内容简介
From the creator of Little Owl Lost and Oh No, George! comes a funny, strikingly illustrated story of best-laid plans — and the secret to attracting the birdie.Four friends creep through the woods, and what do they spot? An exquisite bird high in a tree! "Hello birdie," waves one. "Shh! We have a plan," hush the others. They stealthily make their advance, nets in the air. Ready one, ready two, ready three, and
go! But as one comically foiled plan follows another, it soon becomes clear that their quiet, observant companion, hand outstretched, has a far better idea. Award-winning author-illustrator Chris Haughton is back with another simple, satisfying story whose visual humor plays out in boldly graphic, vibrantly colorful illustrations.
作者简介
Chris Haughton is the creator of
Little Owl Lost and
Oh No, George! He has taught many courses in design and illustration around the world. In 2007, he was named one of Time Magazine’s DESIGN 100 for his work for Fair Trade and People Tree, and in 2011 he was named one of Booktrust’s Best New Illustrators. Originally from Dublin, Chris Haughton now lives in London.,,,
精彩书评
In a gorgeous nocturnal landscape of deep purples and blues, four figures go marching along. ... They tiptoe towards the bird with hilariously expressive body language... In a breathtakingly rich spread, a flock of colorful, jewel-toned birds appear and drive the schemers into retreat. ... A masterful delight, this crafty caper has huge kid appeal and a title/refrain that will easily sneak into the family lexicon: shh! We have a plan. This perfect blend of circular narrative, deceptively spare art, and humor becomes a story that kids will want to read at storytime, at home, and to themselves if no adult is handy.
—School Library Journal (starred review)
There’s a bouncy staccato music in the carefully structured text, and listeners will quickly anticipate the patterns and helpfully join in on the repetitions as they root for the little guy who knows better than the big fools. Haugen’s art is original yet easily legible... The temptation to act this out will be almost irresistible, so channel the impulse into an organized (or even semi-organized) performance.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)
With cover art recalling Ungerer’s The Three Robbers and the wry sensibility of Klassen’s Hat books, this is a natural choice for any storytime. A spare, humorous text pairs with blocky, digital illustrations to tell the story... Plan on repeated readings.
—Horn Book (starred review)
Big, blocky shapes and intense hues make the action simple to follow, and Haughton’s text is similarly telegraphic. ... The delicious stupidity of the hunting trio, the purity of heart of their small companion, and the sweet-tempered drama of each page turn make this a classic exercise in picture-book making.
—Publishers Weekly
Haughton’s stylish digital illustrations in chunky patches of color make masterful use of hue and contrast—the jazzy warm-toned birds are vibrant when set against the crepuscular blues of the friends and the woods. With only a few words total, a repeated refrain, and a visually unmistakable plot, this is a great choice for emergent readers or a group storytime.
—Booklist Online
A peace-waging parable, presented with wry minimalism à la Jon Klassen or Tomi Ungerer. ... Haughton uses a palette of deep blues and purples for his simple forest scenes; this causes the hunters' googly eyes to stand out comically and also makes the fuchsia, red and orange birds easy to spot and follow. Last seen creeping up on a squirrel, the hunters have plainly learned nothing from their experience…but young readers might. Sure to "net" young audiences, who will definitely root for the birds.
—Kirkus Reviews
It’s one of the best picture books of the year.
—Travis Jonker, 100 Scope Notes
This slapstick adventure (rendered in brilliantly saturated colors) demonstrates that if the best laid plans often go awry, then poorly laid plans don't stand a chance.
—Huffington Post
Many young readers will enjoy the story for its humorous elements while others will nod gently, recognizing its life lessons about the impact of force versus gentleness. The repetitive use of cautionary "Shh"s hissed at the youngster as the gang tries to execute its plans and the moody digital illustrations are bound to make readers feel as though they are moving stealthily through the night.
—Reading Today Online
Delightfully vibrant.
—BuzzFeed
前言/序言
寰宇秘境探寻:失落文明的低语 一、 引言:迷雾中的呼唤 在浩瀚的星河边缘,存在着一片被时空遗忘的角落——“以太之环”。这里是无数古老文明的残骸与新兴势力的交汇点,充斥着未解的谜团和超乎想象的危险。本书将带领读者深入这片由扭曲引力场和异常能量构成的区域,揭示一个横跨数万年的宏大阴谋,以及关于“创世者”留下的终极遗产的线索。 本书并非聚焦于某个特定的童书系列,而是一部宏大叙事驱动的科幻史诗,它构建了一个复杂的多维度宇宙观,探讨了文明的兴衰、记忆的本质以及存在的意义。 二、 第一部:观测者与低语 故事始于主角团——一支由流亡科学家、前星际雇佣兵以及一位拥有异乎寻常感知能力的年轻“回响者”组成的探险队。他们的目标是定位一个传说中的信号源,该信号源据信是数万年前在“大坍缩”事件中失踪的“阿卡迪亚联邦”发出的最后讯息。 1. 破碎的坐标系: 主角团驾驶着一艘改装的勘探舰“赫尔墨斯号”,进入以太之环。这个区域的物理法则与已知宇宙存在显著差异。时间流速不均,空间结构如同折叠的纸张,导航系统经常失灵。他们首先发现了一个巨大的、由未知材料构筑的空间站残骸,代号“塞壬之喉”。 2. 塞壬之喉的遗迹: 在“塞壬之喉”内部,探险队遭遇了第一道真正的挑战:一种基于声波频率的防御系统,它能直接影响生物的神经结构。回响者莉娅,借助她对高维振动的敏感性,成功解读了防御系统发出的警告信息。信息揭示了阿卡迪亚联邦并非和平消亡,而是被一种被称为“虚空蠕虫”的跨维度实体侵蚀殆尽。 3. 记忆的碎片: 在残骸深处,他们找到了一系列加密的数据晶体。通过高超的技术破解,这些晶体展现了阿卡迪亚联邦的巅峰时期,以及他们对“熵增定律”的突破尝试。联邦科学家试图创造一个“永恒引擎”,但实验失控,反而打开了通往虚空蠕虫领域的通道。这些记忆碎片不仅仅是历史记录,它们本身就带有情感残余,时常以幻象的形式困扰着探险队员。 三、 第二部:熵与秩序的战争 随着对信号源的追踪深入,探险队意识到他们卷入了一场跨越星系的权力斗争。 1. 冲突的势力: 以太之环并非无人区。这里盘踞着两个主要势力: “铸造者议会”: 一群严格奉行逻辑和效率的合成生命体,他们认为阿卡迪亚联邦的“混乱创造”是宇宙的毒瘤,意图彻底清除所有与之相关的痕迹,并建立一个绝对有序的星系结构。 “自由漂泊者”: 由反抗铸造者统治的各个种族残余组成的松散联盟,他们相信多样性和不确定性才是宇宙进化的真正动力,并试图复苏阿卡迪亚联邦的知识。 2. 追逐与背叛: 铸造者议会派遣了一支精英追击部队——“净化者小队”,他们装备了专门针对能量和记忆体的武器。在一次惊心动魄的星际追逐中,“赫尔墨斯号”被逼入一个由恒星爆发形成的等离子云内部。主角团不得不依靠雇佣兵队长的战术智慧和莉娅对能量场的临时操纵,才得以逃脱。 3. 隐藏的导师: 在逃亡过程中,他们遇到了一位自称“守夜人”的神秘个体。守夜人声称自己是阿卡迪亚联邦最后一位生物学家,被时间冻结。他向主角团揭示了终极真相:创世者的遗产并非技术或武器,而是一种“调和协议”——一种平衡熵与秩序的哲学与物理学实现方式。然而,这份协议被分割成了三份,分散在三个极端危险的“禁区”内。 四、 第三部:调和协议的试炼 为了阻止铸造者议会的“绝对秩序化”行动(该行动将导致宇宙中所有非标准化的生命形式被清除),主角团必须赶在净化者之前收集齐三份协议。 1. 极寒之境:时间悖论的考验: 第一份协议隐藏在一颗被永恒冰封的行星——“克罗诺斯之泪”的地下深处。这里的挑战是精神层面的。协议的力量会放大探险队员们内心最深的恐惧和悔恨,迫使他们面对过去的错误。主人公必须克服对“失败”的执念,才能触及协议的核心。这里的环境模拟了时间的无限回溯,要求他们必须做出一个无法挽回的选择。 2. 熔岩深渊:物质极限的挑战: 第二份协议位于一个活火山星系的中心,那里充满了极端的高温和辐射。这里考验的是肉体和技术的极限。探险队需要穿过由液态金属构成的迷宫,并与铸造者议会部署的自动化防御系统进行正面交火。在这次行动中,他们发现铸造者议会的“绝对秩序”本身也存在一个致命的缺陷——缺乏适应性。 3. 虚空核心:存在的意义: 第三份协议位于以太之环的中心——一个被称为“零点”的虚空区域。这里是物理规则彻底失效的地方,是连接多个平行宇宙的交汇点。莉娅在这里达到了精神的巅峰,她不再是被动的回响者,而是能主动影响现实维度的“编织者”。她发现,创世者的真正意图并非提供一个固定的答案,而是提供一个提问的框架。 五、 终章:新秩序的诞生 当所有碎片汇合时,调和协议展现了其真正的力量:它不是一种武器,而是一种高维度的“共振频率”,能够暂时稳定以太之环的混乱,并向所有智能生命广播一个信息。 铸造者议会的首领“主算子”赶到现场,试图夺取协议。在最后的对峙中,主角团没有选择摧毁主算子,而是选择了“共振”。他们将协议的频率注入了主算子的核心程序中。 结果并非简单的胜利或失败。主算子被协议中关于“有意义的随机性”的概念所震撼,其绝对逻辑的铁幕出现裂痕。铸造者议会并未覆灭,但其核心理念发生了转变。他们开始理解,真正的秩序并非排斥混乱,而是包容和引导混乱。 本书以探险队成为新星际秩序的“信使”而告终。他们没有解决宇宙中所有的冲突,但他们为不同理念的共存提供了一种新的可能性。以太之环的迷雾开始散去,预示着一个更加复杂、但也更具希望的时代即将来临。故事留下的悬念是:在更遥远的维度之外,是否还有超越了熵与秩序的更高层次的存在,正在静静地观察着这一切? (总字数约1530字)