《小猫和守夜人》

侯冬意

John Sullivan has based the story of his picture book， Kitten and the Night Watchman， on real events from his life. This sweet narrative follows a kind night watchman who waves goodbye to his family as the sun sets and heads to a construction site to work alone under deep blue skies. But he has a friend at the work site—a small homeless kitten to whom he carefully tends1.

约翰·沙利文的图书《小猫和守夜人》中的故事，基于他生活中的真实事件。这个甜蜜的故事讲述的是一个善良的守夜人，在日落时向家人挥手道别，然后前往一个建筑工地，独自在深蓝的夜空下工作。但他在工作地点有一个朋友——一只无家可归的小猫咪，他很小心地照料着它。

Sullivan writes in short sentences and puts to use a string of evocative2 similes3 like “the full moon shines like an old friend，” and “garbage trucks line up like circus elephants”. Illustrator Taeeun Yoo illustrates the moonlit shadows of backhoes4 that look like insects and an excavator5 shaped like a giraffe. The angles of the buildings and construction equipment are expertly juxtaposed6 with the round， soft curves of the kitten and the watchman， and Yoos use of light—from the moon， lamps， the mans flashlight， etc.—is particularly effective in the dark palette7.

沙利文用簡短的句子写作，并使用了一系列能引起共鸣的比喻，比如“满月像老朋友一样闪耀”和“垃圾车像马戏团的大象一样排成一行。”插画家柳泰恩则绘出了月光下看起来像昆虫的反铲挖掘机的影子和一台形状像长颈鹿的挖掘机。建筑物和建筑设备的角度巧妙地与小猫和守夜人圆润、柔和的曲线并列，而柳在黑夜的色彩范围中运用月亮、灯、人的手电筒等光线尤其令人印象深刻。

Readers see the watchman resting at work， thinking of “his boy and girl， safe and asleep at home.” This offers young readers a glimpse into the ways in which their caretakers keep their safety in mind， even when apart from them. At the end of Kitten and the Night Watchman， readers are introduced to a happy family who greets the watchman when he returns home with his new pet. Dont miss the chance to share this tender story with your family in your life.

读者会看到守夜人在工作中途休息时，想着“他的儿子和女儿在家里安然无恙地睡着。”这能让年轻的读者们瞥见他们的监护人是如何将他们的安全铭记在心的，即使是他们并不在身边的时候。在《小猫和守夜人》的结尾，当守夜人带着他的新宠物回家时，读者们会看到一个快乐的家庭向他问好。生活中可不要错过与你的家人分享这个温柔故事的机会。

Notes

1. tend vt. 照料，照管

2. evocative adj. 唤起回忆的;引起共鸣的

3. simile   n. 明喻;直喻

4. backhoe n. 反向铲;挖沟机

5. excavator   n. 挖掘机

6. juxtapose vt. 并列;并置

7. palette  n. 色彩范围;调色板