Title: Looking at Owls under the Moon
Text: [America] Jane Ullen
Photo: [America] John Hugh
Translator: Lin Liang
Suitable reading age: 5-8 years old
Awards: Won the Cadic Prize of 1988.
Looking at Owls under the Moon is a picture book with prose style. A short song under the moonlight in winter is filled with a pure and flawless beauty from beginning to end with quiet and lyrical words, as if every word is illuminated by the bright radiance of the moon. Just reading the title of the book is poetic enough, and the cover color is a little lighter, which is a scene in Leng Xue.
This is a book about fatherly love. I watched the owl story with my father, which showed that a father's love for his children must be quiet, strong and brave. The above are some qualities that an owl needs to have, and they are also the qualities of an owl. This is what fathers teach their children, and it is irreplaceable by mothers. Children can learn many qualities that mothers don't have when they get along with their fathers, especially for boys.
Looking at Owls under the Moon is a picture book with prose style. A short song under the moonlight in winter is filled with a pure and flawless beauty from beginning to end with quiet and lyrical words, as if every word is illuminated by the bright radiance of the moon. Just reading the title of the book is poetic enough, and the cover color is a little lighter, which is a scene in Leng Xue.
This is a book about fatherly love. I watched the owl story with my father, which showed that a father's love for his children must be quiet, strong and brave. The above are some qualities that an owl needs to have, and they are also the qualities of an owl. This is what fathers teach their children, and mothers can't replace it. Children can learn many qualities that mothers don't have when they get along with their fathers, especially for boys.
One winter night, my father and I went out to watch owls. At that time, it was already midnight, and we had not slept yet.
There is no wind outside, and those big trees stand upright like tall statues.
The moonlight is bright, ie the moonlight is dazzling and the sky is bright.
Far behind came the whistle of the train, deep but long, like a song, which sounded so sad.
Analysis:
This is the self-report of the little girl's memories. This paper describes the process of going to the Woods with my father to see owls on a cold winter night from the girl's view. The painting style is very delicate and the inner activities of the characters are very clear.
On a cold winter night, when you and your child are curled up in a warm bed, father and daughter are visiting owls in the forest under the bright moonlight and snow.
This is a windless winter night. The moon is high in the sky (of course it is explained on the cover). The full moon and snow reflect such light to the whole world. The whistle of the train came from a distance, deep and far away, with a little sadness. The dog's response to this whistle is barking, but behind all this, the whole forest seems as quiet as a dream.
The text of "Looking at Owls under the Moon" is a lyric poem with short sentences and a sense of rhythm. At the beginning, the time, place, characters and events of the story are explained, and the readers are brought into the artistic conception of the story by overlooking the desolate snow scene.
Dad pulled down my wool hat to cover my ears.
But I can still hear the sound through the hat. A dog on the farm barked with the whistle, and then the second dog barked.
The train and the dog sang together for a long time.
After the noise disappeared, it was very quiet around, just like in a dream.
Dad and I have been walking towards the Woods.
Analysis:
I went to the forest with my father in the middle of winter, just for a good wish to see owls in the moonlight. From the description of her father and brother, she has a description of an owl in her mind, so I am deeply looking forward to it. The long-awaited day finally arrived, and the train and the dog sang in unison. The fox will meet us not far ahead!
My father dressed me up thick and bulging, and my heart was ready to meet the challenge of the cold night.
We rustled in the soft snow, leaving small gray footprints.
My father's long shadow dragged on the ground, while mine was short and round.
Before long, I had to run a few steps to keep up with my father, and my short and round shadow stumbled after me.
But I'm not tired. I must keep quiet when I go out to see owls. Dad always said that.
I am looking forward to watching owls with my father. I've been looking forward to it for a long time.
Analysis:
The girl didn't dare to make any noise all the way because her father kept reminding her that the visiting owl must be very quiet. On the empty snow, the two walked in tandem, leaving only footprints of different lengths. Father and daughter are dreaming, quietly pursuing the whereabouts of owls.
"It won't be long before I have to run a few steps to keep up with my father. My short and round shadow stumbles me. " The children stumbled along. Father's slow pace is a kind of training for children. He taught children to catch up with the strong and learn to run.
The author presents the feeling of quietness and coldness in winter with a wide angle and wide field of vision, and shows the feeling of interdependence and mutual inheritance between father and daughter.
Deep in the forest in the snowy night, a little girl and her father walked together. There are two rows of deep and shallow footprints in the snow, long and thin, short and round, struggling forward in tandem to find the long-awaited owl. None of this escaped the eyes of the birds on the branches.
What kind of adventure is this? Can they find the long-awaited owl?
We came to the pine forest. In the bright moonlight, pine trees look black and sharp. Dad raised his hand and made a gesture.
I stopped at once.
Standing in the same place waiting, my father looked up, as if looking for the stars in the sky, and as if looking at a map in the air.
The moonlight made his face look like he was wearing a silver mask.
He began to cry, imitating the cry of a big-horned owl. "Hoo, hoo, hoo!"
Analysis:
The girl observed carefully all the way. Pine trees are black and sharp. Dad stopped as if looking for the stars in the sky, or looking at a map in the air, which objectively and vividly expressed his behavior. She saw her father's face as if wearing a mask in the moonlight. This series of metaphors enlivened my father's actions.
It is said that this story is a poem, and that young child is the poet who wrote it.
He barks at one moment and barks at another.
Every time he calls, he stops for a while, and we both listen quietly with our ears pricked up.
But I didn't hear anything.
Dad shrugged, and I shrugged.
I'm not sad.
My brothers said that owls sometimes appear and sometimes they don't.
Analysis:
Dad planted a beautiful wish in the child's heart and accompanied the child to realize this wish. In the process of realization, children should be taught to face challenges calmly.
This is a mature father. He not only shows his children hope, but also teaches them to face difficulties calmly.
When such a long-awaited dream is almost impossible to realize, because of my brother's psychological bedding, "I am not sad." But I'm not tired. I must keep quiet when I go out to see owls. "Quiet, strong and brave" are all kinds of rules and psychological preparations that must be endured to realize your wishes. The presupposition made by her father and brother shows that the girl is strong and brave, and faces all kinds of tests calmly.
The little girl faltered. In the silent night, only shadows follow them. She was a little scared, but didn't shout out because her father said to be quiet when watching owls.
Did you see the birds in the trunk hole? Did you hear their footsteps?
Watching Owls under the Moon conveys our persistence in faith. In the process of pursuing desire, as long as we move forward bravely, let go of impetuousness and all other thoughts, as long as we pursue simply and persistently. And the result, as several brothers said, may or may not appear.
We walked on, and I felt the cold weather, like someone pressing my back with a cold palm.
The nose and cheeks are hot and cold, and it hurts.
But I didn't say a word of complaint.
Come out (go) to see owls, be quiet and be strong.
Analysis:
My hat, my face, it's hot inside and cold outside, and it hurts. But I didn't say a word of complaint. Go out to see owls, be quiet and be strong. In addition to the father's strong and warm love for his daughter, the daughter's strong and brave character is also very distinct in the book.
Watching owls at night, father and daughter mostly wander in the snow in tandem, and their little figure looks so petite. Dad didn't ask questions all the way, cold or not, tired or not, just a casual "follow". And this attitude has given her daughter great encouragement, which is the power of trust.
The image of the little girl is even more touching, and most of her face is covered. With the help of her running, looking around and frightened body movements, the painter vividly outlined her inner surprise and anxiety.
Many people are complaining that the world is becoming more and more impetuous. Adults and children lack patience and determination, perseverance and courage. The girl's courage and firmness in this story are not cultivated by her parents in the greenhouse, but tempered by nature.
We walked into the Woods.
Those shadows are darker than anything I have ever seen.
Covering the snow on the ground.
The scarf that covers my mouth is warm and wet, and it protects my mouth with fur.
In the dead of night, is there anything hidden behind the dark tree? I didn't ask.
Come out (go) to see owls, be brave.
Analysis:
When they walked into the depths of the forest, those dark trees stood in the snow, and some were afraid of people. The little girl was cold and a little scared, but she didn't ask her father what was hidden behind those dark trees, because her father said that you must be brave when you see owls.
The dense, deep and creepy Lin Mang haunted by owls described by the author. One by one, the distant scenery and the quickly pulled up overhead lens aggravated this feeling.
The author thought of this book in a small forest near her home. She once said, "When my son and daughter were very young, my husband often took them to the nearby forest to see owls. Through this picture book, I just want to describe the warm-hearted love between father and son. Now that the children have grown up, they still clearly remember those nights in the forest, those mysterious and wonderful experiences full of incredible. " The father in the book is her husband David and the child is their daughter Heidi.
We came to the clearing of the Black Forest.
The moon is high in the sky.
The moonlight shone like it was aimed at the center of the clearing. Snow in the moonlight looks whiter than milk in a porcelain bowl.
Analysis:
John Xiuneng's paintings are watercolor and pen line drawing, which looks like China's ink painting. He used a large area of blank space to show moonlight and snow under moonlight, showing a beautiful scene.
And the beautiful article "Looking at Owls under the Moon" is even more fascinating. The text of the whole book is a poem, quiet but infectious. Even in a warm room, as long as we concentrate on reading, we will certainly be able to appreciate the mood that dad and daughter expect owls on a snowy night. Reading the text of the work well is like an event before our eyes, and we feel the emotions inside.
It is not so easy to create a picture for such a beautiful book, but the illustrator did it. The pictures drawn with gouache and pen lines are beautiful, quiet, bright and lifelike. From the first page, the snow scene in the bright moonlight is breathtaking. On the way to see owls, there are many animals in the quiet forest, including foxes, birds, deer, mice and so on. The forest is not alone.
"Ah-"I was panting, and my father heard me and motioned me not to make any noise.
I quickly covered my mouth with gloves, and I listened attentively.
Dad started calling again. "Hoo, hoo, hoo!" "Hoo, hoo, hoo!"
I listened attentively. In this cold air, my ears ached and my eyes were covered with fog.
Dad raised his face to call again, but before he could speak, an owl's voice came from the Woods.
Whoo-hoo. "
Analysis:
In the cold moonlight, the father and the daughter walked on. The little girl was cold, tired and panting. Her father turned to signal her to be quiet. The girl quickly put her gloves on the scarf outside her mouth, held her breath and listened carefully to her father's call for an owl. Finally, this time, before her father called again, she heard the echo from the other side of the forest: the owl is coming!
This story is delicate, sweet and poetic. The picture is bright and clear, snowy, dark forest, yellow father, red girl, but few actions are very vivid. The details are memorable, and under the fine taste, it is like a fresh and smart flute.
Dad has a smile on his face.
He responded, and then he talked to the owl as if he were there, talking about dinner, the Woods, the moon and the cold weather.
I loosened my gloves covering my mouth and wanted to laugh happily.
Painting analysis:
My father smiled when he saw that the owl had realized my wish. Like old friends, father and owl began to talk about heaven and earth in their unique words, and I naturally wanted to laugh. In this way, we feel the transmission of the relationship between father and daughter in our hearts.
The role a father plays in his children is very important. A mother said with deep feelings that no matter how much time I spend with my children, I can't compare with his father's few minutes. As long as there is a father, children feel safe, more manly and happy in everything they do. My father taught him much better than I taught him.
Therefore, no matter how busy dad is, he must accompany the children!
The owl's cry from the edge of the grass and above the trees is getting closer and closer.
There is no movement on the grass.
Suddenly, the shadow of an owl, separated from the shadow of a big tree on the ground, flew overhead.
We watched, our mouths were hot but we didn't make any noise, and we didn't say a word about many things we wanted to say.
The flying shadow let out another cry.
Analysis:
This book is also well designed in structure, and the blank part of the book renders the snowy scene on the moon very beautiful, which makes people feel immersive and memorable.
In the story "Looking at Owls in the Moonlight", the father led his daughter into the forest on a moonlit night in winter, enduring the cold and fear, just to show her what the big-horned owl is (a kind of owl, which is considered to predict events), and brought us a strong shock: this kind of thing has rarely happened at present, and it is happening less and less! Because my father is not here.
This feeling makes me ask myself: "What role should a father play in a child's life?" "What can a father give his children?" "Does father's absence matter?"
In the growth of children's life, parents are indispensable and irreparable. Moreover, the ideas and cognition formed in childhood affect life.
Father has been absent as an image, and even more absent as an individual; Today's father is condemned, not because of what he did, but because he did nothing; Not because of what he said, but because he said nothing.
Today's father has become a supporter of simple family economy, a breadwinner who provides money and material things. So, my father disappeared in the factory or office, hiding behind machines or files. For the sake of his family, he became a wandering and silent father.
The reason why this story won the Kadik gold medal of 1988 is due to its style of painting, and the connotation of the text has given the world a great reminder.
Dad turned on his big flashlight and shone it on the owl that had just landed on the branch.
Analysis:
In the father's cry of "hoo, hoo, hoo", there is finally an echo of an owl. In the bright moonlight, the father and the daughter finally had a wonderful time with the owl.
The owl in the painting occupies most of the center of the whole communication. Its claws spread out and its wings landed beside us. Father turned on the flashlight, drove it away and protected me.
In the story, the father and daughter held hands several times, respectively, when the daughter went down the mountain to call for an owl, she was disappointed and went into the Woods. When the daughter was afraid, the owl suddenly appeared and flew over her head. When the daughter needed her father, her father's big hand appeared. Dad didn't just let go. His eyes are always on the children, and he is always ready to give support.
We watch owls for a minute, three minutes, or even a whole hundred minutes.
Analysis:
After a long journey and anxious waiting, she listened nervously to her father's conversation with the owl. They looked at the owl with joy and forgot the passage of time.
When I saw the owl, the description of the result was very concise. "You look at me, I look at you, one minute, three minutes, or a whole hundred minutes." Time has frozen. Describe the hero's feelings, psychology and physical feelings vividly.
Let's go back and look at the subtle metaphors or exaggerated sentences in the text:
1. This tree stands upright like a tall statue.
The flute is deep and long, just like a song.
Moonlight makes dad's face look like he is wearing a silver mask.
The big wings of an owl are like a silent shadow.
Snow in the moonlight looks whiter than milk in a porcelain bowl.
6. The shadow is darker than anything I have ever seen.
7. You may not be able to watch it for a hundred minutes.
It is no exaggeration to say that this story is a rare prose poem.
Doing many things is a process, and such an experience is a rare life experience. For a wish, dad held on with his children. What kind of joy was it when the goal was achieved? At the same time, I feel the sense of accomplishment of persistence and success. The patience and support of parents can help children increase their experience outside their age group. Very touched.
Later, the owl flapped its wings and flew away from the branches, like a silent shadow.
It flew back to the Woods.
Time to go home. "Dad said to me.
I know I can talk loudly and laugh.
But on the way home, I was silent like a shadow.
Analysis:
Go out to see owls, you don't need to talk, you don't need to be warm and comfortable, you don't need anything else, as long as you have a hope in your heart. That's what dad said. I hope I can fly forward with silent wings to see owls in the bright moonlight.
It's time to go home, dad reminded. The little girl knew that she could laugh and talk now, but on the way home, she said nothing, just like a shadow.
The little girl's wish has come true, and her heart has developed firmness and courage.
You don't need to talk, be warm and comfortable, or anything else, as long as you have a hope in your heart.
That's what dad said.
That hope will fly forward with silent wings to see owls in the bright moonlight.
Analysis:
The night owl is over. Dad picked up his excited and tired daughter and went home. The lights at home are on in the distance. This is the power of warmth.
The short snowy night trip in the moonlight not only shows the deep affection of a father and daughter, but also makes us understand that no matter what we do, we don't need warmth and comfort, and we don't need anything else. As long as there is hope in your heart, you will succeed!
This book is not so much for children as for parents, just like taking children to read it. I believe that as long as there is hope in my heart, I will definitely see the "owl" I want to see.
At the end, the author's words are unforgettable: "When you go out to see owls, you don't need to talk, you don't need warmth and comfort, and you don't need anything else-just have a hope in your heart!" That's what dad said. That hope will fly forward with silent wings to see owls in the bright moonlight. "
This book is not for children. Preschool children can't appreciate this artistic conception. In other words, people of different ages have different understandings of this artistic conception.
For my mother, "Looking at Owls under the Moon" is a very beautiful prose poem, which embodies the deep friendship between father and son. As the author himself said, "When my son and daughter were very young, my husband often led them to the nearby forest to see owls. Through this picture book, I just want to describe the warm-hearted love between father and son. Now that the children have grown up, they still clearly remember those nights in the forest, those mysterious and wonderful experiences full of incredible. " In fact, every father should have the experience of taking his children to explore.
Jane Ullen doesn't pay much attention to the feeling of a father licking calves in his words, but the painter vividly conveys this feeling of loving his daughter through one picture after another-we see father and daughter walking hand in hand to the forest; When we saw the owl falling from the sky, the father's desperate hand protected his daughter; Finally, we also saw the warm and touching back of the father walking home with his daughter in his arms. ...
The story of this book seems simple, but it has many inspirations for parents and children.
What is the most shocking theme sentence in the story?
1. Go out to watch owls, be quiet and be strong.
You must be brave to go out and watch owls.
3. You don't need to talk or be warm and comfortable when you go out to watch owls. As long as you have a hope, you can fly forward with silent wings in the good moonlight watching owls.
Why do all the above sentences begin with "going out to watch owls" and appear repeatedly? This is the artistic technique of the key essence, that is, telling what * * * has experienced, attracting readers' attention and catchy.
There is a sentence in "Looking at Owls under the Moon", which is my daughter's self-report: "But I am not tired when I shout. If I go out to see owls, I must keep quiet. That's what dad said. " "I know I can speak and laugh loudly. But on the way home, I was silent like a shadow. " Go out to see owls, you don't need to talk, you don't need to be warm and comfortable, you don't need anything else, as long as you have a hope in your heart. That's what dad said. "
If the mother makes the child "satisfied", then the father will make the child "excited"; If the mother will also make the child "depressed", then the father will teach the child to "suppress".
Father is more like a psychological principle: an authoritative and affectionate spiritual father provides us with nutrition and warmth. This is "a good enough father".
There is not much dialogue in the book, only the inner realism of the little hero. He felt cold, but he kept telling himself that he was not afraid to see owls. Children are naturally active, but they keep telling themselves that if they want to see owls, they can't make a sound. When his father led him all the way through the cold, dense and snow-covered Woods, he seemed to have grown up. The experience of one thing may make children grow up suddenly. Of course, they saw the owl they wanted.
This is a precious memory, a quiet snowy night in my daughter's memory. The authors of the picture complement each other and create a poetic realm. What you hear in your ears and see in your eyes is poetic beauty. The whole picture book is covered with three colors of blue, white and gray, cold and silent, and only the red of children and the yellow of owls show warmth and hope.
For children, the most impressive fatherly love and maternal love are not a big meal or a toy, but companionship.
Dad's company is different from mom's. Dad is silent, firm and warm. The father kept silent all the time, which corresponds to the daughter's emphasis on "going out to see owls and keeping quiet." My father always said that. That's what my father said and did. Children must do what they are asked to do first. This is the power of father's words and deeds.
One winter night, my father took the girl to visit the owl in the forest. The picture is beautiful and quiet, and the color is a little cold. It is the feeling of winter night, but there is a deep warmth between the lines. Let me envy that little girl.