Draw and Tell Your Rosh Hashanah Story

"Draw and Tell Your Rosh Hashanah Story" by Lila Rosenfield offers a guided journal experience for children aged 5-8 to document their Rosh Hashanah memories. The book acknowledges that young children often process holiday experiences visually before they can articulate them verbally. It provides varied prompts designed to help children record their personal observations, including who was present, the sounds they noticed, the appearance of the holiday table, moments of comfort, and any surprises encountered during the celebration. The author's approach ensures inclusivity by not assuming synagogue attendance, a specific family structure, or a standard holiday menu, allowing children to depict events they experienced, imagine scenarios, or indicate aspects not part of their day.

Within its pages, the journal utilizes diverse visual frameworks to engage young storytellers. A comic strip format facilitates recounting preparation activities, while concentric circles aid in mapping sounds from near and far. A foldout illustration of a table encourages labeling different foods, and a before-and-after sky section helps illustrate the transition from evening to day. Sentence starters are included to support emerging writers without dictating specific emotions. The section on Tashlich presents multiple community possibilities and avoids instructing children to discard items into water. A private page for reflecting on mistakes can be left blank or sealed, safeguarding children's vulnerable disclosures from adult expectations. The journal concludes by prompting the child to select three pages for oral narration and to create a title for their year's Rosh Hashanah story, with adult guidance emphasizing attentive listening without correction.