אביב ופריחה

Datia Ben Dor

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was born in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1944, and immigrated to Israel at 12 months. At the beginning of her professional career, Ben Dor engaged in music education, writing scripts and songs for many Israeli children’s television shows, such as Parpar Nechmad (“Lovely Butterfly”), and Rehov Sumsum (the Israeli version of Sesame Street). Her children’s poems and numerous books are well-known and loved, among them Ani Tamid Nishar Ani (“I Always Stay Me”), Digdugim (“Tickles”), Otiyot Mefatpetot (“Chatting Letters”), and Kakha Zeh BeIvrit (“That’s How it is in Hebrew”). Datia Ben Dor has received much recognition for her contribution to children’s literature, such as the ACUM award, and Bialik Prize for Lifelong Achievement in Children’s Literature.

Proposed Family Activities:

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• Can your child find Passover symbols in the illustrations? Perhaps you could ask them to point out the four cups, matzah, Passover Haggadah and wine. You may also want to look for clues that spring has arrived – short-sleeved shirts and shorts, flower bloom, and clear skies.

• Do you know the tune to this song? How about singing it together, dancing round and round?

• Springtime beckons us to go outside and enjoy nature. Where do you like to be when you are outdoors? Perhaps you could take this book along with you, take a stroll near your house, and look for signs of spring together.

• You may want to make “spring binoculars” and look through it all around. Decorate two toilet paper rolls with stickers and crayons, and attach them to one another on their long side. What can you see through your binoculars?

• Ma Nishtana? What has changed in your home in preparation for Passover? Young children can also take part in preparing for the holiday, and particularly Seder Night. Perhaps you could invite them to help you set the festive table, sing Passover songs, ask the Four Questions, and look for the Afikoman, of course!

• Datia Ben Dor has written many well-loved poems and stories for toddlers and preschoolers. You may want to look for them at home or in the library, and read them together.

My Flower

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You may want to take the time to leaf through the book together. Which poems did you like best? And which flowers? Unlike a continuous tale, a collection of poetry may be read at any order – you could choose a flower at a time, and read the poem about it together.

Where's the Frog?

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There are hidden animals on every page of the book. Your child may want to look for them in the illustrations. Have they found the frog, bees, chameleon, and caterpillar?

Savyon and Ms. Rakefet – the Musical!

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You may enjoy drawing and coloring your own Mr. Savyon, Ms. Rakefet, or other characters from the book, glue them onto popsicle sticks, and put on a show based on the poems.

Repeating Rhymes

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You may want to read the poems several times. After a while, your child will know them, and finish some rhyming lines for you.

Following Flowers

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Which flowers grow near your house? You could take a walk, and look for flowers: taste a wood sorrel (חמציץ, Hamtzitz), touch the thorns of a rose (ורד, Vered), blow on a white Senecio (סביון, Savyon), or smell a wonderful daffodil (נרקיס, Narkis). Are the flowers you found similar to the illustrations in the book?

A Visit to the Nursery

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Perhaps you would like to visit a nursery, and choose bulbs, seeds, or a plant in a flowerpot together. Your child could help water the flowers at home, and watch them grow.

Family Activities

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The lyrics and illustrations in the book mention various Passover symbols. Can your child find the Four Cups, a Matzah, a Passover Haggadah, nuts, and new clothes?

Do you know the tune of this song? You can find it here. What other Passover and springrelated songs do you know? You may want to create an illustrated book of your own together, featuring well-loved Passover songs, from which to sing holiday songs on Seder Night.

The little girl in the book shares the Passover experience with her dolls, and teaches them how Seder Night is conducted. You could also have a Seder Night with your children and their toys, it is a wonderful fun way of getting ready for the holiday.

Passover is the Festival of Spring – a great time to go outdoors and enjoy nature! Where do you like to take trips, and what do you see on your way? Like the little girl in the book, you may like to look for flowers along the way and, if it is permitted, pick them and make a scented bouquet at home.

The book pictorially depicts the festive Passover atmosphere: festive clothes, guests, special food, and family customs. How do you celebrate Passover? You may want to include your child in the preparations for the holiday, as well as Seder Night itself. You could assign them age-appropriate roles, such as helping you tidy up and set the table, sing holiday songs, ask the Four Questions, and of course, look for the afikoman!

Which experiences do you recall from Seder Night as a child? Young children love hearing stories of the past. You may want to share pictures, stories, possibly funny anecdotes of Seder night when you were kids, thereby continuing to strengthen the generation chain of your own family’s unique Passovers. Enjoy reading and discussing the story!

Bilha Yafeh

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An authoress, poetess and Israeli educator born in Lithuania in 1891, who immigrated to Israel in 1913, teaching and educating generations of teachers at the David Yellin College of Education in Jerusalem. Yafeh wrote children’s poems, stories and plays. Many of her poems became cultural assets in Israeli children’s literature, among them: Bubba Yemima (Jemima the Doll), Hatul Shovav (Mischievous Cat), and Simcha Rabba (Great Joy). Bilha Yafeh and her husband Mordechai were among the founders of Bet Hakerem neighborhood in Jerusalem, and HaMora (The Teacher) Street was named after them. Bilha passed away in 1961.