The first book in a three-year series, Shalom Ivrit 1 is built on the theme of the Jewish holidays. Students encounter Hebrew as a living language by building on their everyday and holiday experiences, at home and in school. Two endearing and humorous characters - Bar the Mouse and Malmalah the Ant - help teach 160 key words and an additional 90 holiday and enrichment words, as well as comprehension and language skills.