內容簡介
Don Freeman's classic character, Corduroy, is even more popular today then he was when he first came on the scene over thirty years ago. These favorite titles are ready for another generation of children to love.
作者簡介
Don Freeman was born in San Diego, California, in 1908. At an early age, he received a trumpet as a gift from his father. He practiced obsessively and eventually joined a California danceband. After graduating from high school, he ventured to New York City to study art under the tutelage of Joan Sloan and Harry Wickey at the Art Students' League. He managed to support himself throughout his schooling by playing his trumpet evenings, in nightclubs and at weddings. Gradually, he eased into making a living sketching impressions of Broadway shows for The New York Times and The Herald Tribune. This shift was helped along, in no small part, by a rather heartbreaking incident; he lost his trumpet. One evening, he was so engrossed in sketching people on the subway, he simply forgot it was sitting on the seat beside him. This new career turned out to be a near-perfect fit for Don, though, as he had always loved the theater. He was introduced to the world of Childrens' Literature, when William Saroyan asked him to illustrate several books. Soon after, he began to write and illustrate his own books, a career he settled into comfortably and happily. Through his writing, he was able to create his own theater: "I love the flow of turning the pages, the suspense of what's next. Ideas just come at me and after me. It's all so natural. I work all the time, long into the night, and it's such a pleasure. I don't know when the time ends. I've never been happier in my life!" Don died in 1978, after a long and successful career. He created many beloved characters in his lifetime, perhaps the most beloved among them a stuffed, overall-wearing bear, named Corduroy. Don Freeman was the author and illustrator of many popular books for children, including Corduroy, A Pocket for Corduroy, and the Caldecott Honor Book Fly High, Fly Low. For more information about Don Freeman, please visit: www.donfreeman.info
精彩書評
Have you ever dreamed of being locked in a department store at night? The endearing story of Corduroy paints a picture of the adventures that might unfold (for a teddy bear at least) in such a situation. When all the shoppers have gone home for the night, Corduroy climbs down from the shelf to look for his missing button. It's a brave new world! He accidentally gets on an elevator that he thinks must be a mountain and sees the furniture section that he thinks must be a palace. He tries to pull a button off the mattress, but he ends up falling off the bed and knocking over a lamp. The night watchman hears the crash, finds Corduroy, and puts him back on the shelf downstairs. The next morning, he finds that it's his lucky day! A little girl buys him with money she saved in her piggy bank and takes him home to her room. Corduroy decides that this must be home and that Lisa must be his friend. Youngsters will never get tired of this toy-comes-alive tale with a happy ending, so you may also want to seek out Dan Freeman's next creation, A Pocket for Corduroy. (Ages 3 to 8) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. A winning, completely childlike picture book in which a stuffed bear waiting hopefully in a toy department finds a home with a little black girl. Endearing, brightly colored pictures. -- Booklist --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
前言/序言
《失落的星圖:艾德溫的奇幻航行》 內容簡介: 這是一個關於勇氣、友誼和尋找失落之物的故事,背景設定在一個由蒸汽驅動的機械城市和一片浩瀚無垠的神秘海洋交織而成的世界。 故事的主角是艾德溫·菲茨威廉,一個生活在“齒輪之城”——一座被巨型發條和黃銅管道構築的、永不停歇的都市中的孤兒。艾德溫並非一個尋常的機械師學徒。他擁有異於常人的空間感和對古老天文學的癡迷。他的夢想,是重建那張傳說中失落的“奧瑞恩星圖”——一張據信能揭示通往“無盡之海”彼岸的秘密航綫的古老星圖。 齒輪之城由嚴苛的“時間議會”統治,議會嚴格控製著所有關於外界的知識和技術,他們堅信秩序和既定的機械運轉纔是世界的唯一真理。而星圖,被視為動搖現有秩序的危險異端。 第一部分:銹蝕的綫索與意外的夥伴 艾德溫在清理一座廢棄天文颱的地下密室時,發現瞭一枚刻有奇異符號的青銅羅盤,它不再指嚮南北,而是指嚮一種難以捉摸的“引力異常點”。這枚羅盤是解讀星圖的第一個關鍵碎片。 很快,一個不速之客闖入瞭艾德溫平靜的生活。她叫莉拉·“火花”·文圖斯,一個來自城市底層飛翔者群體的年輕女飛行員。莉拉駕駛著一架她自己用迴收零件拼裝的、噴射著藍色蒸汽的單翼機。她性格張揚,技術高超,但急需一筆錢來拯救她年邁的導師,導師的“生命發條”即將耗盡。 莉拉一開始接近艾德溫,是為瞭盜取他可能擁有的任何稀有金屬材料。但當她看到那枚指嚮虛空的羅盤,並聽聞艾德溫關於星圖的宏大構想時,她的興趣被徹底點燃瞭。她認齣羅盤上的部分符號與飛翔者們口口相傳的“天空之歌”中的某些樂譜片段吻閤。 兩人達成瞭一個暫時的、充滿火藥味的閤作協議:艾德溫提供對星圖和天文學的理解,莉拉提供逃離城市的載具和對高空飛行的經驗。 第二部分:蒸汽時代的追逐與地下世界的陰影 艾德溫和莉拉的行動很快引起瞭“時間議會”的注意,尤其是首席執行官圖靈·霍洛威。霍洛威是一個冷酷無情的邏輯學傢,他相信所有未知的領域都應該被封鎖,以維持城市的絕對穩定。他派齣瞭一隊裝備著強力磁軌炮的“秩序維護者”追捕他們。 在逃亡的過程中,艾德溫和莉拉穿梭於齒輪之城的巨大機械結構之中。他們體驗瞭城市上層光鮮亮麗的黃銅大道,也潛入瞭下層彌漫著煤煙和機油味的“深淵管道”。 在“深淵管道”的邊緣,他們遇到瞭一個神秘的、被稱為“檔案保管者”的組織。這個組織是由一些被議會排斥的曆史學傢和科學傢組成的。檔案保管者嚮艾德溫揭示瞭星圖的真正意義:它不僅僅是一張航綫圖,它記錄瞭古代文明如何利用天體的引力波進行超遠距離通訊,以及如何“錨定”漂浮在無盡之海上的失落殖民地。 為瞭修復星圖的第二塊碎片,艾德溫需要進入議會博物館的核心——一座被強力電磁場保護的“恒星投影儀”。莉拉設計瞭一場驚險的空中滲透行動。在行動中,他們發現議會不僅銷毀瞭星圖,還銷毀瞭所有關於“無盡之海”的早期探險記錄,似乎在刻意掩蓋一個重大的曆史真相。 第三部分:跨越邊界的航行 在成功獲取第二塊碎片並激活羅盤後,羅盤不再指嚮城市中的某一點,而是指嚮遙遠的南方——一片被稱為“迷霧之環”的海域。 艾德溫和莉拉意識到,他們必須離開齒輪之城的保護,進入未知的領域。他們藉用檔案保管者提供的一艘經過改裝、擁有強大氣壓平衡係統的老式潛水艇——“海燕號”——開始瞭航行。 無盡之海並非普通的水域。它充滿瞭奇異的現象:磁力風暴、會發光的深海生物群,以及周期性齣現的“時間滯後區”,這些區域會使船上的時間流速發生不可預測的變化。 在航行中,兩人的關係也逐漸從互相利用轉變為深厚的信任。艾德溫的理性思維平衡瞭莉拉的衝動,而莉拉的冒險精神則不斷推動艾德溫走齣理論的象牙塔。 他們在迷霧之環中遭遇瞭巨大的挑戰。他們被一群以聲波為武器的海洋遊牧民族俘虜。起初,遊牧民族對“陸地人”抱有深深的敵意,但艾德溫用羅盤上的符號與他們交流,發現這些符號正是他們古老歌謠中的一部分——這證明瞭星圖與海洋文明之間的聯係。 第四部分:星圖的最終拼圖與真相的揭露 在遊牧民族的幫助下,他們找到瞭星圖的最後一塊碎片,它被安放在一處深海熱泉口的古代燈塔遺址中。當四塊碎片完美結閤時,星圖沒有投射齣航綫,而是投射齣瞭一個三維的全息影像:一座漂浮在海麵上的、由純淨水晶構成的巨大城市——“阿卡迪亞”。 阿卡迪亞正是古代文明的失落之地,也是“時間議會”的真正起源地。 然而,霍洛威和秩序維護者們通過追蹤“海燕號”留下的微弱蒸汽痕跡,也追蹤到瞭這裏。一場在水晶城市廢墟上的對峙爆發瞭。 霍洛威坦白瞭一切:他的祖先並非為瞭穩定而關閉瞭世界,而是因為阿卡迪亞的“自由探險精神”最終導緻瞭一場災難性的能量失控,摧毀瞭舊世界。他堅信,知識隻有被嚴格控製和規範化,纔能避免人類重蹈覆轍。 艾德溫反駁道:恐懼和控製隻會扼殺進步。真正的穩定,來源於對世界的全麵理解,而不是對未知事物的掩蓋。 在最終的對決中,艾德溫利用星圖投射齣的引力波,暫時乾擾瞭維護者的機械係統,贏得瞭時間。他沒有選擇毀滅霍洛威,而是將阿卡迪亞的完整曆史影像——包括災難發生的原因以及修復它的方法——通過天空嚮全世界的信號塔發送瞭齣去。 尾聲:新的地平綫 真相被揭示,齒輪之城的統治開始瓦解。艾德溫和莉拉沒有選擇留在城市中掌權,而是決定駕駛“海燕號”,前往阿卡迪亞的殘骸。 他們深知,重建文明的路途遙遠而充滿艱辛,但他們手中握著正確的地圖,身邊有信任的夥伴。他們的故事,成為瞭一個關於打破桎梏、擁抱未知,以及相信即使在最龐大、最僵硬的體係中,一顆探索的心靈也能找到通往自由的星光之路的傳奇。 《失落的星圖:艾德溫的奇幻航行》是一部融閤瞭蒸汽朋剋美學、古典探險精神與對知識自由深刻探討的宏大敘事。它贊美瞭那些敢於仰望星空、不滿足於被既定軌道束縛的夢想傢。