Strictly No Elephants

Proposed Family Activities:

• שְׁמִירָה
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• You may want to snuggle up and look through the book together. Ask your child some of the following questions: did any of the illustrations make you smile or sad? Are you familiar with all the animals in the book? Do you think they all make suitable pets? Try to imagine being able to have an unusual pet: which one would you choose?

• We suggest taking a moment at the page on which the boy and his tiny elephant reach the pet club, and reading the sign out loud. You could discuss what, in your opinion, is the reason why elephants are not allowed into the club. How does that make the boy and his tiny elephant feel? Before you go on reading, you could perhaps hazard a guess as to what the boy would do next.

• How about making a model pet club from a shoebox, and acting the story out together using some puppets. You could enhance the story by making up conversations between characters.

• “Because that’s what friends do” – you may want to share a special friendship you had during your childhood with your child. What did you enjoy doing together? Which games did you play? Who are your child’s friends, and how do they like to spend their time together? Is there a boy or girl from kindergarten who has never been round to your house? Perhaps you could have a gathering of friends of all ages – because all are welcome to the family club!

• You may enjoy making a sign for your child’s bedroom together, and writing a welcoming greeting on it, such as “all are welcome here”, or “welcome, one and all”.

Enjoy reading and discussing the book together!