An Israeli Children’s Book for Families in a War Zone

Stand for Israel  |  March 12, 2024

Talya didn’t know how to comfort her young children when their dad left to serve in the war against Hamas. So, this Israeli mother created a children’s book to hopefully bring some understanding or try to normalize the new realities of war, reports The Jerusalem Post:

Tomer’s impetus to create a children’s book came from a need to comfort her own young kids – Goni, seven; Hadas, five; and Roie, two.

“I was in an impossible situation. I was asked, ‘Could Abba [Daddy] die?’ I didn’t have words to calm them. I was terrified. I couldn’t lie to them, and I didn’t have the inner faith that everything would be okay,” Tomer recalled…

But post-Oct. 7, she realized that she couldn’t protect her children while living in a war zone, and the children’s book began to germinate. “Israel had changed. I wanted a peaceful life for my kids, but then there was reality”, said Tomer, who is listed as the author of Family in Reserves (Mishpacha b’Miluim), although her role was closer to lead writer, project initiator, and all-around motivator of a group effort.

“This creation was not meant to be a literary marvel; that was not the heart of the project,” she said.