Every child is a little star, waiting for his parents to discover his light \”Princess\’s Kite\”

As early as when I saw the introduction of this book online, I was immediately attracted by the strong Chinese-style paper-cut illustrations inside. In fact, the author of this book is an out-and-out American—Jane Yolen. The first time I heard of this name was after reading her Caldecott Medal-winning picture book—\”Under the Moon.\” \”Watching Owls\” tells the story of a father leading his daughter to watch owls in the forest under the moonlight. The words in that book are as beautiful as a song, and I especially like its evocative ending: \”Going out to see owls/No need to talk/No need for warmth and comfort/No need for anything else/As long as there is a hope in my heart/ That’s what dad said/that hope/will fly forward with soundless wings/in the bright/good moonlight for watching owls/…” After reading this, I immediately remembered this name – Jane Yolen . The story \”The Princess\’s Kite\” by Jane Yolen is also related to her father. It can be regarded as a semi-autobiographical story of Jane Yolen. The emperor in the book is Yolen\’s father, and the little princess is herself. It is said that when she was a child, she often wanted to do something to make her father happy, but she always couldn\’t do it the right way. Her father, Will Yolen, was once an internationally outstanding kite flyer, but one time he was too focused on flying the kite and accidentally fell into Long Island Sound. It was she who found a way to rescue her father from the sea. By chance, when Jane Yolen was compiling a book about kites for her father, she read a story about a Chinese emperor and a kite, and thus created the story of a daughter saving her father. This book also won the Caldecott Medal. So what kind of story does this picture book with a strong Chinese style tell that can impress the picky Western judges of the Caldecott Medal, known as the \”Oscar Award\” for children\’s books? \”The Princess\’s Kite\” tells an antique Chinese fairy tale. Remove the girdle and lay the entire book flat. I found that the front cover and the back cover were connected together to form a complete picture of a princess flying a kite. Turning to the title page, you will see rows of beautiful pavilions and pavilions. The large area of ​​golden yellow highlights the grandeur of the royal garden. In this spectacular double-page spread, without looking carefully, we can hardly notice the small kite on the right, and the princess is even more submerged in the picture, making her look insignificant. The story begins. Once upon a time, in ancient China there lived a princess who was the emperor\’s fourth daughter. She grew very small. Because she grew too small, she was named Xiaoxiao, which means \”the smallest one.\” Her brothers were older than her—older, bigger, stronger, and so always got attention. In my father\’s eyes, they are like four rising suns. Her sisters were older than she was, too—older, taller, and stronger. In his father\’s eyes, they were like three bright moons at midnight. But in the emperor\’s eyes, the little princess was like a tiny star. She was so insignificant that the emperor often forgot about her existence. Xiaoxiao had to play alone, which was really the loneliest and loneliest thing in the world. Her favorite toy is a kite made of paper and bamboo strips. One day, while the emperor was aloneWhen he was young, a group of bad guys broke into the palace, captured him, and locked him in a high tower. Xiaoxiao hid in the corner and saw all this. When the little brothers and sisters all fled to neighboring countries, where they groaned from morning to night, only the little one bravely chased after them, and under the prompts of a monk, he tried to find a way to use a big kite he made to save the family. The father who got off the tower. The emperor finally discovered the value of the little princess. From then on, he often kept the little princess by his side and gave her infinite care. The emperor never ignored anyone again, no matter how big or small that person was. \”The Princess\’s Kite\” depicts the mood, dilemma and needs of children. It is estimated that every child who has been neglected by his parents has dreamed that one day he can stand out and be a hero, rescuing his parents from bad guys. Because of that, he can get his parents\’ attention and love. For children, what they need most is not beautiful clothes or novel toys, but the love of their parents. Maybe in real life, they don\’t have the opportunity like the little princess to realize the dream of this \”unparalleled hero\”, but by reading the story of the little princess saving her father, they see hope and their own value. , which makes them feel excited and satisfied. The story planted the belief in their hearts: No matter how small a person is, they can find their own value in life. Don’t underestimate anyone, let alone yourself. In the future of life, even if they encounter bleak times when they are ignored, this belief will at some point become the light that guides them forward. \”The Princess\’s Kite\” allows parents to see their children and reflect on themselves. In addition to the touching story in the text, the book \”The Princess\’s Kite\” attracts me even more because of its illustrations. Its illustrator is Yang Zhicheng, a Chinese picture book master who has won the Caldecott Medal three times. Friends who have read \”Seven Blind Mice\” may know him. Yang Zhicheng uses a lot of white space and colorful paper-cut art to make the characters more prominent and the story more intriguing. Teacher Ajia commented: The large amount of white space not only contrasts the gorgeous paper-cut illustrations, but also leaves a lot of vivid \”qi\” in the picture. Readers who understand can feel the flow of Qi in it, which hints at the quality of wind that the collaborators want to explore. . Without his father\’s attention, Xiaoxiao can only stay with the kite all day long. In the illustration, the huge kite brings out the smallness and loneliness of the princess, which makes us feel sad after seeing it. When the emperor was rescued by her, \”His robes fluttered in the wind like waves, and from below they looked like bright kite wings.\” Looking at the kite-like robes, we suddenly realized: the princess\’s kite actually symbolizes the absent father. . The kite only temporarily replaced her father\’s position. What the princess really wanted in her heart was her father\’s love. In the first half of the book, the emperor does not show his face until the princess rescues him from the tower, and he finally shows his full face. Judging from his eyes in the illustration, we find that only then did he really see the little princess. Many parents are willing to buy this and that for their children, giving them everything they want materially, but spiritually, they have never really \”seen\” their children and have not given them enough companionship.Companionship and care. In this book, we not only see the real needs of children, but also see ourselves and reflect on our own behavior. Especially in families with many children, this book brings us thinking about how to balance the status of children in the family, how to give equal love to each child, and how to discover the characteristics of each child. A good picture book is just like this. The written stories and pictures complement each other, which not only resonates with children, but also allows parents to see their children and reflect on themselves.