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American child psychologist Selma Freyberg once called the period of 0-6 years old the "magic years". Because in these years, children have a unique way of cognition, there are a lot of fantasy components. The real world is incomprehensible to children, who are accustomed to using all kinds of whimsical ideas to structure this complex real world.
This is why more and more parents attach importance to picture book reading. Reading picture books to explain this complex world and learning how to get along with themselves and others is a compulsory lesson for them.
How to use gentle brushstrokes to understand the world like a child?
I recommend Ait Bear and Xena Mouse.
This set of picture books is the classic of the famous Belgian painter Gabriel Vincent, who enjoys an international reputation. It was also nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 86th Academy Awards.
Gabrielle Vinson is one of my favorite picture book writers, and both her paintings and words have a sense of optimism through time and an omnipresent sense of humor.
The content of the picture book revolves around the interesting things that happened to the father of the Aite bear and the daughter of the Xena mouse. Gentle and kind, Aite is a big bear that looks "stupid and cute" and lives alone. But during a street sweep, she "picked up" a strange mouse daughter, Xena.
Since then, the two have relied on each other for their lives, and they can always find fun and tide over difficulties in the "immediate peace".
The unfortunate things that the two of them encountered, "Ait Bear and Xena Mouse", really don't want too much.
Either "picking up garbage" to decorate the room to welcome the wealthy Aunt Josephine, or going to the streets to sell in order to earn money to repair the roof, or the daughter has to take care of her sick father and learn to cook...
Seriously, if the average person encounters so many unfortunate things, it is good not to complain about themselves, let alone to face life with an optimistic and positive attitude. But Daddy Aite Bear and Xena Mouse will do it!
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My favorite", "Street Musician", tells such an interesting story.
Aite and Xena live on a shoestring, and can even be said to be poor. They have leaked rain in the attic and must be repaired before winter comes, but there is no money, what to do?
At a loss, Xena came up with the idea to let Papa Bear perform the violin on the street.
It was late at night, but the hesitant Aite, encouraged by his daughter Xena, practiced one by one, and also gained confidence and strength.
The next morning, Xena also helped her father dress up, handsome hat, fit coat, and a yellow scarf! The two newly decorated people rushed to the street and began to play.
Nervous bear father, extremely nervous, while playing the piano while observing the reaction of passers-by, the daughter kept cheering him up.
"I'm shaking, Xena."
"Aite, just close your eyes..."
"I don't look like I can't, Aite, people don't give us a single dollar."
"Let's go home."
Returning home, Ait was devastated, but Xena didn't give up:
"Why don't you play the violin and I sing, how do you see?"
In the picture, Aite, changing into house clothes, sat on the ground slightly frustrated, still holding a pipe in his hand, obviously not confident in this method. And Xena on the right side of the picture is obviously saying something eagerly, her small body leans forward slightly, and the urgency jumps on the paper.
Papa Bear was eventually persuaded, especially after listening to his daughter's natural voice, and regained his confidence.
On a new day, the husband and daughter came to the familiar street again, and this time they were replaced by their daughter Xena nervous.
But with the encouragement and cooperation of their father, the two completed the performance and used the money they earned to buy a lot of things.
"I bet it's a scarf!"
"Well, I guess it's a pair of slippers!"
But the money earned was all squandered by the grandfather, so what about the roof that leaked rain?
"Huh? ...... I'll have to talk about it next time! ”
Yes, the money is gone and can be earned again, but the good mood at this moment is a priceless treasure.
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I think that the themes depicted in "Ait Bear and Xena Rat", although small, are all about the "underlying logic" that we have been pursuing all our lives. It's about love, it's about sharing, it's about giving and giving, it's about how fragile beings learn, about managing the impermanence of life.
The protagonists of "Ait Bear and Xena Mouse" are a pair of animal father and daughter with a "strange relationship", Ait and Xena. They are father and daughter, more like friends.
Although Xena is an abandoned child, like all girls, she is optimistic, cheerful, like a little sun, shining all the time, and will ignite a bland life with whimsy.
Aite is a gentle, even a little timid, single dad, often a little helpless in the face of his daughter, but when her daughter needs him, he always gives respect, love and companionship.
Like I said earlier, Aite is an "unlucky bear" and sometimes, not even like our traditional "omnipotent" dad. He was always short of money, clumsy, fell, and would get sick, but with the encouragement of his daughter Xena, the two of them could always find disappointment from despair and turn optimism into courage.
For example, when Christmas came, the father and daughter were so poor that they could not afford to buy a Christmas tree, but they still used their imagination to surprise all their friends with intimate small gifts.
In the pen of Garbery Vincent, the daily trivia of the father and daughter is not shrouded in haze, but is full of freshness and poetry.
The biggest charm of "Ait Bear and Xena Mouse" comes from the fact that Gabrielle Vincent did not shy away from the difficulties encountered in life. Generally speaking, picture books for children are always full of light and beauty, the inexhaustible ice cream in the refrigerator, and the undefeated roses in the garden.
But for children, it is not enough to just have fairy tales. They need to understand the real world through the miniature world of picture books.
Some parents worry that this will destroy their children's imagination?
On the contrary, the overprotective, even doting, of parents will only make children feel overwhelmed in front of the real world. Because parents do this, they create a "false world." One day, the child will understand that the world will not be as beautiful as in fairy tales. A good picture book will ignite the child's heart and will also let you learn how to cope with difficulties.
For example, Xena in "Street Musician", when Aite loses confidence, it is she who is not discouraged and encourages him again and again, and only then does she have the final consummation.
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In China, more and more parents have begun to realize the significance of parent-child co-reading, especially before the age of 6, taking 10-15 minutes a day to read with their children, which can have a positive impact on their children.
There have also been many studies that have found that children who love to read have stronger language skills, logical thinking ability and comprehension ability.
But many parents, including me, read picture books to their children for the purpose of being particularly "utilitarian." Don't like to brush your teeth? Read the picture book, see how terrible the caries is! Don't like to eat? Read picture books and watch picky eaters can't pull out the sticks.
There is nothing wrong with this, but we must also accept another concept, some picture books, not for the so-called useful and exist, more to resonate with you and me, express our feelings, and even soothe the hearts of parents.
Just like the picture book "Ait Bear and Xena Mouse", you can help everyone find the "little self" in reading.
What is the little self? There is no answer. Maybe it's a childhood regret, maybe it's a long-forgotten name, maybe it's a memory hidden deep in the heart. Even as adults, parents can admit that they are far from superhuman and have a conversation with themselves that leads to the heart.
Therefore, this book is both for children and for adults to get comfort. As the "father of the little beanie", Japanese picture book painter Tomohiro Iwasaki, said: "I hope that when the children who see my picture books grow up, they will still keep these gentle pictures somewhere in their hearts." In the face of sadness or despair, they can be soothed by even the slightest tenderness of the picture book. ”
Or use the New Yorker columnist Adam Gopnik to argue more precisely:
"In children's literature, adults want a soothing image of childhood, or a familiar name or story; children want a boat, an outlet, a case of life on the other side. Children want to go out, and their parents want to come back. Adults crave the joys of childhood through Wonderland, Narnia, and Utopia, and children want to use these places as springboards beyond childishness. Adults are driven by nostalgia, and children want to use them as maps to roam the real world. ”
I hope that everyone can get comfort in "Ait Bear and Xena Mouse" and see "myself."