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适读人群 :4-8岁 In this slender but engaging volume, Caldecott Medalist Simont (A Tree Is Nice) retells and illustrates a true story told to him by a friend. Picnicking in the country, a family spies a friendly dog. The brother and sister play with him and even name him, but their parents will not let them take Willy back to their city home. "He must belong to somebody," their mother explains, "and they would miss him." Returning to the same spot the following weekend, they once again see Willy, this time being chased by a dog warden who deems him a stray: "He has no collar. He has no leash." In the tale's most endearing scene, the boy removes his belt and the girl her hair ribbon, which they identify to the warden as Willy's collar and leash: "His name is Willy, and he belongs to us." Simont's art and narrative play off each other strategically, together imparting the tale's humor and tenderness. The final scenes are simple gems of understatement and wit. "They took Willy home" accompanies a full-bleed picture of the children energetically and messily bathing the dog; "And after that... they introduced him to the neighborhood, where he met some very interesting dogs" captions a busy scene of a park full of pooches.
内容简介
When a little dog appears at a family picnic, the girl and boy play with him all afternoon, and they name him Willy. At day's end they say good-bye. But the dog has won their hearts and stays on their minds.
The following Saturday the family returns to the picnic grounds to look for Willy, but they are not alone -- the dogcatcher is looking for him, too...
Caldecott Medalist Marc Simont's heartwarming tale of a stray dog who finds a home is told with appealing simplicity and grace.
作者简介
Marc Simont was born in 1915 in Paris. His parents were from the Catalonia region of Spain, and his childhood was spent in France, Spain, and the United States. Encouraged by his father, Joseph Simont, an artist and staff illustrator for the magazine L'Illustration, Marc Simont drew from a young age. Though he later attended art school in Paris and New York, he considers his father to have been his greatest teacher.
When he was nineteen, Mr. Simont settled in America permanently, determined to support himself as an artist. His first illustrations for a children's book appeared in 1939. Since then, Mr. Simont has illustrated nearly a hundred books, working with authors as diverse as Margaret Wise Brown and James Thurber. He won a Caldecott Honor in 1950 for illustrating Ruth Krauss's The Happy Day, and in in 1957 he was awarded the Caldecott Medal for his pictures in A Tree is Nice, by Janice May Udry.
Internationally acclaimed for its grace, humor, and beauty, Marc Simont's art is in collections as far afield at the Kijo Picture Book Museum in Japan, but the honor he holds most dear is having been chosen as the 1997 Illustrator of the Year in his native Catalonia. Mr. Simont and his wife have one grown son, two dogs and a cat. They live in West Cornwall, Connecticut. Marc Simont's newest book is The Stray Dog.
精彩书评
"...The Stray Dog is a showcase for Simont's considerable artistic talent."
-- School Library Journal
"...Simont tells a picture-book story of a happy family and a stray."
-- Booklist
"Really splendid artwork...pure Simont...The sentiments are equally direct and elegant, with generosity and affection….A winner."
-- Kirkus Reviews
"Simont's art and narrative play off each other strategically, together imparting the tale's humor and tenderness...A charmer."
-- Publishers Weekly
"Simont's art possesses its usual deceptive ease and friendly watercolor fluidity... will have pooch-loving kids investigating every park..."
-- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"This picture book has all the earmarks of a classic...Overarching shape, knowledge of audience, small details--Simont gets it all right."
-- The Horn Book
前言/序言
远方的呼唤:一本关于勇气、友谊与成长的绘本 书名: 星光下的秘密旅程 目标读者: 5-9岁儿童,及喜爱温馨故事的成人 页数: 48页,全彩精印 装帧: 硬壳精装,附赠独家艺术明信片一套 --- 故事梗概: 在一个被浓密森林环绕的小村庄里,生活着一个名叫艾拉的小女孩。艾拉的心思细腻而敏感,她最喜欢做的事情是收集散落在森林边缘的闪亮石头,并想象它们是来自遥远星辰的信物。村子里的人们习惯了日复一日的宁静生活,几乎忘记了森林深处还隐藏着古老的传说——每当夜空中最亮的那颗星辰发出奇异的蓝光时,通往“低语峡谷”的隐秘之门就会短暂开启。 故事的开篇,艾拉发现了一枚与众不同的石头,它不仅闪烁着微弱的蓝光,触感还带着一丝暖意。当天夜里,她被一阵悠扬却陌生的乐声吸引,循着声音,她来到了村子边缘那棵古老的橡树下。在那里,她遇到了一位与众不同的访客——一只会说话的夜莺,名叫“织羽”。 织羽告诉艾拉,它来自遥远的南方,它的族群世代守护着一片即将枯竭的“月光花田”。这种花朵是维持夜莺王国光芒和歌声的源泉。为了拯救月光花田,织羽需要找到传说中的“晨露之泉”,而通往泉眼的路,只有拥有“纯净之心”的孩子才能找到。 艾拉虽然胆小,但面对需要帮助的朋友,她的勇气被激发了出来。她决定和织羽一起踏上这段未知的旅程。 第一段旅程:迷雾森林的考验 她们的第一个挑战是穿越“迷雾森林”。这片森林以其变幻莫测的浓雾而闻名,一旦进入,方向感便会完全失效。村里的老人们警告说,森林里住着会模仿人声的“幻影精灵”,它们会用亲人的声音诱惑旅人偏离正轨。 在森林中,艾拉听到了母亲呼唤她回家的声音,她几乎就要放下手中的背包,转身跑去。就在这时,织羽用它清脆的歌声提醒她:“艾拉,记住你的目标,真正的爱不会让你迷失,而是指引你前行。”艾拉深吸一口气,明白了真正的呼唤是内在的坚定,而非外在的诱惑。她紧紧握住织羽送给她的第一件信物——一块能够发出微弱稳定光芒的琥珀,借着这光芒,她成功辨认出了森林中几株特殊的发光苔藓,那是织羽根据古老地图上标注的独特路径。 第二段旅程:寂静之河的难题 穿过森林,她们来到了“寂静之河”。这条河水流湍急,河面上漂浮着各种巨大的、像玻璃一样的碎片,那是古代冰川融化留下的遗迹,非常锋利,无法徒步通过。更令人不安的是,河岸边栖息着一群不说话的生物——“守望者”。它们体型庞大,眼神犀利,似乎在等待着什么。 艾拉意识到,这里考验的不是力量,而是沟通。她记得母亲教过她,即使语言不通,真诚的眼神和姿态也能传达意图。艾拉没有携带任何食物,但她拿出了自己最宝贵的财富——她收集的那些闪亮的石头。她小心翼翼地将石头排列在河岸边,摆成了织羽教给她的、代表“感谢与请求”的古老图案。 守望者们被这些闪烁的光芒吸引,它们静静地观察了很久。终于,领头的守望者轻轻地用鼻子触碰了艾拉的手心。下一刻,它用庞大的身躯轻轻推倒了一棵枯死的巨木,横跨在河面上,形成了一座临时的、却异常稳固的桥梁。 第三段旅程:通往晨露之泉的抉择 在河的另一端,她们终于看到了“低语峡谷”的入口。峡谷的入口处立着一块巨大的石碑,上面刻着最后的指引:“唯有懂得‘给予’的人,方能触及‘泉源’。” 进入峡谷后,环境变得异常干燥和炎热。月光花田的景象触目惊心,那些美丽的生灵正变得透明而虚弱。晨露之泉就在不远处,但在泉眼周围,生长着一圈巨大的、看起来十分诱人的“甜晶果”。这些果子散发着浓郁的香气,能够瞬间解除所有的疲惫和饥饿。 织羽激动地指着泉水说:“艾拉,泉水就在那里,快去!” 艾拉已经精疲力尽,她感觉自己的双腿像灌了铅一样沉重,那诱人的甜晶果似乎在对她招手。她只要吃下一颗,就能获得瞬间的能量继续前行。然而,她看到了泉水边一株最虚弱的月光花,它正努力地舒展着它几乎透明的花瓣,似乎在祈求着什么。 艾拉想起了旅途中她所经历的一切:森林中的坚定、河流上的真诚。她明白,真正的“给予”不是施舍,而是懂得克制自己的欲望,将最好的留给更需要的人。她强忍住对甜晶果的渴望,用带来的最后一个干净的陶罐,小心翼翼地舀满了清澈的晨露之泉。 当她捧着陶罐走向月光花田时,奇迹发生了。那些本来已经干涸的花朵,在晨露的滋润下,瞬间恢复了生机,绽放出比以往更加耀眼的光芒。 尾声:回家的路 月光花田得救了。织羽和它的族群载歌载舞地感谢艾拉。它们用最珍贵的月光花花瓣为艾拉编织了一条闪耀的围巾,作为永恒的友谊信物。 当艾拉带着围巾和织羽的歌声回到村庄时,她发现自己已经不再是那个只敢在森林边缘徘徊的小女孩了。她学会了倾听、理解和奉献。村里的人们发现艾拉的眼神变得更加明亮,她的讲述充满了远方的色彩和冒险的勇气。 从那天起,艾拉和织羽成为了永远的朋友。每当夜空中那颗蓝色的星辰闪烁时,艾拉就会戴上那条月光围巾,她知道,真正的力量并非来自魔法,而是来自一颗愿意为他人付出、并敢于跨出第一步的勇敢之心。 --- 本书特色与教育意义: 主题深度探讨: 本书巧妙地避开了传统的“打败怪兽”模式,专注于内在品质的塑造。它探讨了同理心、非言语沟通的重要性、延迟满足(克制欲望)以及勇气的真正来源(源于爱与责任,而非鲁莽)。 艺术设计亮点: 1. 光影运用: 插画师运用了高对比度的光影效果。迷雾森林部分采用冷灰调和模糊的线条,突出迷失感;而月光花田则采用饱和度极高的蓝、紫、银色系,营造出梦幻而神圣的氛围。 2. 细节引导: 书中多处设置了“寻宝”式的细节,如艾拉收集的琥珀、她在河岸摆放的石头阵,鼓励小读者仔细观察画面,培养观察力。 3. 角色造型: 织羽的造型灵感来源于欧洲传说中的“信使鸟”,其羽毛颜色会随着情绪变化,具有极高的艺术观赏价值。 特别附赠: 友谊书签: 一张印有艾拉和织羽剪影的镂空书签,镂空部分可以完美映衬在书页的特定插画上,形成“秘密场景”。 “我的勇气地图”内页: 书的最后几页设计成了空白的“冒险地图”,鼓励孩子画出自己克服困难的经历,将故事的意义延伸到现实生活中。 适合的亲子共读点: 本书非常适合亲子共读,父母可以引导孩子讨论以下问题: 如果你是艾拉,你会选择吃下甜晶果吗?为什么? 你认为“幻影精灵”模仿的声音代表了生活中的哪些诱惑? 我们如何才能像艾拉一样,在不说话的情况下,向别人表达我们的善意? 《星光下的秘密旅程》不仅是一次视觉的盛宴,更是一次关于如何成为一个更完整、更勇敢的人的温柔引导。它告诉孩子们,即使是最微小的个体,也能通过善良和坚持,完成影响整个世界的壮举。