It feels good to successfully do something for the first time – reading, writing, and what else? You could discuss memories of “firsts” – theirs or yours – together with your child: scoring a goal, riding a bike, swimming, or solving a riddle. And what else?
This book can be read using the illustrations too. You could look for words in them, and try to read them with your child while identifying letters and discovering interesting details added by the illustrator.
The world is full of words – perhaps you can choose a definition from the book and make a list of words for it: funny words, dancing words, mischievous words, or blossoming words. Words as long as a giraffe, or short ones. Or you may want to make a list of your favorite words.
Parents may want to share the stories they liked while growing up: Was there a particular story you enjoyed hearing over and over again? Who was your favorite protagonist? You could ask your child which stories they like. Are they fictional or true stories?
When do the illustrations tell the story of Leo and Mr. Zinger, and when do they complement the story the two of them made up? You may enjoy taking a look at the illustrations together, noticing the various styles, and thinking of ways of discerning what the illustrations refer to, and what they are telling us.
Which stories are hidden in the hats you own? how about choosing one of your favorite hats and telling the story that is hiding in it: one player looks into the hat and starts inventing a story. After one or two sentences, they pause, and the next player picks up the story, and so on, until all players have added their part to it. Bashevis Singer could serve as a source of inspiration for telling a family story that has been passed down in your family.
Would you like to play a game? Perhaps you would enjoy writing the names of your favorite characters from books on pieces of paper, and taking turns wearing a hat bearing the name of the character. Whoever wears the hat does not see the name written on the piece of paper attached to it, and must guess who it is using questions, such as: Is it a fictional character? Is it an animal?
Perhaps you could discuss and share with one another the experiences you recall of moments in which you had discovered a new ability: Writing your first name, a special drawing you had made, and what else? What other new abilities would you like to discover?
The illustrations in The Gift invite readers to immerse themselves in the book, and be part of Leo’s world: Which animal accompanies Leo? Which animals appear in the illustrations? Which details are taken from the world of children, and which from that of animals? Would you like to make your own drawing following Leo’s?
Which incredible things await you in your pen? You may enjoy dedicating a notebook to drawings, copying words out, or writing down your favorite ones. You could make it a family notebook, in which each member adds their own illustrations and words.
What sort of world is hiding in your pen? Grab a pen and paper to find out! You and your family can take turns adding detail to a shared drawing – a line, circle, character, or item – to create a joint work of art that has come out of a single pen!
Which cat do you find the most amusing? Which cat is your child’s favorite? You may enjoy looking at the cover together and focusing on the different cats. You could also look at various images of cats, or go out of the house to observe them in your neighborhood: who knows what kinds of special cats roam the streets near your home…?
This fun-filled book invites infants to complete the text based on the amusing rhymes. We recommend reading it gradually: the first time you read it, complete the missing words yourself, next time – allow your child to complete them with whatever comes to mind: they can fill in the blanks with their own range of choices, there is no reason to stick to a single answer.
You may want to look at the illustrations together, and compare Gal’s home and kindergarten to the area in which Grandpa Raphael lived so many years ago. Together you may enjoy imagining what your life would have been like had you lived in another place, at another time. If you happen to have old pictures documenting the roots of your own family, you could show them to your child, and try to identify your family members together, as well as the places in which they lived back then, and now.
Does your child know why they were so named? Having read this book together, you may want to share the meaning of their name with them, and the story leading up to choosing it for them. You could also tell them what made your parents so name you.
Do you know the tune to the song Our Village Todgha by Yehoshua Sobol performed by music group Habreira Hativ’it (The Natural Selection)? Perhaps you would like to sing it together with your child
Just like Gal, many children enjoy listening to stories about the past. Do you remember any festive occasion from your days in kindergarten and school? Perhaps you could share your learning-related childhood memories and family traditions with your child.
Young children learn from enjoyable activities, such as licking honey-dripping letters. There are many ways of teaching the alphabet: you could put names and words together from various materials, cut out letters from newspapers, identify familiar letters that appear on signs and packages, play word games, and so on. The most important thing is to have fun while you learn!
Sweet Aleph-Bet is the last book on the PJ Library books list for this year. We hope you have enjoyed the books, and wish you an enjoyable summer, and a smooth beginning in your new kindergarten or school!
Reading and Writing 
Mr. Zinger’s Hat 
Le Cadeau (The Gift) 
Big Cat, Small Cat 
Sweet Aleph-Bet 
שִׂיחָה
מִשְׂחָק
מִשְׂחָק
הַשְׁרָאָה
שִׂיחָה
שִׂיחָה
הַשְׁרָאָה
מִשְׂחָק
סִרְטוֹנִים
שִׂיחָה
יְצִירָה
יְצִירָה
יְצִירָה
הַעֲשָׁרָה
הַשְׁרָאָה
שִׂיחָה
כְּלָלִי
מִשְׂחָק
יְצִירָה
שִׂיחָה
שִׂיחָה
כְּלָלִי
שִׂיחָה
מִשְׂחָק
כְּלָלִי
בִּשּׁוּל
