内容简介
It's pooey on B-A-B-I-E-S until Junie B. finds out that her new dumb old baby brother is a big fat deal. Her two bestest friends are giving her everything they own just to see him. And guess what else? Maybe she can bring him to school on Pet Day.
作者简介
Barbara Park is one of today's funniest and best-loved writers for middle graders. Her novels, which include Dear God, HELP!!! Love Earl; Skinnybones; The Kid in the Red Jacket; and Mick Harte Was Here have won numerous children's book awards. Barbara thinks that the wonderful thing about writing humor is that she is able to deal with serious issues in a more lighthearted way. Barbara's fans always want to know whether or not her characters are based on her own children (she has two sons) -- in fact, they are not. But having her sons has made it easier for her to know how kids talk and think. What matters most to Barbara is that her books are bringing a few smiles to her readers.
Barbara lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona, with her husband, Richard. She holds a B.S. from the University of Alabama.
内页插图
精彩书摘
Chapter 2: The Dumb Baby's Room
Mother and Daddy fixed up a room for the new baby. It's called a nursery. Except I don't know why. Because a baby isn't a nurse, of course.
The baby's room used to be the guest room. That's where all our guests used to sleep. Only we never had much guests.
And so now if we get some, they'll have to sleep on a table or something.
The baby's room has new stuff in it. That's because Mother and Daddy went shopping at the new baby stuff store.
They bought a new baby dresser with green and yellow knobs on it. And a new baby lamp with a giraffe on the lamp shade. And also, a new rocking chair for when the baby cries and you can't shut it up.
And there's a new baby crib, too.
A crib is a bed with bars on the side of it. It's kind of like a cage at the zoo. Except with a crib, you can put your hand through the bars. And the baby won't pull you in and kill you.
And guess what else is in the nursery? Wallpaper, that's what! The jungle kind. With pictures of elephants, and lions, and a big fat hippo-pot-of-something.
And there's monkeys, too! Which are my most favorite jungle guys in the whole world!
Mother and Daddy pasted on the wallpaper together.
Me and my dog Tickle were watching them.
"This wallpaper looks very cute in here," I told them. "I would like some of it in my room, too, I think. Okay?" I said. "Can I? Can I?"
"We'll see," said Daddy.
We'll see is another word for no.
"Yeah, only that's not fair," I said. "'Cause the baby gets all new junk and I have all old junk."
"Poor Junie B," said Mother very teasing.
Then she bended down and tried to hug me. Only she couldn't do it very good. Because of her big fat stomach -- which is where the stupid baby is.
"I don't think I'm going to like this dumb baby," I said.
Mother stopped hugging me.
"Don't say that, Junie B. Of course you will," she said.
"Of course I won't," I talked back. "Because it won't even let me hug you very good. And anyway, I don't even know its stupid dumb name."
Then Mother sat down in the new rocking chair. And she tried to put me on her lap. Only I wouldn't fit. So she just holded my hand.
"That's because Daddy and I haven't picked a name for the baby yet," she explained. "We want a name that's a little bit different. You know, something cute like Junie B. Jones. A name that people will remember."
And so I thought and thought very hard. And then I clapped my hands together real loud.
"Hey! I know one!" I said very excited. "It's the cafeteria lady at my school. And her name is Mrs. Gutzman!"
Mother frowned a little bit. And so maybe she didn't hear me, I think.
"MRS. GUTZMAN!" I hollered. "That's a cute name, don't you think? And I remembered it, too! Even after I only heard it one time, Mrs. Gutzman sticked right in my head!"
Mother took a big breath. "Yes, honey. But I'm not sure that Mrs. Gutzman is a good name for a tiny baby."
And so then I scrunched my face up. And I thought and thought all over again.
"How 'bout Teeny?" I said. "Teeny would be good."
Mother smiled. "Well, Teeny might be cute while the baby was little. But what would we call him when he grows up?"
"Big Teeny!" I called out very happy.
Then Mother said, "We'll see."
Which means no Big Teeny.
After that I didn't feel so happy anymore.
"When's this dumb bunny baby getting here anyway?" I said.
Mother frowned again. "The baby is not a dumb bunny, Junie B.," she said. "And it will be here very soon. So I think you'd better start getting used to the idea."
Then her and Daddy began pasting wallpaper again.
And so I opened the new baby dresser with the green and yellow knobs. And I looked at the new baby clothes.
The baby pajamas were very weensy. And the baby socks wouldn't even fit on my big piggie toe.
"I'm going to be the boss of this baby," I said to Tickle. "'Cause I'm the biggest, that's why."
Daddy snapped his fingers at me. "That's enough of that kind of talk, missy," he said.
Missy's my name when I'm in trouble.
After that, him and Mother went to the kitchen to get some more paste.
And so I looked down the hall to make sure he was gone.
"Yeah, only I'm still gonna be the boss of it," I whispered.
Ha ha. So there.
《林中小屋的秘密》 在阳光明媚的夏日,小镇上流传着一个古老的传说:在镇子边缘那片茂密的橡树林深处,隐藏着一座被遗忘已久的石砌小屋。据说,小屋的主人是一位隐居的制图师,他留下了无数关于失落宝藏和奇特路线的地图。这个故事吸引了镇上三个性格迥异的孩子——热爱冒险的莉莉、沉静聪慧的迈克尔,以及总是带着一副老式放大镜、对一切细节都充满好奇的萨姆。 莉莉,她有着一头火焰般的红发和永不熄灭的探索精神,她坚信传说中的宝藏绝非空穴来风。迈克尔,心思缜密,喜欢逻辑推理和历史考证,他更关注的是制图师留下的数学谜题和符号。而萨姆,他是一个天生的观察者,总能在最不起眼的地方发现重要的线索,比如一块褪色的苔藓,或者一串不合时宜的脚印。 故事开始于一个炎热的周二下午,孩子们在镇图书馆翻阅旧报纸的档案时,无意中发现了一张泛黄的剪报,上面模糊地提到了“迷失的罗盘”和“月影下的标记”。这张剪报成了他们冒险的引信。 他们的第一个目的地是镇郊的“低语溪”。溪水潺潺,空气中弥漫着湿润的泥土和野花的香气。根据剪报上的模糊描述,他们需要找到“三棵向东生长的老榆树”。经过一番寻找,迈克尔利用他的野外知识辨认出了树木的年轮和倾斜角度,确定了正确的方向。在第三棵树的树根下,他们发现了一个用鹅卵石堆砌的简易标记,里面藏着一个刻有奇怪几何图案的黄铜圆筒。 圆筒内装着一张用羊皮纸绘制的局部地图。这张地图异常精细,描绘了森林中一些从未被官方记录过的地貌特征:一处名为“巨人脚印”的岩石堆,一个形状酷似眼睛的池塘,以及一条蜿蜒曲折、标记为“蛇之径”的小路。 “巨人脚印”的挑战在于平衡与时机。岩石堆非常不稳定,每当太阳到达一天中的最高点时,岩石间的阴影会短暂地消失,露出一个可以安全攀爬的缝隙。莉莉凭借她矫健的身手,率先攀爬上去,并在岩石顶端发现了一个刻有数字序列的石碑:4-16-64-256。 萨姆立刻意识到了这不是普通的数字序列,而是指数增长。“这是四的幂次!”他激动地喊道,并迅速在随身携带的笔记本上写下:$4^1, 4^2, 4^3, 4^4$。他推测,这组数字可能指向地图上某处的距离或方位角。 他们沿着“蛇之径”前行。这条小路崎岖不平,灌木丛生,仿佛真的在模仿蛇的蜿蜒。在小路的中点,他们遇到了最大的障碍:一条湍急的、几乎无法通行的河流。河流的对岸,似乎就是制图师小屋的所在地。 河流边,立着一块被藤蔓缠绕的石碑,上面画着一个复杂的滑轮和杠杆装置的草图。迈克尔意识到,制图师并非只留下宝藏,他还留下了一个工程学的难题。他仔细研究了图纸,发现如果利用河边那棵倾斜的柳树作为支点,并通过合适的绳索牵引,可以制造一个临时的简易索道。 孩子们分工合作。莉莉负责寻找最坚韧的藤蔓和树枝作为滑轮的承重部分。迈克尔负责计算角度和张力,确保索道在他们通过时不会断裂。萨姆则负责清除所有会阻碍绳索移动的障碍物。 经过数小时的努力,一座简陋但坚固的索道横跨了河流。当他们安全到达对岸时,他们发现自己身处一个被高大灌木遮蔽的幽静空地。在那片空地的中央,矗立着那座传说中的石砌小屋。 小屋的木门已经腐朽,但石头结构依然坚固。他们推开吱呀作响的门,灰尘和霉味扑面而来。小屋内部比他们想象的要简单:一张木桌、一个生锈的火炉,以及一面挂满了陈旧工具的墙壁。 最引人注目的,是那张横跨整个房间的巨大绘图桌。桌面上铺满了各种未完成的地图草稿、星象图和航海日志。孩子们找到了制图师最后的遗物——一本厚重的皮面日记和一张完整的、标记着他们小镇及其周边所有未被发现的洞穴、古老水路的终极地图。 日记中记载了制图师的生平:他并非为了财富而绘制地图,而是为了记录和保护这片土地上所有自然的、未受人类干扰的奇迹。他将“宝藏”定义为“知识的发现和对环境的敬畏”。 在终极地图的右下角,制图师用娟秀的字迹写下了一段话:“真正的财富不在于你找到了什么,而在于你如何与伙伴们一同经历寻找的过程,并从中学会了如何看待这个世界。” 孩子们带着这份地图和日记回到了镇上。他们没有发现黄金或珠宝,但他们发现了比这些更珍贵的东西:一份对自然界复杂规律的理解,一次对友谊和团队合作的深刻体验,以及一张可以带领他们继续探索他们所居住的这片神奇土地的向导图。他们的冒险,才刚刚开始。小屋的秘密,成为了他们心中永恒的夏日印记。