"It's a book about getting lost, about finding the way home, about worry and even about self-identity," says Adi Zelichov-Raloi about her new book for children, "Aved Kallev", which was recently published by Yediot Books.

At the center of the book is a parallel search of a boy and a dog who lost each other, which brings up sensitive and complex issues in a way adapted to the world of children, which is often challenging for parents to mediate for their children.

"This is an opportunity to open up with the children this topic, which scares us of getting lost, and not only in the physical sense but also in the aspect of 'what actually defines me' outside the context of 'a friend of' or our other relationships. There is also the layer of fear that someone is loved will leave".

Both the boy and the puppy in the story see themselves as being in the position of the seeker.

Why did you choose this angle and not the other angle, of someone who is lost and worries if they are looking for him?

"Maybe it's because I myself am always in the position of the parent, who cares. When we don't find someone or something that is a part of us, we feel that something in us has been lost. When we read the book, we worry about both of them - will they find each other?"

In the book, the company of equals is the one that goes on a search - the group of children is looking for the puppy, and the group of puppies is looking for the boy.

There is no parent leading the search.

"For me, the cinematic universe in which the plot takes place is the children's world, and I want to show their point of view. I think that sometimes the parents are just spoiling," she smiles, "as soon as there is an adult character involved in the children's adventure, it changes the situation, like a researcher who observes and influences about the behavior of the interrogated. Besides, I wanted to return to the gangs of old, to the neighborhood, to this drama in children's lives when the gang goes on a mission. We parents enjoy cuddling up to it from a nostalgic point of view, but the children also find a certain charm in it."

Get out of the mold

Zelichov-Relevy, whose resume includes content, writing and editing roles on various platforms and for diverse audiences, proves herself as someone who has always written.

In 2015, her first book for children was published, "Maasiya Lenar Rishon".

Among her books: the novel for adults "Protected Space", which introduces the readers to what is happening in the homes and souls of the residents of a Tel Aviv building during wartime, each one and his story alongside the encounter between them;

"12 Women", intended for youth and dealing with the stories of inspiring Jewish women, most of them lesser known, who made a difference and influenced society;

The children's books "Lemonade" and "Hole in the Ship", translated into English and Spanish.

Both were distributed in kindergartens as part of the "Pajama Library" project and both sold more than 100,000 copies.

Her new book is the result of a collaboration, one of many, with the illustrator Aviel Basil.

"I said to Aviel: 'Let's make the children and the dogs look alike, since this is a mirror story.' with straight hair, children with different skin tones, both tall and short, not as some pedagogical statement, which I think books should not be based on, but as a message that goes through even without saying it explicitly. This is also important to me in the books that I choose for publication," notes Zelichov-Raloi In her capacity as editor of children's and youth literature at the "Yediot Books" publishing house.

"This competition for the property that is our leisure is greater today because there is Netflix and other things," Zelichov-Raloi refers to the repeated claim that children and teenagers do not often read books today, even though there are books and book series that sell well and are popular among young readers.

"On the other hand, parents continue to buy and read books to their children, this is a value that is important to them. You have to remember that today children are constantly exposed to texts and also produce texts themselves. This is a life of storytelling. And the story, for that matter, both WhatsApp and Netflix tell a story. I see a lot Young people who read, there is a flourishing of the BokTok on TikTok and Instagram. In the two years of the Corona, when people returned home a little, you can see a certain return to the old, domestic pastimes, including reading books. The age that is a little missed is those who are no longer children but still do not buy books for themselves. This An age that I'm trying very hard to strengthen. This is where, for example, comics come in, which have become very strong in recent years and filled a certain lack that existed."

Do you think the young readership has changed?

That in order to reach the hearts of readers today, you have to write differently?

"Yes and no. Classics are still successful and still loved. I think that when a story is well written and interesting, it transcends time and place. When there is a good narrative core, it can also be adapted to the spirit of the time and told in many ways. Things change, yes, there are things we see today, like literature LGBT and a great increase in fantasy literature, and on the other hand there are things that we no longer see today, I hope, such as racism or stereotyping in the style of 'Menashe the Yemeni' and 'Ehud the Fat'.

The canon hasn't changed yet, 'Mashat in Five Balloons' is still working, and so is the series of books about Naftali.

Along with these, more writers and more ideas are coming in."

The next David Grossman

The economic aspect, i.e. the dwindling number of platforms that allow the publication of a book that is not funded by the author, constitutes a barrier to the entry of quite a few new and high-quality voices in literature.

"That's true, but in large publishers, like Yediot Books, the publication of the book is not financed by the authors. It's not a very nice thing to say, but the truth is that there aren't many very talented writers. The problem is not the matter of the financing, but that the books are really excellent Children have few, among the many, many books that are sent to publishers. The great talents are few.

"I think that since writing is a daily activity that people do, it is seen by many as something that can be done easily, especially when it comes to writing for children. People tend to think that writing a book for children is a check and there is a book, and precisely a good and accurate children's book is not something Easy to do at all. Some writers say 'my grandchildren really loved it', but it's not great children's literature. You can also cook quite well, but that doesn't make you a second deer.

"When there is a diamond that is placed on the table in the bookstores, it sparkles and you can see it," she emphasizes.

"Even when it comes to a debut book by an unknown author. It will be accepted, they won't say no to him. If the next David Grossman sends a story, we'll notice it. It's not that there aren't mistakes, JK Rowling and 'Harry Potter' were also refused at first, there are There is room for error, but most of the really excellent writers will not be missed, their talent will be seen."

were we wrong

We will fix it!

If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us