The Naughty Boy / by Leah Goldberg Gad tries so hard to be polite and to satisfy the grown-ups’ wishes, but when least expected, he acts inappropriately, swears, or hits. The adults are angry and disappointed, and Gad wants to explain why he acted the way he did, but feels that nobody understands him. The book depicts aggressive behavior that is experienced at first as uncontrollable. At the end of the story, Gad feels that the “naughty boy” is part of him. He tries to drive out the “naughty boy”, and asks him to stop interfering in his life. The Naughty Boy is a rhyming story written by Leah Goldberg over fifty years ago. Today, it is not customary to call children names like “naughty boy”, but rather to point out behaviors and actions are hurtful, inappropriate, wrong, etc. Leah Goldberg (1911-1970), born in Kovno, Lithuania, was a poet, author, and translator. She studied at the universities of Berlin and Bonn, and received a PhD in Semitic Linguistics at the age of 22. Two years later (in 1935), she made aliyah to Israel and established herself as a renowned poet. She edited and wrote children books, including Where Is Pluto?, Apartment for Rent, and many others which have become classics of Israeli literature. Goldberg also headed the Comparative Literature Department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1970, she was awarded the Israel Prize for literature, but unfortunately passed away two months before the prize ceremony. Her mother accepted the prize in her name. Who is a Hero? (Eze’hu Gibor?) In Jewish tradition, there are many proverbs and rules that deal with proper behavior. We all have a hard time controlling ourselves at times and do not always know how to behave. In the Mishna it is written: “Who is a hero? He who conquers his evil inclination”(Pirke Avot, chapter 4, verse 1). The word “conquer” means “control”, and the Rabbinic sages tell of two kinds of “conquerors”: The first are strong people who can wage war and conquer a city, and the other are strong people who can control their urges, “conquering” them. The sages of the Mishna say that a real hero is one who can overcome his urges and control his behavior! Self control is a challenge for adults and children alike. Like Gad in the book, young children learn to control their urges to hit or hurt someone else’s feelings. How do you think does a child feels after managing to overcome this challenge? Family Activity: • Gad feels that there is a “naughty boy” inside of him that is making trouble and irritating him. Discuss together: Is there really a “naughty boy” inside of him? Who swears at the auntie and pushes Yocheved: Gad, the “naughty boy”, or both of them together? Where is the “naughty boy” when Gad is not angry? What do you think? • The illustrator Danny Kerman chose to represent the “naughty boy” by drawing a small shadow of Gad. Look at them both (Gad and the “naughty boy”). What is the “naughty boy” doing when someone is angry with Gad? Choose one of the illustrations and make up a “shadow conversation” between two characters, using your hands: Shine a bright light on the wall, using a lamp or flashlight. One of you will make shadows with your hands as if you were the “naughty boy”, and the other will respond as if they were Gad. • The adults are upset with Gad: Father says he is acting like a baby, Yocheved’s mother calls him a “savage”, and Grandmother is so angry her nose turns green. What do you think about the behavior of the adults who talk to Gad? • Discuss with your child an incident when you could not overcome your anger. What can one do in order to prevent this? If we are angry, how can we deal with the consequences of this feeling? • Gad says: “I have tried everything… in order to make the ‘naughty boy’ go away.” There are seven illustrations in the book that describe Gad’s attempts to deal with the “naughty boy”. Look at these illustrations and try to identify how he is dealing with the “naughty boy”. • Gad asks: “What shall I do with him, with the ‘naughty boy’?” Like Gad, we all have urges and habits that we are not proud of. Choose a habit that you would like to overcome and in this way become a hero or heroine! Make a “Badge of Bravery” to award the heroes (e.g.: a medal, crown, sticker, etc.) and award it to the children when they overcome their urges and behave maturely. • The “naughty boy” is often troublesome, but he also has some good characteristics: courage, independence and a strong will. Surprisingly, he even knows how to dance! Inside the book cover there are a series of illustrations of the “naughty boy”. When one looks at them in sequence, it seems as though the “naughty boy” turns his anger into dancing. You’re welcome to dance with him. Choose a few moves for the children to do and create a little dance. You can sing or drum to accompany the dancing. .