors of the flowers and butterflies. You could also create a puppet theater, with characters for the butterflies and flowers, using popsicle sticks and cellophane.
You might enjoy going outside and looking for butterflies and flowers! Just like in the story, flowers and butterflies in nature differ from one another, each having their own particular color and shape. Have you come across a tulip or lily? How many types of butterflies have you found, and what color were they? Do you happen to know the name of any butterfly? Perhaps you’d like to mimic the way butterflies move, and invent the Butterfly Dance together.
Levin Kipnis wrote hundreds of well-loved children’s poems and stories that form an integral part of Israeli culture. You may wish to look for them at home, in kindergarten, or at the library, and read them together.
Levin Kipnis was one of Hebrew children’s literature’s founding fathers. He wrote and translated many literary pieces for children, and also set up and managed the first children’s theater in Israel. In addition, Kipnis edited numerous journals, anthologies and text books.
He was born in the Ukraine in 1894 and immigrated to what would later become the State of Israel in 1913. He felt there were not enough holiday songs and stories in Hebrew suitable for young children, and proceeded to collaborate with generations of kindergarten teachers in Israel, compiling preschool curricula and authoring hundreds of children’s stories and poems. Among his songs for the Jewish Holidays are: Svivon Sov Sov Sov (“Spin Spin Spin, Dreidel”) for Hanukkah, Ani Purim (“I am Purim”) for Purim, and Saleinu Al Ktefeinu (“Our Baskets are upon our Shoulders”) for Shavuot. His literary pieces contain messages of helping and consideration of others, such as in the famous Eliezer Vehagezer (“Eliezer and the Carrot”), Hamitriya Hagdola shel Abba (“Daddy’s Big Umbrella”), and… Shloshet Haparparim (“The Three Butterflies”).
Levin Kipnis was a particularly prolific author, and won many awards, including the Israel Prize in 1978, and the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1988. He passed away in 1990.
The Speed of Sound 
Nevo’s Mask 
Morchella in the Garden 
Music 
Gali & Gaya (Originally: Gossie & Gertie) 
How to Build a House 
The Hedgehog Who Said: Who Cares? 
Itamar Meets a Rabbit 
Elephant on the Path 
Strictly No Elephants 
A Rabbit and a Cat are going on a Trip 
Friendly Shapes 
The Three Butterflies 
קְרִיאָה
שִׂיחָה
סִרְטוֹנִים
יְצִירָה
מִשְׂחָק
הַשְׁרָאָה
הַעֲשָׁרָה
כְּלָלִי
חֵקֶר
שֵׁמַע
שִׁלּוּב הַסֵּפֶר
הַמְחָשָׁה
בִּשּׁוּל
