11.04.2008

No Room for Napoleon, by Adria Meserve

Three friends, a bossy dog and only one paradise inland!

這隻狗在船上用望遠鏡發現一個天堂島,決定搬到那裡,島上已經住了熊、兔子、和螃蟹,不僅歡迎他還要幫他打造個家。
剛開始,他急忙著找基地,接著開始,看著大家幫他,反倒開始指揮熊“多搬點樹枝“、兔子“多拿點花“、螃蟹“多堆點石頭“。大家停下來時,牠還汪汪叫,催著大家快一點,最後整座島都變成牠的家了,又大、又宏偉,就像封面這樣。

所以大熊、兔子、和螃蟹又另謀去處,這回牠們再看到Napoleon時,馬上說“NO! There's no room for Napoleon!" 失去朋友的狗兒馬上從善如流,有所表現,才得到朋友的信任,這時,遠方,又有拿著望遠鏡找地方的大貓。

King Long Shanks, by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Victoria Chess


這是收集不同版本The Emperor's New Clothes的意外收穫,長腿蛙國王,有很長的腿和曬得發綠的身體,而且他周圍的人都這麼說。廚子、園丁、管家、女僕、門房、加上兩個裁縫師,一唱一和;他們告訴國王他們有好東西可以幫他展露好身材。真的好“料“子的布可以看起來又綠、又藍、又紅、又發亮,只有真誠、誠實、實在、明智、忠實的人才看得見。

青蛙國中的人都穿著整齊,舉止端莊,最愛吃的是蒼蠅;國王無言以對或回答不出來時也是等蒼蠅,一口吞下,再說“嗯!“

接下來的當然大家都知道,當國王被大家都說沒穿衣服時,(廚子、園丁、管家、女僕、門房、當然沒有兩個裁縫師)皇后趕緊拉下一塊裙子讓他包一下腿。

MORAL
True Loyalty cannot be measured as simply as cloth.
But it covers a lot more than legs.

The Mysterious Collection of Dr. David Harleyson, by Jean Cassels


Jean Cassels有許多作品,但是多是知識性的讀物,只有Walker幫她出版的是故事性的,另外還有Br'er Rabbit Captured!: A Dr. David Harleyson Adventure, 與 Groundhog Stays Up Late。對動物的外型、肌理、線條非常熟捻,精工細筆。

Dr. David Harleyson留下難解的祕密要侄子尋找畫室中的12幅畫,分別寄送主人,在畫框的背面藏有來往信件、車票、戲票、留言,所以追溯Dr. David H.一年的旅行,從New York 出發,經le Havre到Paris(France),Brussels(Belgiun), Copenhagen(Denmark), Bremen(Germany), 回到Paris又到Hinzel(Switzerland), Amsterdam(Netherlands), Oslo(Norway), Southampton(England), London, Cardiff(Wales), Glasgow(Scotland), 回到New York,他的hometown是Philadelphia。

其中有Mother Goose, the Big Bad Wolf, the Frog Prince, the Itsy Bitsy Spider, the Owl and the Pussycat, the Ant and the Grasshopper, one Billy Goat Gruff, the Tortoise and the hare, the Three bears, Baa Baa Black Sheep, the Cat and the Fiddle 在每個城市出現。



11.03.2008

Picasso and Minou, by P.I. Maltbie, illustrated by Pau Estrada


This is a story based on Picasso's Blue Period and developed into his Rose Period.
Minou means kitty in French and the story happened during early 20th Century at Montmartre, Paris.
Picasso lived with his sweetheart and a kitty then. He couldn't sale any paintings and made no money to live.
作者借用貓來改變一個年輕人悲觀的想法,當他畫風改變時,人生也變了。“... You can turn your world into whatever you want it to be."
雖然有一些是作者的想像,但是由一位改變世界的藝術家生命歷程中的一小段,也可窺見人生的轉念影響有多大。

繪者Pau Estrada出生西班牙,目前住在巴賽隆那;曾以Fullbright Fellow的身份在RISD研習,為了這本書,他甚至親自到巴黎的畢卡索美術館和蒙馬特實地體驗。

You Can't Buy a Dinosaur with a Dime, by Harriet Ziefert illustrated by Amanda Haley

價值觀與用錢的方式,往往決定了大半的人生卻很少被當作議題。卻又是個爭議性很大的主題,美國因為是資本主義,孩子特別“現實“,從小建立“沒有不勞而獲的金錢觀“,打工、服務, 都是生活的一部份。
作者Harriet Ziefert寫了好幾本You Can't ... with...的圖畫書。有有關人體的You Can't See Your Bones with Binoculars,You Can't Taste a Pickle With Your Ear,ru. 接著繪者與Fred Ehrlich 合作You Can't Use Your Brain If You're a Jellyfish, You Can't Take Your Body to a Repair Shop, You Can't Lay an Egg if You Are an Elephant.

這本書裡還有“在能力中花錢“(within the budget)的概念。