Snuggle up and let me read you a little something.
Grab a seat, a bite to eat and settle right in.
Hugs, snuggles, stories and more.
And so many sweet things in store.
Welcome to Afternoons with Mimi.
Hi, Mimi.
I mean, hola.
Ah, hola to you, mi corazón.
Sounds like someone was studying Spanish today at school.
Sí.
We had world languages.
And Javier said some things in Spanish.
And then Fid said words in Dutch.
Can you believe that?
Wow, Dutch.
I remember our old neighbor used to speak Dutch to her dogs.
And of course, great Zadie spoke Spanish at home sometimes.
He did?
Why didn't he speak English?
Well, he did speak English eventually, but his family now we're going way far back spoke Spanish because they lived in Argentina.
So Great Zady learned Spanish, and he liked to speak it at home because it reminded him of his childhood.
Oh, like how Mrs Stell says things in Yiddish sometimes, because that's what she spoke at home when she was little.
Whenever I see her after Hebrew school, she says, And I'm like, So many languages.
Just think of your Baba.
Their family moved around a lot, so Baba learned to speak Hebrew and French and Farsi.
And I'm sure some others as well.
That's at least three languages.
Wait...
Farsi?
Here, sweet, have some babka.
It's chocolate, your favorite.
And some milk, too, right?
Farsi is a language that some people, including Jewish people, speak in the country of Iran.
People whose families have left Iran still speak Farsi, too.
And now I speak another language, too.
Spanish.
This vodka is so good.
When you're all done with your snack, I have the perfect story for our afternoon of languages.
Come on over here to the couch, sweet, and we'll read.
Hey, I remember this book.
I loved this so much when I was little.
We haven't read it in so long.
That's right.
I thought you'd enjoy revisiting an old favorite, especially one that blends words from a variety of languages.
Let's get started.
¿Dónde está Shmata?
Where is Blankie?
Written by Tana Ross, illustrated by Elisa Clevin, and published by PJ Publishing.
Do you have a favorite thing or toy?
One that brings you special joy, like a fluffy, puffy pup or a dolly to dress up, or a funny furry hat or a puppet Persian cat.
My favorite thing is lost right now.
I must find it, somewhere, somehow.
¿Dónde está Shmata?
I snuggle shmata so, so much, it's gray and very soft to touch.
And though it's frayed and worn a bit, it's the best thing my bubbies knit.
I really love my shmata so.
Where, oh, where did shmata go?
Donde esta shmata?
Will you come and help me look in every cranny and each nook to see if we will have the pleasure of finding my most favorite treasure.
¿Dónde está Shmata?
It's just a parrot eating a carrot.
¿Dónde está Shmata?
It's just an armadillo hiding under a pillow.
Donde esta shmata?
It's just my mama feeding our llama.
Donde esta shmata?
It's just my sister Zara playing with a capybara.
Donde esta shmata?
It's just a sloth chasing a moth.
I feel so sad.
I feel so mad.
Suddenly, to my surprise, I just can't believe my eyes.
In walks Bubby through the door.
Here's what you've been looking for.
Shmata didn't go too far.
I found Shmata in my car.
Bringing Shmata back to you makes me happy through and through.
Thank you all.
As you can tell, with your help, it ended well.
I always forget how funny that book is.
I like the armadillo under the pillow.
And it had two languages, Spanish and Yiddish.
Right, Mimi?
That's right, when we were talking about sorting old clothes to give away.
We talked about how shmata can mean rag or old blanket or raggedy clothing.
You know, I love talking about all these languages with you.
It reminds me of all the places that Jewish people have lived in this world.
Ooh!
Hang on!
Here!
We can look at your globe.
At all those places, like you were saying.
See?
There is Israel.
Jewish people live there, right?
And here, the United States, of course.
Or Canada.
That's where my friend Yona's from.
And England and France and Australia and Brazil and Turkey and Morocco and Greece.
So many countries.
Jewish people have lived all over this world, and everywhere we live we learn the language of that country.
Sometimes we combine that with other languages we know.
It makes a big, wonderful world of words for us to enjoy.
Sí, sí.
¿Dónde está mi abuela, Mimi?
Right here.
No need to search.
Tonight, I'd like to transport you to Night Falls, a mystical place where a luminescent waterfall glimmers in a starlit clearing amongst ancient pines.
You can join me here every Sunday and Tuesday with a podcast of bedtime stories, created to help you fall asleep easily.
There's truly nothing more relaxing than a story told by firelight.
So search Nightfall's Bedtime Stories on your favorite podcast player and gather around the fire for a soothing tale tonight.
