Confessions of love have become classics

On September 18, British children's book author Sam McBreeney passed away, the grandfather Sam who wrote the greatest emotions of mankind in less than 400 English words left a unique and moving expression of love to the world.

"Guess how much I love you?" "Oh, I probably can't guess." The little rabbit desperately opened his arms to the sides and said, "I love you so much." "An interesting conversation unfolded.

Two ordinary rabbits, a small picture book, but in 57 languages swept the world, becoming a "confession of love" beyond time and space. Mei Zihan, the translator of the Chinese edition of "Guess How Much I Love You", said: "Every time I read the last sentence, 'I love you all the way to the moon, and then from the moon - back here', I want to cry." ”

On October 26, the sequel to "Guess How Much I Love You", Guess How Much I Love You, Would You Like to Be My Friend? (Xinyi World Selected Picture Book /Tomorrow Publishing House) was first published. For this story, Sam injected a lot of hard work into his life. "A lot of people think that writing a picture book is as easy as rushing out the door to send a quick letter from the mail tomorrow morning, but it's not." He said.

"I want to polish every sentence as if it were a rough diamond, trying to match the feelings, sounds, movements, rhythms in the sentence." "Guess How Much I Love You," a story of about 400 words, was written over six months by Sam, who carefully crafted every word to ensure that every word had real value. "When I write the story of the big rabbit and the little bunny, I want to depict the big moments of emotional communication between them, with a relaxed brushstroke and a little bit of humor." Guess how much I love you, would you rather be my friend? "" also depicts such a moment, which he has been meditating for many years to complete. In the story, the world of the little maroon rabbit suddenly becomes shining, because he has found friendship.

It's a story about growing up: the little maroon rabbit grows up and goes out on an expedition alone for the first time. In the exploration of self, I met a new friend on the cloud mountain- a small white rabbit. Because there is that classic old story in front, careful and affectionate readers will read affectionately in the indifference of the new story.

A father who lives in Boston told Sam, "When my daughter is in a good mood, she will say she loves me to the moon; but when she is in a bad mood, she will say she loves me to the door." ”

How many parents and children have read "Guess How Much I Love You", how many parents and children have compared themselves to the big maroon rabbit and the children who compare themselves with the small maroon rabbit. The sequel is translated by young translator Mei Sifan and her father, mei Zihan, a famous children's book author. In the introduction written by the father and daughter respectively, you can read the emotional stories of their mutual contrast.

There are no formulas for writing picture books, and Sam has his favorite methods. "I want to capture the warm moments of interaction between parents and children, the kind of moments that make parents tirelessly read over and over again, let children listen over and over again, and make adults and children find very interesting moments." Then describe it realistically, render it gently. "Yes, at the heart of all of Sam's stories is emotion, and it's this factor that transcends time and space that captures people's hearts. Love is eternal, and Sam finds a way to express eternity.

The success of a picture book depends not only on the story, but also on the complementarity of the paintings. Famous picture book author Peng Yi praised the natural and rustic watercolor paintings of Anita Jelang, the painter of "Guess How Much I Love You". The expressive rabbit and the unobtrusive tones reflect the wisdom of a good painter in understanding the relationship between graphics and text. The sequel is still an Anita Jelang drawing, so the little maroon rabbit has grown up, but it is still the little rabbit who expresses love so interestingly as the reader is familiar.

As for why he chose the hare as the protagonist of the story, Sam said in an interview before he died: "One day, I was sitting in the kitchen and suddenly saw a small maroon rabbit jumping out of a remote place, and I thought it was very good to use it as the protagonist of the story. ”

"Guess How Much I Love You" was published in 1994, and Sam was nearly 50 years old when he wrote the story. Born in Northern Ireland in March 1943, Sam majored in history at university and began working as a primary and secondary school teacher in 1970 until his early retirement as a full-time writer after the success of Guess How Much I Love You. Much of his writing inspiration came from his students.

A 9-year-old boy once asked Sam "why he writes", and Sam thought for a long time and told him that writers write in the hope that their words can be seen and heard by people who are near and far away. It is also true that this old man who is obsessed with writing has done it, and on different nights around the world, there will always be parents and children reading the story of the big and small maroon rabbit he wrote together. This new story will also go into the family, into the kindergarten, into the study of children and even adults, just like the old story. Because these two stories add up, they are a little sad but bright, showing the breadth and richness of love.

China Education News, October 23, 2020, 4th edition

Author: Wang Jun, reporter of this newspaper