內容簡介
It's pooey on B-A-B-I-E-S until Junie B. finds out that her new dumb old baby brother is a big fat deal. Her two bestest friends are giving her everything they own just to see him. And guess what else? Maybe she can bring him to school on Pet Day.
作者簡介
Barbara Park is one of today's funniest and best-loved writers for middle graders. Her novels, which include Dear God, HELP!!! Love Earl; Skinnybones; The Kid in the Red Jacket; and Mick Harte Was Here have won numerous children's book awards. Barbara thinks that the wonderful thing about writing humor is that she is able to deal with serious issues in a more lighthearted way. Barbara's fans always want to know whether or not her characters are based on her own children (she has two sons) -- in fact, they are not. But having her sons has made it easier for her to know how kids talk and think. What matters most to Barbara is that her books are bringing a few smiles to her readers.
Barbara lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona, with her husband, Richard. She holds a B.S. from the University of Alabama.
內頁插圖
精彩書摘
Chapter 2: The Dumb Baby's Room
Mother and Daddy fixed up a room for the new baby. It's called a nursery. Except I don't know why. Because a baby isn't a nurse, of course.
The baby's room used to be the guest room. That's where all our guests used to sleep. Only we never had much guests.
And so now if we get some, they'll have to sleep on a table or something.
The baby's room has new stuff in it. That's because Mother and Daddy went shopping at the new baby stuff store.
They bought a new baby dresser with green and yellow knobs on it. And a new baby lamp with a giraffe on the lamp shade. And also, a new rocking chair for when the baby cries and you can't shut it up.
And there's a new baby crib, too.
A crib is a bed with bars on the side of it. It's kind of like a cage at the zoo. Except with a crib, you can put your hand through the bars. And the baby won't pull you in and kill you.
And guess what else is in the nursery? Wallpaper, that's what! The jungle kind. With pictures of elephants, and lions, and a big fat hippo-pot-of-something.
And there's monkeys, too! Which are my most favorite jungle guys in the whole world!
Mother and Daddy pasted on the wallpaper together.
Me and my dog Tickle were watching them.
"This wallpaper looks very cute in here," I told them. "I would like some of it in my room, too, I think. Okay?" I said. "Can I? Can I?"
"We'll see," said Daddy.
We'll see is another word for no.
"Yeah, only that's not fair," I said. "'Cause the baby gets all new junk and I have all old junk."
"Poor Junie B," said Mother very teasing.
Then she bended down and tried to hug me. Only she couldn't do it very good. Because of her big fat stomach -- which is where the stupid baby is.
"I don't think I'm going to like this dumb baby," I said.
Mother stopped hugging me.
"Don't say that, Junie B. Of course you will," she said.
"Of course I won't," I talked back. "Because it won't even let me hug you very good. And anyway, I don't even know its stupid dumb name."
Then Mother sat down in the new rocking chair. And she tried to put me on her lap. Only I wouldn't fit. So she just holded my hand.
"That's because Daddy and I haven't picked a name for the baby yet," she explained. "We want a name that's a little bit different. You know, something cute like Junie B. Jones. A name that people will remember."
And so I thought and thought very hard. And then I clapped my hands together real loud.
"Hey! I know one!" I said very excited. "It's the cafeteria lady at my school. And her name is Mrs. Gutzman!"
Mother frowned a little bit. And so maybe she didn't hear me, I think.
"MRS. GUTZMAN!" I hollered. "That's a cute name, don't you think? And I remembered it, too! Even after I only heard it one time, Mrs. Gutzman sticked right in my head!"
Mother took a big breath. "Yes, honey. But I'm not sure that Mrs. Gutzman is a good name for a tiny baby."
And so then I scrunched my face up. And I thought and thought all over again.
"How 'bout Teeny?" I said. "Teeny would be good."
Mother smiled. "Well, Teeny might be cute while the baby was little. But what would we call him when he grows up?"
"Big Teeny!" I called out very happy.
Then Mother said, "We'll see."
Which means no Big Teeny.
After that I didn't feel so happy anymore.
"When's this dumb bunny baby getting here anyway?" I said.
Mother frowned again. "The baby is not a dumb bunny, Junie B.," she said. "And it will be here very soon. So I think you'd better start getting used to the idea."
Then her and Daddy began pasting wallpaper again.
And so I opened the new baby dresser with the green and yellow knobs. And I looked at the new baby clothes.
The baby pajamas were very weensy. And the baby socks wouldn't even fit on my big piggie toe.
"I'm going to be the boss of this baby," I said to Tickle. "'Cause I'm the biggest, that's why."
Daddy snapped his fingers at me. "That's enough of that kind of talk, missy," he said.
Missy's my name when I'm in trouble.
After that, him and Mother went to the kitchen to get some more paste.
And so I looked down the hall to make sure he was gone.
"Yeah, only I'm still gonna be the boss of it," I whispered.
Ha ha. So there.
《林中小屋的秘密》 在陽光明媚的夏日,小鎮上流傳著一個古老的傳說:在鎮子邊緣那片茂密的橡樹林深處,隱藏著一座被遺忘已久的石砌小屋。據說,小屋的主人是一位隱居的製圖師,他留下瞭無數關於失落寶藏和奇特路綫的地圖。這個故事吸引瞭鎮上三個性格迥異的孩子——熱愛冒險的莉莉、沉靜聰慧的邁剋爾,以及總是帶著一副老式放大鏡、對一切細節都充滿好奇的薩姆。 莉莉,她有著一頭火焰般的紅發和永不熄滅的探索精神,她堅信傳說中的寶藏絕非空穴來風。邁剋爾,心思縝密,喜歡邏輯推理和曆史考證,他更關注的是製圖師留下的數學謎題和符號。而薩姆,他是一個天生的觀察者,總能在最不起眼的地方發現重要的綫索,比如一塊褪色的苔蘚,或者一串不閤時宜的腳印。 故事開始於一個炎熱的周二下午,孩子們在鎮圖書館翻閱舊報紙的檔案時,無意中發現瞭一張泛黃的剪報,上麵模糊地提到瞭“迷失的羅盤”和“月影下的標記”。這張剪報成瞭他們冒險的引信。 他們的第一個目的地是鎮郊的“低語溪”。溪水潺潺,空氣中彌漫著濕潤的泥土和野花的香氣。根據剪報上的模糊描述,他們需要找到“三棵嚮東生長的老榆樹”。經過一番尋找,邁剋爾利用他的野外知識辨認齣瞭樹木的年輪和傾斜角度,確定瞭正確的方嚮。在第三棵樹的樹根下,他們發現瞭一個用鵝卵石堆砌的簡易標記,裏麵藏著一個刻有奇怪幾何圖案的黃銅圓筒。 圓筒內裝著一張用羊皮紙繪製的局部地圖。這張地圖異常精細,描繪瞭森林中一些從未被官方記錄過的地貌特徵:一處名為“巨人腳印”的岩石堆,一個形狀酷似眼睛的池塘,以及一條蜿蜒麯摺、標記為“蛇之徑”的小路。 “巨人腳印”的挑戰在於平衡與時機。岩石堆非常不穩定,每當太陽到達一天中的最高點時,岩石間的陰影會短暫地消失,露齣一個可以安全攀爬的縫隙。莉莉憑藉她矯健的身手,率先攀爬上去,並在岩石頂端發現瞭一個刻有數字序列的石碑:4-16-64-256。 薩姆立刻意識到瞭這不是普通的數字序列,而是指數增長。“這是四的冪次!”他激動地喊道,並迅速在隨身攜帶的筆記本上寫下:$4^1, 4^2, 4^3, 4^4$。他推測,這組數字可能指嚮地圖上某處的距離或方位角。 他們沿著“蛇之徑”前行。這條小路崎嶇不平,灌木叢生,仿佛真的在模仿蛇的蜿蜒。在小路的中點,他們遇到瞭最大的障礙:一條湍急的、幾乎無法通行的河流。河流的對岸,似乎就是製圖師小屋的所在地。 河流邊,立著一塊被藤蔓纏繞的石碑,上麵畫著一個復雜的滑輪和杠杆裝置的草圖。邁剋爾意識到,製圖師並非隻留下寶藏,他還留下瞭一個工程學的難題。他仔細研究瞭圖紙,發現如果利用河邊那棵傾斜的柳樹作為支點,並通過閤適的繩索牽引,可以製造一個臨時的簡易索道。 孩子們分工閤作。莉莉負責尋找最堅韌的藤蔓和樹枝作為滑輪的承重部分。邁剋爾負責計算角度和張力,確保索道在他們通過時不會斷裂。薩姆則負責清除所有會阻礙繩索移動的障礙物。 經過數小時的努力,一座簡陋但堅固的索道橫跨瞭河流。當他們安全到達對岸時,他們發現自己身處一個被高大灌木遮蔽的幽靜空地。在那片空地的中央,矗立著那座傳說中的石砌小屋。 小屋的木門已經腐朽,但石頭結構依然堅固。他們推開吱呀作響的門,灰塵和黴味撲麵而來。小屋內部比他們想象的要簡單:一張木桌、一個生銹的火爐,以及一麵掛滿瞭陳舊工具的牆壁。 最引人注目的,是那張橫跨整個房間的巨大繪圖桌。桌麵上鋪滿瞭各種未完成的地圖草稿、星象圖和航海日誌。孩子們找到瞭製圖師最後的遺物——一本厚重的皮麵日記和一張完整的、標記著他們小鎮及其周邊所有未被發現的洞穴、古老水路的終極地圖。 日記中記載瞭製圖師的生平:他並非為瞭財富而繪製地圖,而是為瞭記錄和保護這片土地上所有自然的、未受人類乾擾的奇跡。他將“寶藏”定義為“知識的發現和對環境的敬畏”。 在終極地圖的右下角,製圖師用娟秀的字跡寫下瞭一段話:“真正的財富不在於你找到瞭什麼,而在於你如何與夥伴們一同經曆尋找的過程,並從中學會瞭如何看待這個世界。” 孩子們帶著這份地圖和日記迴到瞭鎮上。他們沒有發現黃金或珠寶,但他們發現瞭比這些更珍貴的東西:一份對自然界復雜規律的理解,一次對友誼和團隊閤作的深刻體驗,以及一張可以帶領他們繼續探索他們所居住的這片神奇土地的嚮導圖。他們的冒險,纔剛剛開始。小屋的秘密,成為瞭他們心中永恒的夏日印記。