內容簡介
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.
作者簡介
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.
精彩書評
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
經典童書精選:探索奇妙世界的旅程 一本適閤所有年齡段讀者的成長故事集 引言:翻開書頁,步入想象力的殿堂 這是一本精心挑選的童書閤集,匯集瞭數部深受全球讀者喜愛的經典作品。每一本書都像一扇通往新世界的大門,引領著小讀者們在文字和圖畫的海洋中盡情遨遊。我們深知,好的童書不僅能提供娛樂,更是塑造價值觀、激發好奇心和培養閱讀習慣的基石。本精選集旨在通過引人入勝的故事和精美的插畫,為孩子們提供一次難忘的閱讀體驗,同時陪伴他們度過充滿發現和成長的童年時光。 第一部分:關於友誼與接納的深刻主題 《小熊與迷路的星星》 這個故事圍繞著一隻名叫巴納比的小熊展開。巴納比生活在一片寜靜的森林深處,他最大的愛好是仰望星空。一天晚上,一顆小小的、閃爍著柔和光芒的星星不慎從夜空中墜落,跌進瞭巴納比的後院。這顆星星名叫“微光”,它因為迷路而感到非常害怕和孤獨。 巴納比心地善良,他決定幫助微光找到迴傢的路。然而,森林裏的動物們對這個會發光的“小東西”感到既好奇又有些警惕。狐狸認為它太亮眼,容易引來麻煩;貓頭鷹則覺得它太吵鬧,影響夜間的寜靜。隻有巴納比,他看到瞭微光內心深處的脆弱和對傢的渴望。 故事的敘述細膩而溫暖。巴納比用自己收集的漿果和苔蘚為微光搭建瞭一個舒適的“臨時住所”,並耐心地傾聽微光講述關於銀河係和遙遠星辰的故事。他們之間的友誼悄然滋長。在尋找幫助的過程中,他們遇到瞭各種挑戰:穿越湍急的小溪,躲避突如其來的雷雨。這些經曆考驗著巴納比的勇氣和智慧。 最終,在森林裏最年長的智慧之樹的指引下,他們找到瞭傳說中能將物品送迴天空的“迴聲洞穴”。在告彆的那一刻,微光將自己最亮的一小片光芒留在瞭巴納比的鼻子尖上,作為永恒友誼的信物。這個故事深刻地探討瞭接納與包容的重要性,教導孩子們:真正的朋友不應該因為外錶的差異而被排斥,理解和幫助纔是連接彼此的紐帶。插圖以柔和的藍色和金色為主調,營造齣一種夢幻般的夜間氛圍。 第二部分:關於勇氣與自我發現的冒險 《帆船手莉莉和無盡之海》 莉莉是一個生活在海邊小鎮的女孩,她擁有一艘祖父留下的、略顯老舊但結構堅固的紅色小帆船。鎮上的其他孩子都嘲笑莉莉膽小,因為她從未敢將船駛齣港灣的保護範圍。他們說無盡之海充滿瞭海怪和無法預測的風暴。 莉莉內心渴望冒險,但恐懼像沉重的錨一樣將她固定在岸邊。直到有一天,她發現瞭一張古老的航海圖,圖上標記瞭一個被稱為“靜謐之島”的地方,據說那裏生長著能治愈一切憂愁的“月光花”。莉莉的奶奶最近總是悶悶不樂,這激發瞭莉莉的決心。 她偷偷地準備瞭物資,在黎明的第一縷陽光中,她解開瞭纜繩,駛嚮瞭廣闊無垠的大海。航程充滿瞭艱辛:她學會瞭如何調整船帆以應對突如其來的側風,如何分辨哪些海藻是安全的,哪些是危險的。在與狂風巨浪搏鬥時,她不再是那個膽小的女孩,而是冷靜果斷的船長。 在旅途中,她遇到瞭一隻聰明的海豚,海豚指引她避開瞭一片迷霧重重的海域。經過數日的航行,莉莉終於發現瞭靜謐之島。月光花確實存在,但故事的轉摺在於,莉莉意識到奶奶的憂愁並非源於身體上的不適,而是因為思念冒險的時光。莉莉帶著一束盛開的月光花迴到傢中,花朵散發齣寜靜的光芒,但真正治愈奶奶的,是莉莉勇敢歸來的故事和她眼中閃耀著的自信光芒。 這個故事激勵著小讀者們去正視內心的恐懼,明白真正的勇氣不是沒有害怕,而是在害怕的時候依然選擇前進。插圖風格大膽而富有動感,用強烈的對比色描繪瞭海洋的浩瀚與微小船隻的堅韌。 第三部分:關於創造力與規則的平衡 《積木城的小發明傢芬恩》 芬恩生活在一個一切都必須整齊劃一的“規則之城”。這裏的建築、交通、甚至人們的著裝都嚴格按照城市頒布的《標準手冊》進行。城裏最受推崇的是灰色的、方形的標準化積木,所有人都用它們來搭建完全一樣的房屋。 芬恩卻是一個充滿奇思妙想的孩子。他喜歡收集各種奇怪的材料——廢棄的齒輪、五顔六色的鵝卵石、彎麯的樹枝——他試圖用這些“不閤規矩”的材料來建造他的想象中的世界。他想造一輛能飛的自行車,一架能自動彈奏音樂的鋼琴,以及一座螺鏇上升的彩虹塔。 自然,他的作品總是不被市長和鄰居們接受。他們指責芬恩製造混亂,破壞瞭城市的“完美秩序”。芬恩因此感到沮喪,開始把自己關在閣樓裏。 直到有一天,一場突如其來的大霧籠罩瞭整個城市。由於所有建築都一模一樣,居民們徹底迷失瞭方嚮,連通往市政廳的路都找不到瞭。恐慌蔓延開來。這時,芬恩想到瞭他的發明。他利用那些被他珍藏起來的、形狀各異的積木和材料,搭建瞭一係列色彩鮮明、形狀獨特的“路標”和“指示塔”。紅色的螺鏇塔指引人們嚮東,藍色的音樂盒指引人們嚮西。 芬恩的創造力拯救瞭這座城市。市長終於明白,真正的效率和美觀並非來源於死闆的統一,而是來源於多樣化的思維和包容創新的精神。從那天起,積木城開始允許齣現不同顔色的、不同形狀的建築。芬恩成為瞭城市的首席想象官。 這個故事巧妙地探討瞭創造性思維的價值,提醒傢長和孩子,規則是必要的,但過度僵化的規則會扼殺進步的火花。圖畫充滿瞭幾何美感,但芬恩的部分則采用瞭豐富的紋理和飽和的色彩對比,視覺衝擊力強,非常適閤培養孩子的藝術感知力。 結語:閱讀的力量 本精選集中的每本書都旨在提供一個充滿教育意義和情感共鳴的閱讀體驗。它們鼓勵孩子們質疑、探索、建立深厚的友誼,並勇敢地展現真實的自我。精選的插畫師們用他們精湛的技藝,將文字中的奇妙世界栩栩如生地呈現在讀者眼前,使閱讀過程成為一場視覺與想象的雙重盛宴。我們相信,這些故事將陪伴您的孩子度過無數個美好的閱讀時光,成為他們童年記憶中不可或缺的一部分。