When local author and mother of four Emunah Fialkoff watched her kids playing with coloring and activity books, she noticed something: they didn’t engage on a deeper level. She couldn’t find any books that truly did, so, with some assistance from her kids, she decided to create her own.
Now, her new workbook, “The Adorable Activity Book for Cute and Curious Children: Max, Lily, Dee & Hammy Bake Cookies” is available on Amazon. It features four characters – inspired by her children – and has one cohesive story that takes kids ages five through eight through each activity.
“This activity book breaks the mold by going beyond standard puzzles and mazes,” Fialkoff said. “I got the inspiration for the activities from watching my kids go about their everyday lives and thinking about how to turn common household problems into an activity you could illustrate with pen and paper.”
The characters — a dog, bunny, monkey and cat — give the kids a chance to “connect to relatable characters in a familiar situation,” Fialkoff, who is also a ghostwriter and writing trainer, said.
Each of the author’s four children collaborated with the author on her project. “My son gave me tips on what to include and helped brainstorm activities,” she said. “My daughter tested all the drawings, pointing out changes that needed to be made. My toddler was silly about ‘being the bunny.’ My baby is oblivious that he’s been immortalized as a monkey, but his siblings love the character. It’s been really heartwarming.”
Kids will encounter situations they’re used to in real life, such as matching kids to the stools that will help them reach the counter, choosing the cookbook likely to have a cookie recipe or putting the ingredients back on the shelves where they belong.
“They often test kids’ critical thinking in different ways,” said Fialkoff. “And thanks to my illustrator, they’re built into really adorable coloring pages too.”
The author, who is a proudly observant Jew, said the workbook ties into her values in a few different ways, starting with critical thinking.
“Jews are thinkers. We’re not afraid to do things in different ways. And that’s what this activity book is. It’s doing a kids’ activity book differently, to inspire kids to think differently.”
There is also the family element, which Jews value highly. “There is so much in today’s world that is challenging the core family values that we cherish,” Fialkoff said. “Every children’s book that focuses on that value, like showing the fun and spontaneity of four siblings doing something together, strengthens our family values collectively.”
Ensuring that the workbook has a story was crucial for the author; Judaism emphasizes storytelling.
“Story is about meaning,” she said. “It’s about not believing that things are one-off events but seeing the thread that ties them together. As Jews, we know that everything is a story — everything fits into a larger context of meaning. And I love breaking the mold of disjointed activities by bringing the energy of story into this activity book.”
Moving forward, Fialkoff has a vision for a series of workbooks built around the same set of characters and design. She hopes to put out more in the future, and looking back on creating “The Adorable Activity Book for Cute and Curious Children,” she saw just how meaningful it was for her and her children.
“By the end of the process, I felt that the project really showed me the power of family creativity,” she said. “Seeing the illustrations in their various stages was kind of magical for my kids. They’ve learned that they can have a creative vision and pursue it and then share the result with others. That’s something we’ll definitely take with us.”
