內容簡介
This "gripping variation of Red Riding Hood . . . is an outstanding achievement that will be pored over again and again" (School Library Journal, starred review). "The illustrations seem to throb with the mystery and terror of the wolf."--The Horn Book, starred review. Winner of the 1990 Randolph Caldecott Medal. Full color.
作者簡介
Ed Young was born on November 28, 1931 in Tianjin, China. When he was three years old, he and his family moved to Shanghai. His mother would ring a bell at mealtimes, and he would slide down the banister with his brothers and sisters. “I have never lost the child in me. My father would spin endless tales of his own to entertain our imaginations on summer nights lying on the flat roof of our house. I have never forgotten the images I saw in my mind.” From an early age, Ed loved to create stories and draw pictures and thought he could "disappear" into his own world, brought to life through his illustrations.
In 1951, Young came to America to study architecture. Instead, he grew more interested in art, and soon switched his major. Young’s first job was with a New York advertising agency where he spent his lunch breaks sketching animals at Central Park Zoo. During that time, he received a letter from his father which said, “A successful life and a happy life is one measured by how much you have accomplished for others and not one measured by how much you have done for yourself. “Young said, “I understood then that to realize my potential as an artist was subservient to my worth as a human being. To be truly successful, I needed to find a place where my work would also inspire others to fuller and happier lives. I wished to share with everyone my father’s words about success – work can, in fact, be the rooftop from which we launch ourselves to higher places.” In search of something more expansive, expressive, and timeless, Young discovered all this, and more, in children’s books.
精彩書評
"With forceful impressionistic paintings, Young artfully entices readers across the fairy-tale threshold into a story of three girls' fearless battle of wits with a famished wolf."
-- School Library Journal
"This version of the Red Riding Hood story from Young ( The Emperor and the Kite ; Cats Are Cats ; Yeh-Shen ) features three daughters left at home when their mother goes to visit their grandmother. Lon Po Po, the Granny Wolf, pretends to be the girls' grandmother, until clever Shang, the eldest daughter, suspects the greedy wolf's real identity. Tempting him with ginkgo nuts, the girls pull him in a basket to the top of the tree in which they are hiding, then let go of the rope--killing him. One of Young's most arresting illustrations accompanies his dedication: ``To all the wolves of the world for lending their good name as a tangible symbol for our darkness.'' Like ancient Oriental paintings, the illustrations are frequently grouped in panels. When the girls meet the wolf, e.g., the left panel focuses on their wary faces peering out from the darkness, the middle enlarges the evil wolf's eye and teeth, and the third is a vivid swirl of the blue clothes in which the wolf is disguised. The juxtaposition of abstract and realistic representations, the complicated play of color and shadow, and the depth of the artist's vision all help transform this simple fairy tale into an extraordinary and powerful book."
-- Publishers Weekly
前言/序言
冒險之森:迷霧中的守護者 一本關於勇氣、智慧與傢族傳承的奇幻史詩 第一部:古老的低語與初臨的陰影 在被時間遺忘的“翠玉山脈”深處,坐落著一個名叫“溪榖鎮”的寜靜村落。這裏的居民世代與森林和諧共存,依靠古老的知識和對自然的敬畏維持著生活的秩序。故事從一個名叫林小月的年輕獵人開始。 小月並非天生的英雄,她隻是一個敏銳、沉默,對傢族傳承抱有深深敬畏的孤兒。她的養父,老獵人阿桑,是鎮上最後一位精通“聆聽之術”的智者。阿桑堅信,山脈深處的迷霧並非簡單的天氣現象,而是古老力量蘇醒的徵兆。 故事的開端,籠罩在溪榖鎮上空的是一種持續瞭三個季節的異常寂靜。鳥鳴聲稀疏,夜晚的星光被一種無形的“暗影”遮蔽。這種不安,直接指嚮瞭山脈中央那片被所有長輩嚴令禁止踏入的“迴音榖”。 【核心衝突的萌芽】 第一章,小月在一次深入森林邊緣的例行巡獵中,發現瞭一件非同尋常的物件:一塊被打磨得光滑的黑曜石,上麵刻著一圈扭麯的、類似藤蔓的符文。當她觸碰它時,一股寒意瞬間穿透她的身體,她聽到瞭一陣微弱但清晰的、如同嬰兒啼哭又似風中哀嚎的“低語”。 迴到傢後,阿桑看到黑曜石,臉色驟變。他告訴小月,這並非凡物,而是“晦影石”——傳說中,它能喚醒沉睡在山脈深處、渴望吞噬光明的“蝕骨獸”的媒介。阿桑急切地教導小月辨識草藥、設置陷阱,並將傢族世代相傳的一把由白樺木製成的弓,交到瞭小月手中,並囑咐她:“弓箭可以傷及肉體,但唯有‘真實之語’纔能對抗那黑暗的低語。” 第二部:穿越迷霧與遺失的記憶 不久,災難降臨。 溪榖鎮的牲畜開始莫名失蹤,更可怕的是,幾個在夜間外齣的人再也沒有迴來。幸存者描述的凶手,模糊不清,隻提到瞭“巨大的陰影”和“令人骨髓冰冷的笑聲”。鎮民陷入恐慌,迷信和猜疑開始在社區內蔓延。 小月決定深入迴音榖,尋找真相,同時也為瞭尋找一個失蹤的玩伴——一個天性活潑、對森林充滿好奇的女孩,名叫青禾。青禾的失蹤,直接激發瞭小月內心深處對“守護”的責任感。 【旅途中的夥伴與考驗】 在迴音榖的入口,小月遇到瞭兩個意外的同伴: 1. 瘦猴阿彪: 一個精通攀爬和潛行的山賊後裔,他因偷竊瞭當地富商的稀有藥材而被追捕。他雖然狡詐,但對小月展示齣的勇氣感到意外,並以他敏捷的身手和對山中密道的熟悉,成為瞭小月的嚮導。他的加入,為緊張的旅程增添瞭一絲必要的、略帶戲謔的放鬆。 2. 柳婆婆(並非狼婆婆,而是藥師): 一位隱居在山腳的白發老嫗,她精通古代煉金術和植物學的知識。她沒有直接加入隊伍,而是嚮小月提供瞭一係列獨特的保護藥劑和用來驅散幻覺的香料。柳婆婆告誡小月:“黑暗會扭麯你的認知,讓最親近的人看起來像最可怕的敵人。記住,區分‘恐懼’和‘現實’是活下去的關鍵。” 在深入榖底的過程中,小月小隊遭遇瞭環境的極大考驗:扭麯的樹木、會自行改變路徑的溪流,以及不斷引誘他們走嚮歧途的“魅影之聲”。這些聲音,模仿瞭他們最愛之人的呼喚,試圖瓦解他們的意誌。小月依靠阿桑教她的“聆聽之術”——一種分辨聲音真僞的冥想技巧,一次次地成功抵抗瞭幻覺的侵蝕。 第三部:迷宮深處的真相與選擇 經過數日的艱苦跋涉,小月一行人終於抵達瞭迴音榖的最深處——一個被巨大岩石群環繞的、充滿硫磺氣味的洞穴入口。這裏的光綫被完全吸收,任何火把都隻能勉強照亮周圍幾尺之地。 在洞穴深處,他們找到瞭被睏住的青禾。但青禾的狀態極其反常,她眼神空洞,正被一個巨大的、類似“粘稠的黑霧團”的生物所包圍。這個生物似乎沒有固定的形態,但其核心散發著令人作嘔的腐敗氣息。 【核心反派的揭示】 小月發現,這團黑霧並非她想象中的“野獸”,而是一種古老的、以“遺忘”和“絕望”為食的“噬魂靈”。它沒有實體,卻能通過附著在活物身上,吸取其生命中最美好的記憶和希望,最終讓受害者變成行屍走肉,為它提供能量。 青禾之所以被它鎖定,是因為她性格中過於強烈的“情感波動”,讓她成為瞭最好的“食物”。更令人震驚的是,小月在噬魂靈的周圍,發現瞭許多破碎的、但依然散發著微弱光芒的“記憶水晶”——那是失蹤鎮民的殘存意識。 【高潮與“真實之語”的運用】 戰鬥在絕望中展開。阿彪利用他偷竊來的爆裂粉末,成功地炸開瞭洞穴的一部分岩石,短暫地引入瞭一絲外部的微光,削弱瞭噬魂靈的力量。 但要徹底驅逐它,必須使用阿桑教授的“真實之語”。這是一種基於對逝去親人、對故土純粹情感構建的言語咒術。小月意識到,那把白樺木弓並非為瞭射殺,而是為瞭在“說齣真言”時,作為“聚焦器”。 小月深吸一口氣,迴憶起阿桑教她辨認林中植物的聲音,迴憶起青禾在陽光下無憂無慮的笑聲,她對著噬魂靈,用盡全身力氣,發齣瞭她此生最堅定、最充滿愛意的話語。 “你不能帶走屬於我們的一切!我們曾擁有光明,擁有愛,而這些記憶,比任何黑暗都要堅固!” 當“真實之語”觸及噬魂靈的核心時,那團黑霧發齣瞭刺耳的尖嘯,並非痛苦,而是“不解”和“虛無”的反饋。記憶與愛構築的堅實壁壘,正是它最無法理解和吞噬的力量。噬魂靈在光的短暫湧入和真言的衝擊下,開始瓦解,最終化為一縷青煙,消散在空氣中。 尾聲:迴歸與重塑的希望 小月救齣瞭青禾,雖然青禾因被侵蝕過久,心智需要漫長的恢復,但她活瞭下來。他們帶著從洞穴中找到的、還未完全熄滅的記憶水晶,迴到瞭溪榖鎮。 鎮民們終於明白,真正的威脅並非來自外部的野獸,而是潛伏在內心深處的“遺忘”與“絕望”。小月不再是那個沉默的孤兒,她成為瞭連接過去與未來的橋梁。阿桑欣慰地看著她,知道傢族的傳承找到瞭新的守護者。 溪榖鎮開始重建,他們將迴音榖的入口封存,不再恐懼迷霧,而是學會瞭如何守護自己內心的光亮。小月的故事,成為瞭新的傳說,告誡著後代:勇氣並非不知恐懼,而是即便心懷恐懼,依然選擇守護心中最珍貴的事物。 而那把白樺木弓,被她懸掛在瞭鎮子的中心廣場,象徵著永不屈服的希望。