What is your favorite place? Is it at home? Is it nearby? Or is it far away from home? You can share with one another: What is your special place, what do you like about it, and what is special about it.
You can find good things everywhere; every place has some beauty. Take turns choosing a place, whether near or far, in Israel or elsewhere, real or imaginary, and have the other participants ask questions about it to discover what makes it so wonderful.
What is happening near your home? Go on a short walk outside, and try to discover how you can do good in your own surroundings: How about picking up litter and placing it in the recycling bin? Or offering people waiting at the bus station a drink of water? Or setting up a library on your street with your neighbors?
Toddlers “read the illustrations”. Looking at illustrations teaches toddlers to pay attention to detail, while exposing them to art. You could occasionally ask questions related to the illustration, such as: Where’s the fly? What is the chameleon doing?
While reading, you may want to draw your toddlers’ attention to the main color that appears in the text and illustration. Even if your toddlers do not know the name of these colors yet, they would be delighted to look at the colorful illustrations.
Would you like to have a chameleon that changes its color? Please scan the QR code, print the drawing of the chameleon out on a transparency, and see how it can become colorful, spotted, or even checkered.
Do you have a red ball? What else is red at your house? You may enjoy saying the name of a color, and looking for items of this color together around the house: A cucumber, houseplant, and what other green item can you find?
“I crawl on all fours and change colors like a… chameleon!” take turns deciding on an animal which the parents act out and the toddlers follow suit: “We’re lions, let’s roar!”, “We’re puppies, let’s bark and wag our tails!”
What gives you pleasure for free? – You may want to take a look at the illustration in which the wise man presents all the good things in our world that are given to us for free, and share your opinion of them with one another – Do you also enjoy them? And which other things that are given for free do you like?
The Peddler and the Baker (Literally in Hebrew: Pleasure’s All Ours)
A girl and boy appear in many of the illustrations in this book. You may enjoy looking for them as you leaf through it, and thinking of reasons why the illustrator chose to add them to the illustrations together.
The Peddler and the Baker (Literally in Hebrew: Pleasure’s All Ours)
Would you like to make challah? A recipe is waiting for you on the final pages of this book. Bon Appetit and enjoy the wonderful aroma that will fill your home.
The Peddler and the Baker (Literally in Hebrew: Pleasure’s All Ours)
You may want to discuss Cyril and Tevye’s choice: Why do you think they chose not to use all the gold? Did that surprise you? Why, in your opinion, did they decide to invest the gold in schooling?
The goat is by Cyril and Tevye’s side throughout the book. You may enjoy looking for the goat in the illustrations: What is it doing? What is its connection to the family? How about trying to tell the story from the goat’s point of view? What happens to it as the book progresses?
Gather several small gifts that you would like to give your family: A drawing, greeting card, or item. Take turns hiding your gifts and having the rest of your family look for the treasure using clues: “Near and far”, “hot and cold”, or arrows placed around the house.
האזינו לפס הקול של הספר! If you scan the QR code, you will be able to hear the soundtrack of the story. You can listen to it together at home, while traveling, or anytime and anywhere you choose.
Which perfect gift would you like to get for your birthday? How would you feel if you did not get it? Have you ever wanted something very badly but did not receive it? This book prompts us to discuss our expectations – why this specific gift? Do we really need it or are we simply jealous because we saw someone else has it? You may also want to discuss disappointments, and the things that help us cope with them.
How well do you know members of your own family, and what do you think would be the perfect gift for them – would it be something you buy or an experiential gift, such as time spent together, or perhaps a trip somewhere? How about playing a game and finding out? In each round, all participants try to guess what one participant would really like to get as a gift. Those whose guesses are the closest win… the perfect family hug.
Whoever said only cars drive round and round with a cord attached? People could too! Two of you could hold the two ends of a long cord, leading one another left, right, backwards and forwards. If you get tired, make a pit stop, and start again.
“A car with Dad is the perfect gift”. And what would you consider to be the perfect gift? What would you like to do with your father or other family members? You could fix broken items, build or assemble something, or perhaps draw, bake, plant, or dance together. In fact, you can do whatever you want, as long as you get to spend time together.
Unpleasant things happen to all of us – but do they only ever happen to us? You may want to discuss the feelings that emerge when something unpleasant happens, and help each other think of people who can help, as well as how to cheer each other and ourselves up.
The illustrations in this book tell us what happened to Winston’s friends without using words. Only Winston doesn’t notice. Pick one illustration, look closely at Winston’s friend, and tell their story as if you were them: What are they feeling? What are they thinking? What about this particular illustration caught your attention?
You may want to try looking on the bright side! At the end of each day, share something good that’s happened to you with your family – make sure that both parents and children share news about their day.
How many rooms does your house have? And what do you do in each one? You may want to look around and think: What do we really need, and what could we forego? You could discuss your own home, or imaginary ones. You parents could tell your children about the house in which you lived when you were their age: What are the differences and similarities between your childhood home and the current one?
You can be builders too! You can build a house of Legos, cardboard boxes, pillows, or any other material. How about decorating the structure you’ve built, and asking your parents to help you write the name of the street it’s on. And who would you want to invite over to the house you’ve built?
You may enjoy looking at the illustrations and discovering the other houses that appear in them: Who is building a house? And who is carrying one on their back?
Look at the final illustration at the end of the book, where the main character is living in a single room: Which items does it contain? Would you have removed any of them, and brought in others in their stead? Which items found in your home would you have added to the room depicted in the illustration? You could take turns and have each family member pick an item in the illustration and decide whether or not they would leave it in the illustrated room, and if not, which item from your own home they would have placed there instead.
Chełm is a city in Poland, and in Jewish folklore, it is the hometown of the wise men of Chełm, who are not actually all that smart: they are ridiculous and naïve, and their stupidity is often depicted with a smile and much compassion. The wise men of Chełm have become known for their silliness and pointless actions, and are the protagonists of many amusing tales. The term “wise men of Chełm” has come to mean those who act irrationally and absurdly. The stories about the wise men of Chełm can be found in collections and anthologies for both children and adults.
The story about Joseph makes us smile and laugh. You could ask your child: What amused you about this story? What about the illustrations did you think was funny? What usually makes you laugh?
Inspired by Joyful Joseph, who began each morning with a song about his beautiful life, you too could write a song and tune, and sing it together.
What about your town do you like? You may enjoy taking photographs of places and people you love, or write a short poem about your hometown, using Joseph’s song as inspiration. You could even write a tune and turn your poem into a song.
How will we remember the way? You may want to step outside, look around you, and identify landmarks, such as a tree, bench, or the name of a street. You could draw a map of the route you’d walked, add your landmarks to it, and take it with you next time you set off on your way.
Joseph from Chełm goes to Warsaw
שְׁמִירָה
How beautiful is my town and how lovely is my room!
Joseph loves his town and looks kindly upon it. Try to follow Joseph’s footsteps and describe your room – what about it is beautiful and good? What do you love about it? And what do you like about your home? You could take a family tour, during which each of you will describe your favorite parts of the house.
An arrow pointing right, an arrow pointing left, one pointing forward, and another pointing backward – that’s all you need to create a particularly energetic game. You could draw these arrows on dice or directly on the floor, and ask your child to jump in the direction to which the arrow points. You could also throw number dice and jump up and down as many times as shown by the dice.
How about playing “treasure hunt”, and drawing arrows leading to the sought-after treasure?
“He who sowed sorrowfully, now reaps joyously” – the children in this book enjoy working hard and being independent. Do you, children and parents, enjoy working and creating yourselves? What kind of work do you enjoy doing together with friends or family members, such as your grandparents? And what do you enjoy doing all on your own?
You may want to think together about the kind of work that you find hard, but also rewarding.
There are simple, everyday pleasures like drinking lemonade together, smelling a fragrant flower, or listening to a story. You may enjoy making a family collection of pleasures together: draw moments of joy on notes, and post them up in a central area of your house. You could “pick” a note each day, plucking it off the wall, and taking a moment to share some simple joy together.
This book mentions many scents – lemons, herbs, and roses – that may inspire you to play the following aroma quiz: pick some fragrant items (soap, a vanilla bean, mint leaves, orange zest, etc.) and start playing. Take turns closing your eyes, smelling one of the items given to you, and trying to guess what it is. Can you guess by using your sense of smell alone? You could allow participants to use their sense of touch too. When the game is over, you could place the fragrant items in a small basket, and smell them in moments of simple pleasure.
You may want to take a walk near your home to look for fruit trees, flowers, or herbs. You could try growing some herbs in your garden or a planter – mint, tree wormwood, sage, or lemongrass. This could be the perfect opportunity to give your child a job – being responsible for watering the plants – so that when the time comes, they will be able to pick them joyously, and use them with pleasure!
You may want to pause as you read and ask your child: Where do you think the cat is rushing off to? Why is Mr. Goat blocking the way? Will the vixen eat all the raspberries that she has picked herself?
Perhaps you would enjoy taking a look at the illustrations in this book together: Have you noticed Duck’s and Porcupine’s special eyebrows? Can you discern who is angry and upset, and who is happy and relaxed judging by their eyebrows alone? You may want to sit one opposite the other and take turns to cover your face, leaving nothing but your eyebrows visible. Now, pull a face – happy, surprised, angry, or sad – and ask the other to guess which emotion you were trying to express by your eyebrows alone.
You could make a finger theater using eyeliners and lipsticks: draw needles on the back of your finger, and a nose and mouth on the front – and you have got yourself a porcupine; paint the thumb and forefinger of your other hand red with some lipstick, so that their tips form a bill – and you have got yourself a duck. Use both hands to perform a show based on this book. Which hand is quick to judge? Which hand gives others the benefit of the doubt?
Perhaps you could share a story with your child about a time when, like the duck in this book, you were quick to jump to conclusions about others’ actions. When something unpleasant happens, we can try to adopt the “porcupine” approach, and repeat the phrase “maybe, possibly, perhaps” together.
The Bus Stop 
The Peddler and the Baker (Literally in Hebrew: Pleasure’s All Ours) 
Seven Good Years 
The Perfect Gift 
Winston was Worried 
One Hundred Rooms 
Joseph from Chełm goes to Warsaw 
Lemonade 
Maybe, Possibly, Perhaps 
שִׂיחָה
מִשְׂחָק
סִרְטוֹנִים
לָצֵאת הַחוּצָה
הַשְׁרָאָה
קְרִיאָה
קְרִיאָה
יְצִירָה
לָצֵאת הַחוּצָה
מִשְׂחָק
הַשְׁרָאָה
שִׂיחָה
שֵׁמַע
יְצִירָה
בִּשּׁוּל
סִרְטוֹנִים
שִׂיחָה
שִׂיחָה
מִשְׂחָק
הַשְׁרָאָה
שֵׁמַע
שִׂיחָה
מִשְׂחָק
מִשְׂחָק
יְצִירָה
הַשְׁרָאָה
שִׂיחָה
שִׂיחָה
שִׂיחָה
שִׂיחָה
הַשְׁרָאָה
שִׂיחָה
יְצִירָה
חֵקֶר
שִׂיחָה
הַשְׁרָאָה
הַעֲשָׁרָה
שֵׁמַע
לָצֵאת הַחוּצָה
לָצֵאת הַחוּצָה
מִשְׂחָק
סִרְטוֹנִים
שִׂיחָה
יְצִירָה
מִשְׂחָק
לָצֵאת הַחוּצָה
הַשְׁרָאָה
שִׂיחָה
