The Clouds Told Me

ABOUT THE BOOK
FAMILY ACTIVITIES

Written by: Dafna Shtrom / Illustrated by: Raaya Karas / Publisher: Sifriyat Poalim

Distribution: January 2018

The clouds had arrived, but when would the rain come? A boy and a teddy bear dress well and prepare for the rain. The anticipation is a little hard, but worthwhile. A new book by Dafna Shtrom

Family Activities

Will it rain today? What should we wear to kindergarten? Can we finally put on our colorful boots, and open our new umbrella?

Classroom Activities

Video

Dear Parents,

Will it rain today? What should we wear to kindergarten? Can we finally put on our colorful boots, and open our new umbrella?

Children in Israel look forward to and prepare for rain, and are delighted when it arrives. Sometimes they have to make do with a drizzle. Such experiences are an integral part of Israeli childhood. This is a wintry tale of anticipation, disappointment, patience, and (a drop of) rain.

And give us blessed dew and rain across the entire earth (from Jewish prayer)

Anticipating and praying for rain is shared by generations of Eretz Israel dwellers throughout history, appearing in many tales and stories that have been written over the centuries. In the past, many of Eretz Israel's inhabitants were farmers, who prayed for rain to water their fields, and help their crops grow. To date, despite modern technology, we await blessed rainfall anew each year. The hope for rain expresses a desire for growth and renewal, and rain itself fills all our hearts – children's as well as grownups' – with joy.

פעילות בחיק המשפחה

What pictures tell us: Your child may want to look at the illustrations, and discover details that do not appear in the text. Were they able to find the cat and bird? What do the animals do on each page?
What do we wear in winter? You could go to your closet, and look for winter clothes – flannel undershirts, gloves, socks, boots, and umbrellas. You may enjoy playing a game together in which one of you closes their eyes, names an item of clothing, and counts to ten, and the other must put on that item of clothing before the time is up. How well did each of you do?
Young weather forecasters: Children can follow the weather from a young age. Before leaving the house, you may want to ask them to look up at the sky, and report – is it sunny or cloudy? Should we wear a coat, or take an umbrella?
Getting our toys dressed for winter: Does your child's teddy-bear or doll have a coat, hat, or scarf? You may want to look for pieces of fabric, or used baby clothes, and help your toys prepare for a rain-filled winter too.
Drawing winter on the windows: On cold and rainy days, you could draw on the cold vapor that covers your windows. Perhaps you would like to draw clouds, and ask your child to mark the raindrops with their fingertips. You could add a puddle, or even an umbrella. You may want to return to the window an hour later – what happened to the drawing?
Games for rainy days: You may want to take a shoebox and fill it with various small surprises, such as stickers, special crayons, small containers of soap bubble liquid, and so on. Hide the box, and only open it on rainy days!
Do you like the rain and cold? You can take a walk outside on wintry days too! You may want to look up at the clouds, and discover what they look like. Can you see a person's face, or an animal? Perhaps you'll get lucky, and have raindrops fall on your head. You could also talk as you walk, and tell each other what you like most about winter, and what you do not. What does the air smell like? What do the trees look like? Perhaps you would enjoy picking up dry leaves, jumping into puddles, and feeling the wind blow.