"The Treasure" is itself a treasure - and a brilliant look at gratitude. Uri Shulevitz is a favorite author of mine. Short on copy. Long on meaning. Enhanced with magnificent illustrations. In true Shulevitz fashion, “The Treasure” starts simply, on a blank page, with just these words: “There once was a man and his name was Isaac.” Isaac was a poor man who was often hungry. In a dream, a voice told him to look for a treasure under a bridge in the big city. He walked and walked to get there, only to meet a guard who laughed at him and told him to go home, because he would just as likely … [Read more...]
Harold and the Purple Crayon – #JewishBookFun4Kids #3
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crocket Johnson holds a special place in my heart, because I used to read it to our daughter. And, I have a confession to make. One night, while I was reading it to Sarah for maybe the 10th time, I had an “aha” moment that stopped me. Cold. I realized what an absolutely amazing story this is. Yet, like many of you (I’m guessing), I was double-tasking in my head. While I was reading words and turning pages, I was also making mental lists of lunches to assemble, forms to fill out, laundry to fold. In the process, I had missed the nuance and the wonder. Never … [Read more...]
Miss Rumphius – #JewishBookFun4Kids #1
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney has a magical cadence that, just maybe, inspired our daughter to travel widely and to plant flowers – including lupines. The story begins, “The Lupine Lady lives in a small house overlooking the sea. In between the rocks around her house grow blue and purple and rose-colored flowers.” As a little girl, Alice lived by the sea, where she watched sailing ships. In fact, her grandfather had come to America on one of these ships. He was an artist, making figureheads for the prows of ships and painting pictures. Sometimes, Alice helped him paint in the … [Read more...]
6 Summer Kid Reads Plus Activities
We’re re-running some of our favorite summertime posts. Enjoy! Ahh. Summer time and reading. The perfect combo. Here are six summer kid reads with activities. Enjoy! Reading is one of the great pleasures of summer. When I was 10, I was allowed to walk the eight blocks to our neighborhood library. I’d climb the marble stairs to the children’s section, select some titles that called to me, and settle into a comfy chair in the corner as the large fans wafted cool air around the room. On the walk home, I’d sometimes stop at the High’s Dairy for an ice cream cone. I can't provide the … [Read more...]
5 Fun Kitchen Activities for a Summer Shabbat
About this time of the summer, you start seeing articles about how to help your child hang onto math and reading skills over the hot, lazy months. Spending time in the kitchen is the perfect solution. Here are five fun kitchen activiites, perfect for a summer Shabbat. I’m with Grandma’s Briefs blogger Lisa about all the wonderful reasons to bake with your children or grandkids -- from reading recipes to measuring to learning fractions to sequencing. Of her eight top reasons to encourage kitchen time together, my three favorites are: Encourages creativity Fun for different ages to … [Read more...]