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他留下最多的不是財產，而是...蘋果樹！蘋果農夫Johnny Appleseed與蘋果繪本

文／賴嘉綾2020年09月25日
小學時候，學校裡除了國語課，還多了一堂「語文輔導」，妙的是，現在沒幾位同學記得。對我來說，老師選了文章後用鋼板蠟紙抄寫，印成和考卷一樣的淺黃色紙，每一堂課發一張，沒有考試壓力的油墨味，充滿好回憶。每一張紙就是一篇文章，記得讀過許地山的〈落花生〉、陳之藩的散文，與許多忘了 more

內容簡介

Nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Prize and listed as one of the Best Children’s Books of 2012 by Kirkus

Johnny’s daddy has smooth cheeks, an apple in his throat and sounds like a mom when he sings in the bath. At other times a cactus grows out of his chin and his breath smells like cauliflower. At times he has warm hands and his fingers taste like applesauce. Other times his hands are cold and flash like lightning, and he becomes a thunder daddy. When this happens Johnny wants to find a new daddy, but he eventually realizes that thunder daddies don’t last forever. And that there’s nothing like the comfort that comes from those we love.

Klaas Verplancke’s story, with its humorous, energetic and imaginative illustrations, will strike a chord with many young children and parents as they discover that love sometimes means setting limits, and that people do get angry, but that where there is love, it doesn’t last.

作者簡介

Klaas Verplancke is world-renowned illustrator, author and graphic designer who has exhibited his work in his native Belgium and abroad. His illustrations typically reveal his sense of humor, poetic imagination, and somewhat surrealistic view of reality. He has won the Bologna Ragazzi Award, was a finalist for the Hans Christian Andersen Award and has been nominated six times for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for his oeuvre as a whole. His inspiration for this book came from his close relationship with his young son who ＂collapsed like a pudding＂ when he felt that their father-son friendship was compromised as limits were inevitably put in place. He lives in Brugge, Belgium.

On the book:

＂Applesauce is sweet and warm. It is a metaphor for coming home, back to the nest. Being young means exploring, crossing borders, taking risks, but after adventure and play, every child needs to come home to warm arms, to rest and feel safe. That is my role as a father: offering protection, forgiving, leading and guiding, and always ready. It’s a great responsibility but also a great joy. More than food and drink, people need a home, not made of stone, but built with love, family and friends. That’s the essence of all the stories I’ve written so far.＂