Happy Jerusalem Day!

This week we celebrate the reunification of Jerusalem.  It's hard to believe it's been 50 years since The Six Day War.  There are so many children's books to choose from about Jerusalem.  I hope these books will give you a feel for what an amazing city it is.

 רחוב בירושלים: מסע בזמן מתקופת המקרא ועד היום / A Street in Jerusalem: A Journey through Time, from the Biblical Period to the Present,” by Hannah and David Amit, with illustrations by Evgeny Barashkov,  is a wonderful book for the whole family.  The book presents a fictitious street in Jerusalem.  We see the same street as it changes over a 5,000 year period! Each double page shows a different period in the city's history.  The illustrations add so much to the book, with fascination period related details on every page.

 This is a perfect gift for friends and family in Israel and abroad.  Even if they don't understand a word of Hebrew, they will enjoy this book!

יש ים בירושלים/ There is an Ocean in Jerusalem by מיריק שניר / Mirik Snir is a wonderful rhyming book. A little boy in Jerusalem is longing for rain. It finally starts to rain and he runs outside in his boots.  In the narrow streets of Jerusalem, he finds a  large puddle. He exclaims " There is an ocean in Jerusalem" and jumps right in. When he returns home wet and muddy, his mother sends him right to take a bath.  What fun!  He gets to spend more time playing in the water.  Don't let anyone tell you that there isn't an ocean in Jerusalem!  Ages 3-6.

יומטיול ירושלים / A Day in Jerusalem is a children's guide to Jerusalem and more. Daniel, his tour guide grandmother Yizraela and a group of tourists are planning to tour Jerusalem.  All of a sudden, the lion from the symbol of Jerusalem jumps out of the symbol and decides to join them.  They tour all around the city.  They see the Knesset, the Old City, Machane Yehudah, The Biblical Zoo and more. In the book are snippets of information about Jerusalem and games to play.  The author, שהם סמית / Shoham Smith does an amazing job of bringing Jerusalem to life. Ages 5- 12.

שקט, מצלמים  / Quiet, We're Filming is the first book in the series סודות בירושלים / Jerusalem Secrets.  Sadly,  the author רונית לוינשטיין-מלץ / Ronit Lowenstein-Malz passed away after she wrote the second book in the series.  10-year-old Roi finds himself an actor in the movie "Jerusalem Secrets". He realizes it's not so exciting to be an actor. Through the film,  Roi also learns about the first printing press in the Jerusalem and its effect on the city.  He discovers a family secret connected to Jerusalem. Ages 10-13.








Tip no. 25




The beautiful song ירושלים של זהב / Jerusalem of Gold was written by נעמי שמר /Naomi  Shemer.  The song was performed a short time before the Six Day War.  It was sung by Shuli Nathan who was then an unknown singer.  Shemer's daughter heard Nathan on the radio and mentioned Nathan to her mother. Here is the link to the original performance on May 15, 1967.

Naomi Shemer

It's Still Raining Cats and Dogs

This week's post continues the theme of dogs and cats as heroes of children's books. It's a popular theme!  Last week the Yemima Center for the Research of Children's Books ( Beit Beryl College) had a facebook post on the same theme.  They posted their staff's recommendations of children's books where dogs are the stars.  Be sure to check out the post.

 The subject is also popular with adults.  Who didn't love reading Dewey the Library Cat, Marley and Me and The Art of Racing in the Rain?

ג'ורג'י / Georgie by דקלה קידר / Dikla Keydar is a book for cat lovers and non-cat lovers alike.  One day, Aviv's brother brings home a stray cat.  Her brother and parents are in love with the cat.  But Aviv is scared and upset.  Does anyone care how she feels about this new member of the family?  אילנה זפרן / Ilana Zeffren's comic-like illustrations add so much to the story. Ages 7-9.

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Although I usually don't write about books that are translated from English, I am making an exception for קרנשו/Crenshaw by קתרין אפלגייט/ Katherine Applegate.  It's a wonderful must-read for children ages 9-12.  Jason's  parents have fallen on hard times.  The family may lose their apartment and have to move into their minivan as they did several years ago.   In addition, Jason's imaginary friend Crenshaw, the giant cat has reappeared.  Jason may think he's too old for an imaginary friend, but he needs Crenshaw to help him get through the tough times.

Sadly, there are no Israeli children's books that deal with aliyah from any English speaking country.  Most books deal with aliyah from The Soviet Union/Russia or Ethiopia. The closest book that deals with the  American aliyah experience is כשאברח לאמריקה / When I Run Away to America.The author אורנה לנדאר / Orna Landau wrote this book after being in the States with her family for several years.  She was surprised how difficult it was for her Israeli children to  adjust  to being back in Israel 

Yoash wants to go back to America.  He misses baseball, his big house, and his friends.   He needs money and lots of it to get back to the States.  He finds an afternoon job dog walking.  The job turns out to be more complicated than he thinks it will be. This is an adventure/mystery book that your children will be sure to enjoy.  And will Yoash decide he still wants to go to America at the end of the book? 

 Ages 10-13.

Which cat and dog books do you and your children/grandchildren love?

Tip no. 24

Dogs and Cats seem to be on everyone's mind lately.  The youth wing of the Israel Museum opened a new exhibit last week called  "Cats and Dogs".

Here's what the Israel Museum says about the exhibit:

"Are you a cat person or a dog person? Who is truly man's best friend? Are cats and dogs really natural enemies? This exhibition for the whole family is devoted to pets, as depicted in artworks from antiquity to the present day. Some of these works invite the visitors to play, interact, and even wag their tails. The range of artworks on display offer surprising perspectives on these animals, and portray the deep connections between cats, dogs, and humans both under a critical and humorous light."

It's Raining Cats and Dogs!

It's the  rare child who doesn't love animals. It's  also the rare child who doesn't love a book with a dog or cat as the hero. We all read  The Poky Little Puppy,  Where's Spot? and The Cat in the Hat. There are so many books that I would like to recommend that I'm going to write two posts about books that have dogs or cats as heroes.









מעשה בחתולים/A Tale of Two Cats is the story of two friends - a black  cat and a white cat.  The black cat is as black as tar and the white cat is as white as whitewash.  Each one thinks they are the best-looking cat. Is it worth losing their friendship over the disagreement? The author הלל עומר/ Hillel  Omer(1926-1990) was a well-known poet and children's author. He went by the pen name ע. הלל  / Ayin Hillel. Ages 3-4.






 פנדה יוצאת למרעה/ Panda Goes Herding is a  new book which was only published a few weeks ago. Panda is a sheepdog puppy.  She can't wait to go out to the pasture to herd sheep like her father, aunt, brother and sister. In the meantime, she tries to herd various animals and people on the farm.  She manages to run away to pasture and find her family and the sheep.  She also finds out that working as a sheepdog is a lot of work for a little puppy.

  It's very different from author מאיר שלו / Meir Shalev's usual format for his children's books.  The book is illustrated with wonderful black and white photos. The photographer / דן גולדפינגר Dan Goldfinger is also a sheep herder.  Ages 3-6.






Trying to get your child to fall asleep?  Here is another book by Meir Shalev קרמר החתול ישן כל הזמן / Kramer the Cat Sleeps All the Time  that should help you out.   All Kramer does is sleep all day. His owners are getting frustrated with him.  What kind of a cat doesn't run, jump, meow or play?  They are thinking of getting another cat.   How can Kramer convince his owners not to get a different  cat?  By the time the story ends, all you want to do is curl up in bed and go to sleep. Ages 4-6.









ספר הטיפול בכלבים / Caring for Dogs is for every child who wants  or has a dog.  It's  worth getting if your child just became a first-time dog owner.  קתרין סטארק / Katherine Stark explains how to take care of your dog.  You will find out how to wash your dog, what to feed your dog when to walk him and much more! There are numerous tips and illustrations.  Ages 5+















Tip no. 23

סיפור חוזר / A Recurring Story is a social service that encourages the purchase of second-hand books.   Their second-hand books are sold in hundreds of places around the country.  You can find their books in coffee shops, gyms, offices, hairdressers and many other places.   Their books are also sold online.  Check out the  .website  to see what books are available, where their books are being sold , and where to go to donate books. .   Every book cost 20 shekels. 

 ספור חוזר employs  people who have employment difficulties.  Working for סיפור חוזר gives them a job and work experience. Please check out this worthwhile organization.

Who Is Nira Harel?

נירה הראל /Nira Harel is a well-known author of over 50 books.  Most of her books are children's books for all ages.  She has also been a teacher and editor of children's books.  She founded and edited the children's magazine פילון/ Little Elephant. But what's most important to me, she is the founder and editor of the website דףדף/ To Browse.  As I wrote in an earlier post, this site about children's literature is my go-to site for book reviews.  It's full of interesting information about children's books, authors and, illustrators.  On the website, you can see a video of Nira Harel reading one of her books.

These are only a few of her many books for pre-schoolers.

!את זה/ This!  is a book for every frustrated parent and toddler who can't communicate.  Noam keeps crying, pointing his finger and saying "This!".  His poor father gives him a ball, then a teddy bear, and some candy.  They are not what he wants.  His father plays the piano, sings and even stands on his head.  Nothing works! In the end, Noam's father accidently figures out what "this" really is.  Ages 2-3.

שפת הסימנים של נעה / Noa's Sign Language is the story of a clever girl named Noa.  Noa can never remember what day of the week it is and is getting quite frustrated.  Then she has a great idea - braids!  She'll start off with one braid on יום ראשון/Sunday and each day add another braid to her hairstyle. By the last day of the week שבת/ Saturday, she'll have seven braids (the Jewish/Israeli week starts on Sunday). Ages 3-5.

 In the book מפתח הלב/The Key to my Heart, Yonatan's father has a key chain full of keys.  There is a key to the front door, the car, the shed, Grandma's house and more.  His father tells him that  Yonatan's picture attached to the key chain is more important than all the keys.  Yonatan loves to hear his father tell him that.  The key chain gets lost. They backtrack trying to find it.  It's found thanks to Yonatan's picture that's attached to the key chain. 

 This book was a family favorite.  Ages 4-5.

You will probably be hungry by the time you finish reading the book  סבא בשל מרק/ Grandfather Cooked Soup.  Sabba (Grandfather) is  lonely and sad.  He decides that he'll cook some soup to cheer himself up.  All of a sudden, one after another three of his grandchildren come to visit and sit down to have soup with him.  Soon the whole neighborhood smells the soup and comes to have a bowl of pea soup.  Sabba is delighted!  Ages 3-5.



I would love your feedback!  Please feel free to comment in the the comment section  at the end of this blog post.  If you are the first to post a comment, click where it says "no comments".





Tip no. 22

האחים גרין

Looking for a second-hand bookstore in Tel-Aviv?  Try האחים גרין/ The Green Brothers on רח' פרישמן 90 /   Frishman St. 90.  The phone number is 03-5238501. It's a small store but it has quite a good selection.  As with any secondhand bookstore, you never know what you will find there!

Memorial Day/ Independence Day

This coming week Israel will be commemorating יום הזיכרון /Memorial Day.  The very next day is יום העצמאות/ Independence Day.  Every year it is a difficult transition between the sadness of Memorial Day to the joy of Independence   Day. The State of Israel is a modern miracle.  We are here today because of the incredible sacrifices that so many people made and are still making today to build the country and keep us safe.

In honor of Independence Day, I have included two pictures of  Israeli wildflowers at the beginning and the end of this post.  Thanks to the talented Nava Feldman for the photos.

Flower Photos by Nava Feldman

 One of the best ways to learn  Israeli history is to a read a book from the series מנהרת הזמן /  The Time Tunnel.  I wrote about this series in an earlier blog post.

Two ten-year-olds go back in time and learn about Israeli and Jewish history. I recently read vol. 10  דגל הדיו / The Ink Flag about the battle to free Eilat. I learned so much from the book.

The book המדינה של ילדי הגן / The State of Kindergarten Children is a special book for all olim.  אמונה אלון/ Emunah Elon writes how a group of kindergarten children builds the State of Israel with blocks and their imagination.  The children build buildings, pave roads and plant trees to build  Israel. David wants to join the play but he's not welcome.  He wasn't there when they "built the nation" so it's too late for him to join in. One girl says to the other children "Aren't you ashamed!  There is no  country without new immigrants!", David is thrilled to play the role of oleh hadash.  Ages 3-5.

דבורה עומר מספרת על בן-גוריון / Devorah Omer Tells the Story of Ben-Gurion is the biography of Israel's first prime minister.  What was Ben-Gurion like as a child?  When did he move to Israel?  Did he have children?  What did Ben-Gurion do before he became prime minister?  Read the book to find the answers to these questions and much more.  Each chapter is one or two pages.  Ages 8-10.

בעקבות הבית הנעלם/ Following the Lost House by אורה מורג /Ora Morag is a  historical/ mystery book.  Three children find a  pocket watch in the excavation site of a Jerusalem neighborhood.  It turns out to be the watch that Julie Herzl gave her husband, Theodor Herzl. The children learn about Herzl and donate the watch to the Zionist Archives.  It's 100 years from the time of the first Zionist Congress organized by Herzl in Basel, Switzerland.  The city of Basel invites the children to come to the 100-year celebration.  They have a wonderful time there.  Ages 9 - 11.  

 לעזוב בית / To Leave Home tells the story of Glila, a 10-year-old living in  Kibbutz Daphna, a kibbutz in northern Israel. Glila is living through the excitement of the creation of the State of Israel and the difficulties and fears of the War of Independence. She and her friends spend quite a bit of time in the kibbutz shelters during the constant shelling.  Eventually, they are evacuated to the city of Haifa.  Finally, the war ends and the kibbutz buildings are repaired and the children can go home!

The author ינה טפר/ Yona Topper grew up in Kibbutz Daphna during this time period. Ages 10 - 13.

Tip no. 21

Check out the Israel Defense Force's youtube channel.  There are some fascinating videos to watch!

 !!חג עצמאות שמח

Photo from the Government Press Office -Israel
Photo by Amos Ben Gershom

Holocaust Day

On Monday, April 24th, Israelis will be commemorating יום השואה/Holocaust Day in Israel.   While the Holocaust is a very difficult concept to explain to children, there is a large selection of books dealing with the subject in Hebrew for children of all ages.  I chose books whose main characters were not in concentration camps or ghettos.  I wanted to give young readers a somewhat different perspective of the Holocaust.

איך למדתי גיוגרפיה/ How I Learned Geography by אורי שולביץ/Uri Shulevitz is the author/illustrator's story of escaping with his family during WWII from Poland to Tashkent, Uzbekistan.  They lived in this exotic, strange country for six years. Uri lived with his family in one tiny room.  He had no books or games and very little food to eat.  One day Uri's father went to the marketplace to buy bread.  Instead of bread, his father came back with a large map of the world.  At first, Uri is furious with his father.  Later, he becomes enchanted by the map and looks at it for hours on end.  Using his imagination, the map transports him to deserts, beaches, mountains and cities.

The book, originally written in English,  is a Caldecott Honor Book.  It was awarded for Shulevitz's amazing illustrations which take us to places all over the world.  This is an excellent book to read to your children when they are young. When they are older, they can read it by themselves.   Ages 5-10 years old.

המחבוא/Hidden is a gentle graphic novel.  The novel which is translated from the French was written by לואיק דווילייה / Loic Dauvillier.  Elsa wakes up to find her grandmother Dounia had a bad dream.  She explains to her grandmother that she will feel better if she tells Elsa about it.   Reluctantly, her grandmother tells her about her experiences growing up as a French Jewish child during the Holocaust.   Dounia's parents hide her when the French police come to their home and take the parents away.  Dounia and a neighbor escape the police and live on a farm until the end of the war.  The neighbors help  Dounia to find her mother who was freed from a concentration camp.  Her father does not return.

 Elsa tells her father the story. This is the first time he has heard about his mother's experiences during the war.

Ages 9 1/2 - 12.

אסתר שנקין/ Esther  (Tika) Shakine wrote and illustrated המסע של תיקה / Tika's Journey.  She uses a combination of illustrations and comics to tell the story of her life during and after the Holocaust. The author begins her story in WW II Hungary when she is five years old.  When the Nazis come to get her family, her parents hide her in the closet.  When Tika finally came out of the closet, no one was there.  She runs out into the street and is found by a priest who knew her family.  Tika stays in a Catholic orphanage for several years until the city was being bombed. Tika spends time with a group of street children until the end of the war. After the war, she meets a Jewish youth director and decides to make aliyah.   The author was on the famous illegal immigration ship "The Exodus" which did not make it to Palestine. In the end, she did make aliyah in May 1948.  Ages 10-12.

הבית מערבות השמש/ Homeward From the Steppes of the Sun by אורי אורלב/Uri Orlev is based on the true story of  Eli Paz-Pozliak.  When Eliyusha (Eli) is five years old, his family flees the invading Germans and makes the long journey east to the remote area of Kazakhstan.   This is a fascinating story of survival from the Steppes of Kazakhstan, to post-war Poland and then to pre-State Israel. At age 11 Eliyusha moves in with his mother, siblings, and step-father to an apartment in Tel-Aviv.  The family is finally united.  Ages 11- 14.

Mrs. Chaya Stone

1924-2000

This blog post is dedicated to the memory of Mrs. Chaya Stone. Mrs. Stone lost her parents, two siblings, her husband and young son during the Holocaust. She and her 12-year-old sister survived the war years by living with  Jewish partisans in the woods.  She married Mr. Stone, a partisan from her hometown of Belice, Lithuania, during that time period.  Several years after the war they moved to Rochester, NY where they raised their family. After Mr. Stone passed away in 2000, Mrs. Stone made aliyah and spent her time with her daughter, grandchildren and two sisters living in Israel.  As a friend of her daughter, I was privileged to know Mrs. Stone as a lovely, insightful person.

יהי זכרה ברוך

Tip no. 20

Many readers of this blog will be familiar with the book Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.  It is a Newbury winner about Denmark during the Holocaust.  I am sure that many parents will be happy to know that the book is available in Hebrew as 

מונה מספר לכוכבים. In 1943, the Danish people rescued almost all of the Danish Jewish population by evacuating them to neutral Sweden.  This book of historical fiction brings the story to life .
Ages 10-12.

Pessach is Coming!

Let's Find That Book! will be taking a Passover break and will return on
April 18th with books to commemorate  Holocaust Day.

Clip art by Liz Elby

!חג שמח

A classic Pesach children's book is by לוין קיפנס / Levin Kipnis who wrote the book אגוז של זהב / The Golden Walnut. It was right before Passover and Gadi and Noa were sad.  They don't have new clothes for the holiday or walnuts to play with.  All of a sudden an old man appears and gives them a walnut.  They play with it and then the walnut falls and they run after it.  Read the book to find out what happens next and who the old man really is.  Ages 4-6.

When my children were small, they all loved this Haggadah. אגדה של הגדה, הגדה של פסח  The Animated Haggadah  - The Passover Haggadah by רוני אורן / Roni Oren. Roni Oren has illustrated this Hagaddah with the amazing clay/plasticine figures that he created. The book has the full Haggadah text.  Here's a short clip of the animated movie that the book is based on.  Ages 5-10.

Passover is always celebrated at Springtime.  Passover vacation is a perfect time to go out and learn about Israeli wildflowers.  Whether you've just made aliyah or have been living in Israel for many years  - this is the book for you and your children/grandchildren.  מגדיר פרחי הבר בישראל לילדים ונוער / A Children's Handbook of Israeli Wildflowers by יונה זילברמן / Yona Zilberman is easy to use.   Look up a flower in the book by its color.  Every page has interesting information about each flower. There is a glossary in the back of the book and instructions on how to dry flowers.  This is a book for the whole family to enjoy.






Tip no. 19

Playing with nuts on Passover is quite an old tradition. After you read אגוז של זהב to your children/ grandchildren, give them each a whole walnut to play with. Make up a game or play a game you remember from your childhood.  Afterward, you can open up the nut and show the children the walnut meat inside.  I did this for many years with my first and second graders.  They had never seen a whole walnut before. Here's an interesting article with some game ideas to get you started.  I still have fond memories of playing some of these games as a child.