Everything Will Be Okay!

Since October 7, Jewish parents and educators have been faced with a daunting challenge: How to speak to young children about a day marked by fear and loss, while still protecting their sense of safety and security.

Everything Will Be Okay! is a new children’s book written and illustrated by sisters Evelyn Fichmann and Vivian Blankfeld- with the guidance of Professor Mooli Lahad, Israel’s leading expert on childhood trauma. The book offers gentle, trauma-informed guidance. The intended audience is children ages four and up.

“After October 7, we felt powerless and shocked by the response from the world,” Blankfeld said. “We decided to write this book to help children, who are the ones most affected by what is happening.”

Everything Will Be Okay!  tells the story of Noah and his family who live in a small, peaceful village. They never imagined that their lives would be forever changed so suddenly. Despite the challenges Noah must face, he learns about the importance of love, strength, and unity. “It’s about friendship [and] hope, and emphasizes the strength and solidarity of community,” Fichmann explained. “Above all, the book tells the story about a community that will always celebrate life.”

“The book is relevant now more than ever,” Blankfeld added. “We decided to not just focus on October 7. We talk a lot about community, solidarity, friendship, and hope because we want children to be positive and optimistic about the future.”

While the imagery is powerful, the book does not include anything explicit. Hamas isn’t mentioned by name, either. “Instead, we wanted to show the emotions that a child is going through,” Fichmann explained.

Staying out of the politics of war was another priority for the authors. “We know it’s not possible to write a book that’s completely apolitical, but we tried to do so as much as possible. Children must also know being a Zionist is not a crime.

With Fichmann is based in Vancouver and in Israel, the sisters had to work across time zones and thousands of miles throughout the writing process, which took more than a year. The duo also brought their unique experiences and expertise to the project, with Fichmann’s experience as a children’s book author and illustrator and Blankfeld’s work as a muralist.

With Fichmann is based in Vancouver and Blankfeld in Israel, the sisters had to work across time zones and thousands of miles throughout the writing process, which took more than a year from start to finish. The duo also brought their unique experiences and expertise to the project with Fichmann’s experience as a children’s book author and illustrator and Blankfeld’s work as a muralist.

“It was difficult to find the median between our two styles of drawing, but, in the end, we are really proud of the final result,” Fichmann said.

Everything Will Be Okay! is available for purchase through Amazon in English, Portuguese, and Hebrew. A portion of proceeds will go to families in the kibbutzim most affected by October 7.