1. The first decisions Soon we had to take the first decisions: What literary genres should we choose to choose? Should they have been novels, poems or stories? Were there works in both languages (Hebrew and Italian) which had been translated into English (since this was to be the language for communication)? Would the kids be interested in the topics the literature works were based on? Should we choose classical literature works or more recent publications? What should level of English should the students be to take part into the project? Most important of all: what type of technological medium should the students use to communicate?

2. Help Nellie and Maria to take a decision! Which literary genre to choose: novels, poems or stories? Pro’s Novels: Poems: Stories: Con’s Novels: Poems: Stories:

3. Novels, poems or stories? Pro’s Novels: they give a complete insight into a writer’s world and they are exciting to read Poems: They are generally short and can be read thoroughly by students Stories: They are almost as short as poems and generally they are readable and exciting Con’s Novels: they are too long and students find problems in reading a whole work Poems: They are not always easy to understand in depth as they are full of metaphorical meanings Stories: They are not so complex in meaning as novels and poems (but is that a fault?) That’s why we, Nellie and Maria, decided to make our students read Stories!!!

4. Do you know the authors? Savyon Liebrecht Savyon Liebrecht was born in Munich, Germany, in 1948, to Holocaust survivor parents. She studied philosophy and literature at Tel Aviv University and started publishing in 1986. Liebrecht has published six collections of short stories and novellas and two novels. She has also written three plays, all of which have been staged, and a number of TV scripts. She has received awards for two of her TV scripts, the Alterman Prize for her first book of short stories (1987), the Amelia Rosselli Prize for Mail Order Women (Italy, 2002) and the Maior-Amalfi Award for A Good Place for the Night (Italy, 2005). In 2005, she was nominated Playwright of the Year for her successful play, It’s All Greek to Me. “Apples from the desert” (from Wikipedia) Italo Calvino Italo Calvino (October 15, 1923 – September 19, 1985) was an Italian writer and novelist. His best known works include the Our Ancestors trilogy (1952- 1959), the Cosmicomics collection of short stories (1965), and the novels Invisible Cities (1972) and If on a winter's night a traveler (1979). His style defies easy classification; sometimes his writing has an air of fantasy reminiscent of fairy tales (the trilogy, Cosmicomics), but sometimes his writing is more "realistic" and in the scenic mode of observation ("Difficult Loves", for example). Some of his novels have been called postmodern, while some have been labeled magical realist, others fables, others simply "modern." Mushrooms in the city Winter: The City Lost in the Snow

5. Savyon Liebrecht “Apples from the desert” Rivka is the protagonist of the story: she has grown up in an Israeli orthodox village but, as soon as she is 18 years old, she decides to leave her family and follow her boyfriend who works in a kibbutz. She is not considered particularly beautiful or smart by her mother who, one day, decides to set for a difficult mission: to pay her a visit in the kibbutz and take her back home. In the end it is her mother who will learn a lesson… Italo Calvino “Mushrooms in the city” Winter: The City Lost in the Snow Marcovaldo is a humble and romantic blue- collar worker lost in the big city, which perverts rhythms and obfuscates cycles. He is trapped in the unreality of this modern city.' He longs for nature, and nature rewards him in surprising ways. Mushrooms sprout out of the cement in ''Mushrooms in the City'‘ but… they are dangerous mushrooms, as dangerous is the place where he and his family live. Why should the students read the stories (and enjoy them?)

6. Italo Calvino Total scores: Savyon Liebrecht Total scores: Introducing a bit of competition… Who do you think the kids will find more interesting: Liebrecht or Calvino? And why