Heb
Facebook
Books > Two Ducks

Two Ducks

Lea Goldberg Illustrations: Raaya Karas

The song Two Ducks (Barvazayim) has been delighting generations of infants in Israel since the 1950s. In just a few words and some simple rhymes the song describes the relationship between Ephraim’s grandmother and a pair of fun-loving ducks. The two ducks compare the length of their necks, play hide-and-seek with Grandma, and squirt water on one another. The book invites parents and children alike to enjoy reading it, looking at the illustrations and singing finger-play songs together.

Family Activities

The song Two Ducks (Barvazayim) has been delighting generations of infants in Israel since the 1950s. In just a few words and some simple rhymes the song describes the relationship between Ephraim's grandmother and a pair of fun-loving ducks. The two ducks compare the length of their necks, play ...

Read More   

Classroom Activities

Read More   

Links

Video

Dear Parents,

"This is the song my grandfather sang to my father yesterday, and today I sing it…" (Ehud Manor)

The song Two Ducks (Barvazayim) has been delighting generations of infants in Israel since the 1950s. In just a few words and some simple rhymes the song describes the relationship between Ephraim's grandmother and a pair of fun-loving ducks. The two ducks compare the length of their necks, play hide-and-seek with Grandma, and squirt water on one another.

The book invites parents and children alike to enjoy reading it, looking at the illustrations and singing finger-play songs together.

Lea Goldberg (1911–1970),

born in Lithuania, was a renowned poet, author, translator, editor and literary researcher. She also wrote many children's books – such as Magic Hat (Kova Ksamim), What do the does do? (Ma Osot HaAyalot?), and Apartment to Rent (Dira Lehaskir) – that have become invaluable gems of Israeli children's literature. Lea Goldberg was the head of the comparative literature department at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. In 1970 she was awarded the Israel Prize for Literature; however, having unfortunately passed away two months prior to the ceremony, her mother received it on her behalf

פעילות בחיק המשפחה

  • Do you know the tune to this song? You can sing it together. You may want to put your fingers together as if you were pinching salt to form duck heads, and use your forearms as their necks.
  • You may also want to slip socks on your hands as well as your child's, and chant the song together. You could compare the lengths of your forearms (the ducks' necks) to see whose are longer, yours or your child's?
  •  The illustrator, Raaya Karas, developed a search theme in her illustrations. You may wish to flip through the pages of the book with your child and notice where Grandma was looking for the ducks. Just like in the song, you could enjoy hiding games – peekaboo, hiding various objects around the room, and of course – hide-and-seek in or outside the house.
  • This is a good opportunity to be reminded of more finger-play songs such as This Little Piggy, Itsy-Bitsy Spider and the Hebrew Grandma made Porridge (Savta Bishla Daysa) and I have Ten Fingers (Esser Etzba'ot Li Yesh). These involve tickling and bouncing on one's knees. Do you remember the songs you were sung to as a child? Or songs in other languages?
  • The ducks are portrayed as two friends, who are different from one another but enjoy doing everything together. You may want to speak to your child about the things they like to do with their friends and siblings.
  • Has your child seen a real duck? When visiting the zoo or looking at picture-books, you may become familiar with various types of ducks, and enjoy comparing them to the illustrations in this book. What makes them similar? What makes them different? What color are they? Are their necks long too?

רעיונות לשילוב הספר בגן

From the Field