内容简介
On June 14, 1940, Hans and Margret Rey fled Paris as the German army invaded the city. Escaping on bicycles, they took only winter coats and four picture books strapped to the racks. Among those books were the watercolors and a rough text for Fifi, later known to the world as Curious George. However, when Curious George was actually published in the United States in 1941, these original watercolors were not used for the printing. Hans Rey was required by his editor to redraw the entire book, creating preseparated art, so that costs would be minimal. The Reys retained the original art and would, on rare occasion, treat carefully chosen friends and collectors to George as he was first envisioned in Paris those many years ago. During their lifetimes they parted with only five pieces of the extraordinary art. For this edition, the original Curious George drawings have been retrieved and reassembled, using modern reproductive techniques. For readers, comparing the originals - hat for hat and grin for grin - against their published counterparts will be intriguing and a great deal of fun. Now all of George's millions of friends can experience what only a few people have ever seen: George "in the act of becoming himself." Throughout their lives the Reys created many lively titles together, but it is their incorrigible little monkey Curious George who has become an American icon, selling millions of books and capturing the hearts of readers everywhere. The curiosity of a newly captured monkey gets him into continual trouble.
作者简介
Hans Augusto Rey was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1898. As a child, he spent much of his free time in that city's famous Hagenbeck Zoo drawing animals. After serving in the army during World War I, he studied philology and natural science at the University of Hamburg. He then married Margret Rey and they moved to Montmartre for four years. The manuscript for the first Curious George books was one of the few items the Reys carried with them on their bicycles when they escaped from Paris in 1940. Eventually, they made their way to the United States, and Curious George was published in 1941. Curious George has been published in many languages, including French, German, Japanese, Afrikaans, and Norwegian. Additional Curious George books followed, as well as such other favorites as CECILY G. AND THE NINE MONKEYS and FIND THE CONSTELLATIONS.
精彩书评
As the introduction explains, the watercolor paintings that accompany this special edition of the very first Curious George story made their way out of Paris on the back of Hans Rey's bicycle, as he and his wife, Margaret, narrowly escaped the German occupation. By way of Spain and Brazil, Rey and his work came to the United States, where cash-strapped children's publishers always required "color separation" art--i.e., a different drawing for each color. So Rey's watercolors were not used, and for subsequent books he never even did them; only now, for the first time, has that first set been used directly. Otherwise, it's the story you probably already know, though a bit more luxuriously produced, about how Curious George came to make life a lot more interesting for the Man in the Yellow Hat. (Ages 3 to 8) --Richard Farr
前言/序言
经典童书精选:探索奇妙世界的旅程 一本适合所有年龄段读者的成长故事集 引言:翻开书页,步入想象力的殿堂 这是一本精心挑选的童书合集,汇集了数部深受全球读者喜爱的经典作品。每一本书都像一扇通往新世界的大门,引领着小读者们在文字和图画的海洋中尽情遨游。我们深知,好的童书不仅能提供娱乐,更是塑造价值观、激发好奇心和培养阅读习惯的基石。本精选集旨在通过引人入胜的故事和精美的插画,为孩子们提供一次难忘的阅读体验,同时陪伴他们度过充满发现和成长的童年时光。 第一部分:关于友谊与接纳的深刻主题 《小熊与迷路的星星》 这个故事围绕着一只名叫巴纳比的小熊展开。巴纳比生活在一片宁静的森林深处,他最大的爱好是仰望星空。一天晚上,一颗小小的、闪烁着柔和光芒的星星不慎从夜空中坠落,跌进了巴纳比的后院。这颗星星名叫“微光”,它因为迷路而感到非常害怕和孤独。 巴纳比心地善良,他决定帮助微光找到回家的路。然而,森林里的动物们对这个会发光的“小东西”感到既好奇又有些警惕。狐狸认为它太亮眼,容易引来麻烦;猫头鹰则觉得它太吵闹,影响夜间的宁静。只有巴纳比,他看到了微光内心深处的脆弱和对家的渴望。 故事的叙述细腻而温暖。巴纳比用自己收集的浆果和苔藓为微光搭建了一个舒适的“临时住所”,并耐心地倾听微光讲述关于银河系和遥远星辰的故事。他们之间的友谊悄然滋长。在寻找帮助的过程中,他们遇到了各种挑战:穿越湍急的小溪,躲避突如其来的雷雨。这些经历考验着巴纳比的勇气和智慧。 最终,在森林里最年长的智慧之树的指引下,他们找到了传说中能将物品送回天空的“回声洞穴”。在告别的那一刻,微光将自己最亮的一小片光芒留在了巴纳比的鼻子尖上,作为永恒友谊的信物。这个故事深刻地探讨了接纳与包容的重要性,教导孩子们:真正的朋友不应该因为外表的差异而被排斥,理解和帮助才是连接彼此的纽带。插图以柔和的蓝色和金色为主调,营造出一种梦幻般的夜间氛围。 第二部分:关于勇气与自我发现的冒险 《帆船手莉莉和无尽之海》 莉莉是一个生活在海边小镇的女孩,她拥有一艘祖父留下的、略显老旧但结构坚固的红色小帆船。镇上的其他孩子都嘲笑莉莉胆小,因为她从未敢将船驶出港湾的保护范围。他们说无尽之海充满了海怪和无法预测的风暴。 莉莉内心渴望冒险,但恐惧像沉重的锚一样将她固定在岸边。直到有一天,她发现了一张古老的航海图,图上标记了一个被称为“静谧之岛”的地方,据说那里生长着能治愈一切忧愁的“月光花”。莉莉的奶奶最近总是闷闷不乐,这激发了莉莉的决心。 她偷偷地准备了物资,在黎明的第一缕阳光中,她解开了缆绳,驶向了广阔无垠的大海。航程充满了艰辛:她学会了如何调整船帆以应对突如其来的侧风,如何分辨哪些海藻是安全的,哪些是危险的。在与狂风巨浪搏斗时,她不再是那个胆小的女孩,而是冷静果断的船长。 在旅途中,她遇到了一只聪明的海豚,海豚指引她避开了一片迷雾重重的海域。经过数日的航行,莉莉终于发现了静谧之岛。月光花确实存在,但故事的转折在于,莉莉意识到奶奶的忧愁并非源于身体上的不适,而是因为思念冒险的时光。莉莉带着一束盛开的月光花回到家中,花朵散发出宁静的光芒,但真正治愈奶奶的,是莉莉勇敢归来的故事和她眼中闪耀着的自信光芒。 这个故事激励着小读者们去正视内心的恐惧,明白真正的勇气不是没有害怕,而是在害怕的时候依然选择前进。插图风格大胆而富有动感,用强烈的对比色描绘了海洋的浩瀚与微小船只的坚韧。 第三部分:关于创造力与规则的平衡 《积木城的小发明家芬恩》 芬恩生活在一个一切都必须整齐划一的“规则之城”。这里的建筑、交通、甚至人们的着装都严格按照城市颁布的《标准手册》进行。城里最受推崇的是灰色的、方形的标准化积木,所有人都用它们来搭建完全一样的房屋。 芬恩却是一个充满奇思妙想的孩子。他喜欢收集各种奇怪的材料——废弃的齿轮、五颜六色的鹅卵石、弯曲的树枝——他试图用这些“不合规矩”的材料来建造他的想象中的世界。他想造一辆能飞的自行车,一架能自动弹奏音乐的钢琴,以及一座螺旋上升的彩虹塔。 自然,他的作品总是不被市长和邻居们接受。他们指责芬恩制造混乱,破坏了城市的“完美秩序”。芬恩因此感到沮丧,开始把自己关在阁楼里。 直到有一天,一场突如其来的大雾笼罩了整个城市。由于所有建筑都一模一样,居民们彻底迷失了方向,连通往市政厅的路都找不到了。恐慌蔓延开来。这时,芬恩想到了他的发明。他利用那些被他珍藏起来的、形状各异的积木和材料,搭建了一系列色彩鲜明、形状独特的“路标”和“指示塔”。红色的螺旋塔指引人们向东,蓝色的音乐盒指引人们向西。 芬恩的创造力拯救了这座城市。市长终于明白,真正的效率和美观并非来源于死板的统一,而是来源于多样化的思维和包容创新的精神。从那天起,积木城开始允许出现不同颜色的、不同形状的建筑。芬恩成为了城市的首席想象官。 这个故事巧妙地探讨了创造性思维的价值,提醒家长和孩子,规则是必要的,但过度僵化的规则会扼杀进步的火花。图画充满了几何美感,但芬恩的部分则采用了丰富的纹理和饱和的色彩对比,视觉冲击力强,非常适合培养孩子的艺术感知力。 结语:阅读的力量 本精选集中的每本书都旨在提供一个充满教育意义和情感共鸣的阅读体验。它们鼓励孩子们质疑、探索、建立深厚的友谊,并勇敢地展现真实的自我。精选的插画师们用他们精湛的技艺,将文字中的奇妙世界栩栩如生地呈现在读者眼前,使阅读过程成为一场视觉与想象的双重盛宴。我们相信,这些故事将陪伴您的孩子度过无数个美好的阅读时光,成为他们童年记忆中不可或缺的一部分。