Why Did the Child Laugh in his Dream?

Three of Lea Goldberg`s best-known children`s poems in a beautifully illustrated book. “Why Did the Child Laugh in His Dream?”, “Song to the Hyacinth” and “What Do the Does Do?” have been made into songs, are frequently played and are known to every child and adult in Israel.

The first poem is a mother`s attempt to interpret her son`s smile while he is sleeping. Is he dreaming about a mischievous cloud that turns the sun into a golden balloon? Or that his teddy bear found a gift on top of the closet, where his mother hid it? The second poem describes a magical nocturnal relationship between the moon, the rainclouds and the hyacinths in the garden. The moon asks the clouds to water the buds. The rain falls, singing happily to the buds, and they respond joyfully. Tomorrow morning, when we go into the garden, we`ll see the hyacinth blossoming in all its glory. In the third poem, we move to the animal world and a series of questions: What do deer do at night? Who watches over their dreams? What do they dream about and who wakes them in the morning? Each question has a wonderfully imaginative answer, full of humor and the innocence of childhood.