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Basya Cheers for Everyone

Ages 6-9 | Story and 9 activities

When Morah Chana announces the winner of the art contest, Basya's heart does a little flip.

"And the first prize goes to... Tzivia!"

Everyone claps. Tzivia's cheeks turn pink. She walks up to the front and receives a shiny blue ribbon and a box of fancy colored pencils.

Basya claps too. But her clapping feels stiff, like a robot's.

She has drawn a picture, too. It is a Shabbos table with two candlesticks and a golden challah. She's worked on it for a whole week. She has gotten an honorable mention, which is a small green ribbon that says "Participant."

She looks at Tzivia's ribbon. It is so much shinier.

A hot, prickly feeling creeps up her neck. Why her? she thinks. Mine is just as good. Maybe better.

At recess, the girls crowd around Tzivia. "Let me see your painting!" "It's so pretty!" "How did you do the clouds?"

Basya stands at the edge. She picks at her sleeve. Her friend Shoshana comes and stands next to her.

"You look upset," says Shoshana.

"I'm not," says Basya, too quickly.

"Okay," says Shoshana. "But you're making a face like you swallowed a lemon."

Basya lets out a breath. "Fine. I'm jealous. Is that terrible?"

"I get jealous too," says Shoshana. "Last month when Dina got the lead in the class play, I felt like that for a whole week."

"What did you do?"

"Well, first I let myself feel it. Then I tried something weird. I walked up and told her, 'You were really good.' And I meant it."

"Did it work?"

"It did. The jealous feeling went down. It's like it was a balloon, and when I said something nice, the air went out."

Basya looks across the yard at Tzivia. She is laughing with the other girls. Tzivia is a nice person, and she's worked hard too. She has spent the whole recess for two weeks in the art corner, painting.

Basya takes a deep breath and walks over.

"Tzivia," she says. Her voice is a little wobbly. "Congratulations. Your painting was really beautiful."

Tzivia's face lights up. "Thank you, Basya! Honestly, I thought yours was amazing. I tried to paint a challah like that once, and it came out looking like a rock."

Basya laughs in surprise. "A rock?"

"A brown rock with seeds on it. See?" Tzivia pulls a crumpled paper out of her bag. It is a very lumpy lump.

They both burst out laughing. Tzivia holds it up for the other girls to see, and soon the whole circle is giggling and calling it the world's first rock challah. The prickly feeling is gone. In its place is something warm.

"Would you teach me how you did the clouds?" asks Basya.

"Sure! And you can show me how to do a challah. It's a trade."

The next day, they sit together in the art corner. Tzivia shows her how to dab the paint with a sponge. Basya shows her how to shape golden braids with a small brush.

When the next contest comes around a month later, Basya doesn't win first prize. Neither does Tzivia. A boy named Yossi wins, with a painting of a shul in the snow. Both girls clap for him, and this time Basya's clapping feels real.

"Next time," Tzivia whispers.

"Next time," Basya agrees, and she grins.