Rain, Rain, Rain

My Israeli-born children were always as excited by the first rain of the season as I used to be by the first snow fall. The book מגפיים/Boots by מרים רות/

Miriam Roth brings that excitement to the reader.  Tsafrir can’t wait to get his first pair of shiny, red boots and splash around in the mud with them.  Recently, a new edition of this book came out with a new name מגפיים אדומים /Red Boots and new illustrations.  The old edition is on the left side and the new edition is on the right.  Which one do you and your children prefer?

   

   

מרים רות/ Miriam Roth (1910-2005) has written some of the most beloved children’s books in Israel.  She was a respected educator with degrees from Hebrew University, Columbia University and from the City College of New York.  She also studied at the Bank Street College of Education.  Roth started writing in her early 60’s and never stopped.  Her books are for children ages 3-6.  Her iconic trio is -

Hot Corn -  תירס חם

Yael’s House   - הבית של יעל

A Tale of Five Balloons -  מעשה בחמישה בלונים

תירס חם  is the story of a boy named Ofir.   Ofir sings about hot corn and soon has a whole parade of children following him and singing the refrain בים-בם-בם תירס חם, תירס חם בים-בם-בם (try singing it out loud – it’s fun to do).

הבית של יעל is the story of  Yael, who keeps  looking for the perfect house for herself.  She finally finds the perfect crate for her house and goes inside. All of a sudden she hears noise from outside. What's happening to her crate while she is still inside!?

מעשה בחמישה בלונים   is the story of five children and five balloons.  After three of the balloons burst, there is the famous refrain "זה סופו של כל בלון" (that’s the end of every balloon).  As the last balloon flies away, the children wave goodbye. But what happened to the first balloon?

Tip no. 3  Read  aloud to your children!  Start from when they are infants and continue as long as you can.  Reading a book aloud in Hebrew will enrich everyone's vocabulary and provide a relaxing, fun end to the day. 

I invited my 2nd graders' stuffed animals to a slumber party in the library.  Here I am reading them  a bedtime story before they went to sleep.