Charlie's
Birthday
Present

Charlie woke up
early one spring
morning.
It was his
birthday.

by Bernice Myers

Story and pictures copyright 1981 by Bernice Meyers.
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Book
Services, a division of Scholastic, Inc.
Reprinted by permission.

He saw a present at the foot of his bed.
"It could be a robot! Or maybe a giant rabbit?"
Charlie pulled the ribbon and tore off the paper.

When spring came again,
so did Charlie's birthday.
Charlie woke up early.

But in summer he played hide and seek with his
friends, and in the fall, he raked the leaves.

He saw a present on his bed. "Trains! I'm sure it's
trains. Or maybe it's a pet snake."

"A garden hose? For my birthday?"
"It's to water your tree," his father said.

At first nothing happened.
Then a robin
flew inside.

"A wooden house? For my birthday?"

'That's right," said his mother. "It's a bird house."
'Put some bird seed inside and then see what
happens," said his mother.

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i nt1Z- 0, 0

The robins did come back... on Charlie's birthday!
When Charlie woke up he saw a tremendous present.
"It's a red bicycle! Or maybe a racing car!"

Enjoy Trees For Beauty And Shade

v

Each month in this space,
L'Chayim will present a Yiddish
lesson entitled, "Du Redst Yiddish
(Do You Speak Yiddish?)," whose
aim is to encourage further study of
Yiddish. The lesson will include a
`brief story utilizing the Yiddish
words to be studied, a vocabulary
list with English translations and a
family activity which involves using
the new words. Two books which
may be helpful for beginning
Yiddish students are "Yiddish for
Beginners" by Dr. Joffen and "Der
Yiddisher Lerer" by Goldin.
Weinreich's "English-Yiddish

L-6

Then another. Soon there were eggs. But when
winter came, the bird family left.
"They'll be back next spring," Charlie's father said.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 1989

Dictionary" also may be useful. At
the conclusion of each lesson will
be a suggested-list of books for
persons who wish to further their
knowledge.
The lessons were prepared by
Mary Koretz of Oak Park. She has
taught both children's and adult
classes in Yiddish at the Workmen's
Circle.
Following is this month's
lesson:
When I hob gevoy_nt on
Russell Street, one zeit of the gahs
was occupied by the L.A. Young
Spring Co. The andere side

consisted of small two-family dires
on zayer small lots. The miniscule
lahnd in front of the houses hardly
inspired one to vaksn a miniscule
lawn, although etleche people did
so. The hoyfn were almost entirely
farnumin by a barn. Not a garage
but a barn for housing ferd for
peddlers. The mentshin of the
block were, kimaht without
exception, immigrants and their first
dor children. We had the mazel to
have a shochin the Coviaks, a large
Paylishe family. They had two lots,
one for their hoyz, the andere for
growing grass, flowers, grinz and an

old enormous tree. My friend, Irene
Coviak, was farnumin with chores
each day, since she was the third
oldest child in a mishpoche of 13.
Because my mother hot gearbet
outside the home, I hob farblibn in
the house. That way, I was available
oyb my two younger sisters needed
me. I could also guard the house if
some international ganef would
want to steal the pots, pans or
hand-wound phonograph.
But zuntog afternoons, my
mother would be home to ophitn
my sisters and the pots and pans.
Irene would be frei of her