Tamar Bornstein-Lazar facts for kids

Tamar Bornstein-Lazar (Hebrew: תמר בּוֹרְנְשְׁטֵיין-לָזָר) was a famous Israeli writer. Born on May 1, 1927, she became well-known for her many books for children. She created popular characters like the monkeys Kofiko and Chipopo. Tamar Bornstein-Lazar passed away on June 16, 2020.

Early Life and Education

Tamar Bornstein-Lazar grew up in a place called Ein Ganim. She went to Ahad HaAm High School in Petah Tikva. Later, she studied to become a teacher at the Teachers' College in Givat HaShlosha. During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, she served in a military band. After that, she worked as a teacher at Gordon School in Petah Tikva.

A Career in Writing

Tamar Bornstein-Lazar started her writing journey in 1950. From that year on, she wrote hundreds of stories for young children. These stories appeared in most children's newspapers in Israel. Later, many of these stories were collected and published in books.

In 1955, she received the Yatziv Award for her writing. She also began writing special story collections. These books were about the different Jewish holidays throughout the year.

First Stories Published

Her very first story was published on February 2, 1951. It appeared in a newspaper called Davar LiLadim. The story was titled The Girl from the Ma'abara and the Star from the Sky. A "Ma'abara" was a temporary camp for new immigrants in Israel. In the story, a star brings a goat to a Ma'abara. The goat's milk helps to heal a sick girl. Three months later, her second story came out. It was called Why Are the Crow's Wings Black.

The Kofiko and Chipopo Series

In 1957, Tamar Bornstein-Lazar began her most famous book series. These books were about two adventurous monkeys, Kofiko and Chipopo. Kofiko was the monkey in the Israeli books, and Chipopo was for books published abroad. Both series became very popular in Israel. They included dozens of books filled with fun adventures.

Some teachers and critics thought her writing style was too simple. However, children loved the stories, and they became a big success.

Other Book Series

Starting in 1965, she wrote another series for children. This one was about an American child named Charlie Letch. It followed his adventures while visiting Israel. In 1969, she started a series called The Adventures of Suliman and Danny. This series was about two friends, one Jewish (Danny) and one Arab (Suliman).

Family Life

Tamar Bornstein-Lazar was married to Shlomo, also known as Shlomke. They had three daughters: Noga, and twins Odelia and Zahara. Interestingly, the names of her family members were also used for characters in her popular Kofiko book series. She even wrote one book for adults using a special pen name, "B. L. ONZ." This name came from the first letters of her daughters' names and her last name.

Tamar Bornstein-Lazar passed away on June 16, 2020, at the age of 93.