A few weeks ago, I asked my children about their favorite Hebrew children's books. Below are a few of their choices. Thank you to all three of them!
I also asked myself what's my favorite Hebrew children's book. But I couldn't answer. I love so many! I decided to write about the very first Hebrew children's book that I bought in Israel.
It was the fall of 1985. My daughter had started 3 year old גן /preschool knowing two words of Hebrew בובה/ doll and כדור / ball. After a few months, she started picking up Hebrew and I decided it was time to buy her a book in Hebrew. I spent more than an hour picking out the perfect book - הצב של אורן / Oren's Turtle written by מירה מאיר / Mira Meir with illustrations by אורה איל / Ora Ayal.
Oren wants a turtle. He and his father look in the woods but can't find one. The next day his mother finds a turtle and brings it to Oren's גן/preschool. The children want to take care of the turtle and bring it toys, books, and food. The turtle doesn't read the books or play with the toys but he does eat the salad. He sees that the children left to eat so he decides it's time to move on. How do the children react when they finish eating and can't find the turtle? How does Oren react? Ages 3-5.
When my younger daughter was in גן/preschool, her favorite book was בבה סיטר / Doll Sitter by רלה מזלי / Relah Mazli. Once there was a girl whose name was Lino. Her mother liked the name Liyah and her father liked the name Noa. Her parents loved each other and decided to compromise and call their daughter Lino.
Lino loves her dolls and treats them like her brothers and sisters. One day her parents tell her they are all going on a three-month vacation to all sorts of exotic places. Lino loves the idea but refuses to even consider going on the trip and leaving her brothers and sisters. What to do?
I doubt you can still buy this book in the bookstores but it is available in libraries and second-hand book sites. Ages 3-6.
מכשפה מקלקלת / A Mischievous Witch by עפרה גלברט-אבני / Ofra Gelbart -Avni was a favorite of my son and my younger daughter. Fadihah was the very first witch in the Witch Kingdom to buy a computer! No witch was allowed to have a computer because who would want to be like those inferior humans? Fadihah has big plans and human children are in big trouble! Ages 8-10.
הגברת עם המגבעת / The Lady with the Hat was a favorite of my older daughter. The book was written by well-known author אורי אורלב/ Uri Orlev.
The book tells two parallel stories. The story of Yulik, a 17-year-old Holocaust survivor, and of Melonie/ Malkah his aunt from England. After WWII, Yulik is living in Italy. He lives with other young Jewish survivors, learning about agriculture while waiting to illegally enter Palestine. At the same time, his aunt, who lived out the war years with her non-Jewish husband in England, is desperately trying to find her nephew Yulik. It's a thriller, a love story and a historical novel all rolled into one. Ages 12-14.
I apologize to my e-mail subscribers for receiving an old post a few days ago. It was sent out by accident.
Tip no. 29
A family favorite is the Harry Potter Series which we read in English. Yesterday, June 26, 2017, marks 20 years since Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone(published in the U.S. as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) was first published. The series has sold over 450 million copies in 79 languages. |
| J.K. Rowling |
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