【Introduction to Classic Picture Books】Series - No. 434
The world has changed as a result – An Introduction to A Clever Fish
Read Promoter Stone
1. Introduction to the content
Once upon a time, in the deep, deep sea... There is a small fish! He is not the greatest fish, nor the bravest fish, but the most intelligent fish. The thing he wanted to do most was to go for a walk on land. But everyone knows that fish can't walk on land... Is it really impossible?
2. Picture book information
Book Title: A Clever Fish (An Idea to Change the World)
Text: [English] Chris Vermeer
Translator: Chang Li
Age: 4-8 years old (for reference only, not absolute)
Awards: Best Picture Book Award, British Book Trust, 2010
Topic Planner: Pu Pu Lan Picture Book Museum
Publisher: Comic Strip Press
Publication date: June 2014
3. Introduction to picture books
【Cover】
parse:
The cover shows that in the underwater world, an ordinary fish defeats all other fish with chess. He was incredibly clever, smarter than all the other fish in the sea combined.
This clever fish, very ordinary shape, no beautiful colors, no huge body, no long tail, no pointed teeth... But he is the focus of attention.
The fish, intently immersed in its own world, began to play chess with a variety of small creatures under the sea, such as shells, snails, and corals.
This picture makes people associate, people who play chess well, the brain is smart.
The subtitle of the book is "An Idea that Changes the World", how can a clever fish change the world! It inevitably arouses the curiosity of the reader, and the urgency to read it.
【Ring lining】
The ring lining is pure dark blue, confirming that this is the story of what happened in the deep sea.
【Title Page】
A few startled fish on the title page, observing the footprints on the seabed. It is not difficult to find that the footprints of this one by one are left by this clever fish. Every fish and brand leaves a shadow on the ocean floor.
A sign with its back to the reader, playing a dumb puzzle with us, what kind of warning did these gorgeous fish see! And more fish focused on the footprints, a string of footprints around the signs to the distance, the little yellow fish looked at the footprints in the distance, showing a surprised expression. This again implies that something is going on!
【1st screen】
A long, long time ago, before you were born, before I was born, before everyone in the world was born... Incredible fish swim everywhere in the sea. (Of course, this is also the case now, only the fish of that time are more incredible.) ）
The beginning of the story is "A long, long time ago..." long before you and I were even born, until all the human beings in the world were not born. This era is too long, hundreds of millions. That said, the book is a story about prehistory of mankind. The author's foreshadowing is enough for the children to arouse the exuberant curiosity.
At that time, the sea was full of incredible fish. How incredible? Colors, sizes, shapes, etc., the fish in the ocean today are also strange and incredible, but the fish at that time were even more incredible.
In the picture are these incredible fish, they roam in groups in the sea, we may not be able to call out the names of various fish, but the bright colors and strange shapes are enough to amaze us.
[2nd screen]
Original: Some fish are incredibly gorgeous, like this. Some fish are incredibly weird, just like that. Some fish are incredibly fat. Some fish are incredibly thin. Some fish are incredibly short. Some fish are incredibly long.
How incredible! The author gives continuous close-up shots, colorful and gorgeous, strange with long whiskers fluttering around the body, fat like a round ball, thin like a dough, long like a water snake, and short in contrast. But long and short, fat and thin, beautiful and eccentric, reflecting the diversity of life. There is no more incredible!
[3rd screen]
Original: Some fish are incredibly big. Some fish are incredibly small. Some fish are incredibly cute. Some fish are incredible...
Just the lip part of the head occupies almost a single page, and the small fish is not as good as a spot on the big fish, and the difference between one big and one small is too incredible. There are also goldfish with red backs and red fins that are so cute.
Where do these colorful fish species come from? What is the origin that makes them behave and reproduce in the world! This world is amazing. The world before the advent of our human beings was inconceivable and inconceivable.
[4th screen]
Original: Terrible! The most incredible of all the fish is...
The big shark's small eyes stared at the small yellow fish in front of it, its mouth wide open, its sharp teeth, revealing its fierce appearance. The little yellow fish saw that it could only flee in a hurry, and it must have been chanting in its heart: It is terrible!
But these are not the most incredible, what is the most incredible fish of all the fish!
Incredible: long fish, short fish, fat fish, thin fish, big fish, small fish, colorful fish, weird fish, terrible fish. Use these 9 incredible fish to set off, the most incredible fish.
[5th screen]
Original: This article? That's right, that's it. He didn't look incredible. But he is the most incredible.
A very ordinary fish is surrounded by these colorful large and weak fish, this fish, is there anything special to pay attention to? Looks ordinary, nothing special! What the hell is going on?
Where does the arrow point? Why did the author have this arrow? Arrows are meant to prompt young readers to pay attention. What to watch out for? Because this little fish is too ordinary?
This picture is the most colorful, bringing together the various incredible fish we mentioned earlier, from which to find their traces. The most incredible thing in their eyes was this ordinary little blue fish, and they flocked to him, wanting to see what was going on?
The most incredible fish appeared, very ordinary in appearance, no proud body, no weird posture, no beautiful color, just like the most ordinary little blue fish today. He doesn't look incredible, but he's the most incredible. See what is said below.
The contrast between the "incredible fish and the more incredible fish" that appears in the picture further makes the young reader wonder what the previous fish really looked like? How is it incredible? All the fish in the picture are swimming forward, which also prompts us to want to know the answer, to follow the direction of the fish swimming.
[6th screen]
Original: He's incredibly clever. Smarter than all the other fish in the sea combined.
The author begins to describe the cleverness of the fish, in a very childlike language: "Smarter than all the other fish in the sea combined." This is the language that children express when they chat with each other. For example: "Our family has more books than yours" and "My family has a lot more books than the whole community combined." Is not particularly familiar and childlike way of expression.
The fish on the cover, what is this fish doing? What are the other fish doing? What do you think other fish would say about this fish? How do you see that? What do you say about this fish? Guide young children to try to understand and appreciate others.
The protagonist of the picture book can be seen as having two: a clever fish and a group of fish that appreciate cleverness. Schools of fish poured into the sea, dressed in gorgeous costumes, which made people shine. Then you will notice the clever fish, who is full of silver and white light, so intently playing chess. He had eaten too many of the opponent's pieces, and the other side was already in danger. Who is the other person? It was this beautiful group of fish, they formed a team, in a many-to-one form, but still vulnerable.
The previous pictures are doing two things, one is to set off an inconspicuous little blue fish with gorgeous, colorful, weird, and large. The second is to use these gorgeous, colorful, weird, different sizes, incredible fish to set off the little blue fish is the most incredible. But where's the most incredible place! As the title says, he was a clever fish.
This seemingly ordinary fish, the protagonist of the story, is a clever fish. First of all, he can play chess and win a hundred with one. That's enough to show his cleverness.
[7th screen]
He's smart enough to do anything. He can sing, dance, and play beautiful music. He would draw wonderful pictures and perform wonderful drama. This fish is genius! But he wasn't happy with himself. Because there was one thing he wanted to do the most but couldn't do, and that was one thing— he wanted to go for a walk on land!
The picture above is a magnificent boldness, so that the smart fish with one hundred and ten, when the hundred force to suppress the crowd, in order to show its outstanding cleverness. A person's thinking and practices often depend on their absolute cleverness.
This picture is described on two separate pages, he is smart enough to do anything, he can sing, he can dance, he can play beautiful music. He would draw wonderful pictures and perform wonderful drama. This fish is genius! The words also beat with the music.
The elegant dancing postures, sweet singing voices, wonderful painting and performance talent seen in the picture are the genius of the clever fish. All these other incredible fish left is a sigh of admiration and sighing.
Everyone looked around at the clever fish and admired him so much. What do you think its mood looks like? So is there anything he's not satisfied with? The only thing he wasn't happy with was that he wanted to go for a walk on land. Can he achieve it?
The diagonal changes of the two single pages allow him to form a coherent space to show his talent and cleverness.
The watercolor used in the picture book is bright and thin, which is most suitable for reflecting the crystal clear underwater world. These elements of truth and illusion form the reality of art, which together constitute the charm of this book.
[8th screen]
Every year, when all the fish go to the shore for vacation, this clever fish will gaze at the beach, look at it, as if it is exploring the world on land, as if it can touch the breeze that is blowing across the face, as if it can be gently embraced by the sun that is jumping on the scales. But everyone knows that fish can't walk on land, can't they?
The scene expressed in the picture is the same as when we usually go to the beach to play, and the beach tools that children like, buckets, shovels, fishing net pockets, and fish also like. There are also flags planted on the piled sandcastles, some catching butterflies on the surface of the water, some resting on beach chairs, some digging sand, some chasing, these are the children's usual life scenes, and now the fish are performed, and the children accept it easily.
The environment of the beach, the water ranges from deep blue, lake blue, light blue, white waves, light yellow connecting the beach, to golden yellow. The painter used 6 layers of gradient colors to show a warning: "Shallow water is dangerous, do not come near!" "This warning is the exact opposite of our humanity." Water depth is dangerous, do not approach! ”
The combination of graphics and text is particularly interesting and lifelike, and the children are instantly brought into the story situation. The language is also very beautiful, expressing feelings with passionate prose tones.
When the fish are all on vacation at the beach, the clever fish stares at the beach, imagining that he can walk on the beach and be blown by the wind, which makes his dream of having the impulse to walk on the beach even stronger. This goal has never been achieved before, and there is no one who has come after. Did the Clever Fish try his own ideas?
Where are the smart fish? What's he doing? What are the other fish doing? A new thing appeared on the screen, the signage. What are signage used for? Prompt people to pay attention, what to pay attention to? Why should you warn the fish that the water is shallow and dangerous, and do not come near? How do smart fish do it?
[9th screen]
Original text: However, this fish does not want to give up his dream because of such a small matter, so he thinks about it, thinks about it for a long time, almost breaks his head, and finally comes up with an incredible idea: to have feet! (You may not think it's unusual at this point, but you know, no one had heard of "feet" at that time) So the clever fish made a beautiful "foot" for themselves and put them on their fins.
The picture above is a scene of a lively beach play, and the smart fish is alone. And on the quiet sand, he did not rush directly to the beach, but shocked the image of the thinker, let him fall into meditation, almost want to break his head, a most intelligent fish is still so difficult, it can be seen that his dream is too difficult or too grand.
Finally, at its insistence on not giving up, he came up with an incredible idea of "foot", which could not have been thought of before the human foot was not there. Being able to think of a foot is definitely a whimsical and innovative event. He immediately described the shape of his feet on the beach with a wooden stick, which showed his cleverness and incredulity.
Then he thought of putting his feet on his fins and not being able to walk?
He thought about it for a long time and thought of a method that he thought was safe, what do you think of his idea?
The treatment of adding parentheses to the text is an explanation, an auxiliary explanation. In addition, the text is particularly smooth and beautiful, the sentence pattern is in line with the tone of children, and it is catchy to read.
The point of genius concern is that it is never on the same channel as ordinary people. Other fish, when on vacation, are just vacations. This clever fish, longing to walk on land. This clever fish, racking his brains, finally found a feasible solution. And, in action.
In the picture, a small green fish appears, which seems to be very familiar, where has it appeared? On the title page. At that time, he was staring at the front in a maverick way, was it the "sculpture" of this thinker? The little green fish saw a big foot emerging from the beach and immediately panicked.
[10th screen]
Then, a good day began, he surfaced, left the breaking waves, and walked on the beach!
So it made a beautiful set of "feet" to wear on its own fins, surfaced, left the sea, and walked on the beach. The fish all looked at each other with wide eyes and wide mouths in surprise, what a very incredible clever fish.
The slopes of the beach are unstable and suggest danger, but the clever fish have gone unbridled and courageous.
This is a fairy tale book about dreams, realizing dreams, colorful colors, humorous language, unique angles, bold and exaggerated techniques, telling the story of an ordinary but exceptionally intelligent fish, with a dream of changing the world, this clever fish wants to be the first to go to land, can he do it? Can fish leave the water?
This is a picture book about the origin of all things, a scientific story, about evolution, not creation. Picture books are a very lyrical way of telling stories. That is to say, this is a work that connects science and literature, and it is an interesting book that is not boring, and has a scientific spirit.
This is a scientific fairy tale picture book, both the imagination of fairy tales, the truth of science, and the beauty of picture books. The story in the book begins with a small fish who wants to walk on land, conveying a rational history of biological evolution. Fairy tales are embodied in clever fish whose dream is to walk on land and have a fairytale romantic imagination.
[11th screen]
He was the first fish in the history of the world to walk on land, and not only that, he was also the first animal to walk on land. There are no animals on land, and the land is empty. (Oh, maybe there are some little bugs on the ground or something, but that's about it.) The clever fish felt a little lonely, a little bored.
On the golden sand, leaving a string of footprints for the fish to walk. In the whole picture, there is a fish crawling on its heels, looking very lonely, a little bored, only the shadow accompanies him. The voiceover in parentheses proves that there may have been some small bugs at that time, because butterflies were seen.
The cleverness of this fish is first of all manifested in the fact that he can do anything, singing, dancing, and playing beautiful music, and secondly, in his pioneering dream of going to land for a walk. His dream had the power to change the world from the beginning, and he began to implement his own dream, solving the problems he faced step by step, making a beautiful set of "feet" and putting them on his own fins. Fish went to land, influencing the entire course of biological evolution. As for how to make Bigfoot, that's not a question that children want to ask, they can take what they think.
Whimsy is possible, and every small progress in human history comes from an idea in our hearts. He was the first fish in the history of the world to go to land, and the first animal to go to land.
Chris Vermeer's bold imagination and elegant brushstrokes tell you about a crystal palace-like underwater world, a flock of colorful fish and a silvery white fish, a dream to change the world, and even a magnificent army of biological evolution. Because of the clever fish's insistence on his dreams, he finally did it. Through reading, inspire children's unlimited imagination, encourage children to imagine bravely, and encourage children to bravely touch dreams!
[12th screen]
So he went back into the sea, back to his fish companions.
Lonely and bored, he returned to the sea, to his fish companions. The fish in front cheered, the little fish jumped, and they also made a big jump, jumping into the water. This clever fish, when it returns, seems to be much larger. That is to say, in the hearts of other fish, the image is tall again.
How does he feel at this point? Not alone, not bored, but extremely happy.
How do you feel about smart fish? What would you do if you were a fish and saw other fish trying to go to the beach, walk around, and get back into the sea safely? Other fish aren't that smart, so how do they do it? Learn from smart fish.
[13th screen]
Original: Guess what happened next? The idea of a walk on land caught on. A few years later (perhaps millions of years later), other fish want to do the same. They weren't smart enough to make their own "feet" and walk on the beach, but they squirmed their fins and climbed up on the beach... Of course, this is certainly not a good way to walk on land. A few years later (perhaps hundreds of millions of years later), their fins disappeared and their feet grew out. Guess what happened next? They're no longer fish, they're reptiles!
I don't know how many years later, or even hundreds of millions of years, it has become fashionable to walk on land, a person has stepped out of the road, tens of millions of people have followed suit, and gradually the small road has become a big road.
Can only smart fish change the world? Can less intelligent people change the world as well? An idea that stays in a single mind cannot change the world. It also had to catch on and become the desire and effort of a large group of people.
Imitation, more and more. More and more successful. Thousands of worlds begin with breaking the ice. After that, the source is endless, and the life is endless.
A picture that condenses hundreds of millions of years of history, some fish are no longer fish, but reptiles. Species become unusually abundant.
[14th screen]
From then on, more changes began, and all of this was born. So, in the end, I can meet you here.
The pictures on this page can be observed by young readers for a long time, and repeated observations, and the dense animals can arouse their curiosity. They will see: turtles, frogs, lizards, crocodiles, snakes, dinosaurs, elephants, wolves, tigers, leopards, rhinos, penguins, ostriches, eagles, kangaroos, deer, wild boars, hippos, monkeys, pandas, zebras, apes and so on.
This cross-page chart depicts an evolving army of animals, from fish to man, like a magnificent march. In this team, we as humans and the little fish on the beach seem a little unremarkable, but it's the story about us, about how an idea can change the world.
Life begins in the ocean and comes from fish, but how do fish become human? Is it because of a very clever fish? Is it because the fish is just smart?
Look at other fish practices, what did you find? It turns out that people who are not smart can also do a lot of things. We see the arrow, what creature is the arrow pointing to? What are your thoughts now? The world has changed so much, thanks to this clever and brave fish, and these not smart but very hard working fish, we should applaud them!
That fish has a natural talent, a bold imagination, a firm determination, a hands-on practice, the courage to go alone, an open-minded mentality to come and go back with pleasure, and that fish has unlimited possibilities.
Science is reflected in the fact that the biological army is real, and from top to bottom, it is basically in line with the biological laws from amphibians, reptiles to dinosaurs to mammals and finally evolved into humans. From climbing to standing, from 4 feet to 2 feet, from raw food to cooked food, finally, I can meet you here.
This is the process of biological evolution, and you can read deeply with children on topics, from animal evolution to plant evolution, and share the mysterious world of life with children. For example, the common origin of species evolution, survival competition and natural selection, adaptation is the product of natural selection, and it is explored in stages.
[15th screen]
Original text: Thanks to this fish that wants to go for a walk on land!
In the last scene of the story, this clever fish is looking up at the sky, and he is whimsical, thinking of his winged fish, will he think of any incredible thoughts? Can the dream of flying fish still be realized? When children see this, they believe it can grow wings. At this time, a seed of faith has been planted in their hearts, and soon it will grow a leaf of self-confidence, bloom the petals of creation, and bear incredible fruit. I hope we can know how to protect our children's curiosity and imagination, and give them a piece of imaginative sky. When a child has a certain idea in his head, it may be as whimsical as a fish wanting to put on his boots and walk on land, we should not easily ignore it, do not easily say "impossible", but guide the child to think on his own, read books to find answers, and practice.
The smartest thing about a child must not only be to learn skills with immediate results, such as drawing, singing, and dancing, but also the child's curiosity, imagination, and innovative thinking.
It's a story about us, a story about how an idea can change the world. It tells the story of an ordinary but unusually intelligent fish with a dream of changing the world, creating a magnificent army of biological evolution. It can inspire children's infinite reverie, exert children's unlimited imagination, and encourage children to bravely imagine and touch dreams.
【Cover &bottom】
This book makes us remember the colorful underwater world and the strange fish, but the memory must be that clever fish! In fact, everything in the world comes from an idea, there is nothing more important than your imagination, as long as you dare to think, you can touch the boundaries of the world, right?
Tell the story of evolution from the perspective of a fish, the big truth has become easy to understand, five or six-year-old children often ask: did not people change from monkeys, then why don't monkeys become people now, am I not born by you, the truth of this is sometimes unclear with children,
This is an abbreviation for the evolutionary history of the world. Through the perspective of the fish, the evolution of all things is presented, which is simple and easy for children to understand, in line with children's cognition.
4. Author information
Chris Luvomere, born in 1955 in Gainesborough, Lincolnshire, England, is an award-winning artist whose work has been award-winning. In 1990, his debut novel Animal Letters won the Bologna Book Award in Italy; in 2003, Two Frogs won the Nescafe Bronze Award; in 2009, Molly and the Monster of the Night was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award; and in 2010, A Clever Fish won the British Book Trust Award for Best Picture Book. Other representative works include George and the Dragon, The Ugly Monster and the Stone Bunny, which was adapted into a stage play.
Note: This article is original and may not be reproduced or transferred for other purposes without the consent of the author.