{"id":612,"date":"2024-05-10T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/?p=612"},"modified":"2025-09-13T15:11:06","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T07:11:06","slug":"mama-story_2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/2024\/05\/10\/mama-story_2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Par\u00adent\u00ading: An excit\u00ading and excit\u00ading adven\u00adture"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2014\u2014Book Review of \u201cMom, Let Me Tell You a Sto\u00adry\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the world of pic\u00adture books, every now and then, a beau\u00adti\u00adful and deeply mov\u00ading book appears, pro\u00advid\u00ading both engag\u00ading read\u00ading mate\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal for chil\u00addren and a pow\u00ader\u00adful way to con\u00adnect par\u00adents and chil\u00addren. \u201cMom, Let Me Tell You a Sto\u00adry\u201d is one such book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cMom, sit down, pause for a moment. \/ I\u2019ll tell you a sto\u00adry. \/ Mom, sit down, pause for a moment. \/ I\u2019ll tell you the sto\u00adry, and you\u2019ll listen.\u201d\u2014Imagine such a poet\u00adic line, read by par\u00adents to their chil\u00addren, or told by chil\u00addren to their par\u00adents. In this nat\u00adur\u00adal shift of roles, heart\u00adwarm\u00ading par\u00adent-child read\u00ading time is clev\u00ader\u00adly giv\u00aden new mean\u00ading. The book we hold in our hands and read togeth\u00ader is no longer just a sim\u00adple sto\u00adry; it is a poet\u00adic explo\u00adration of growth, learn\u00ading, and the par\u00adent-child rela\u00adtion\u00adship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For par\u00adents who fre\u00adquent\u00adly read pic\u00adture books to their chil\u00addren, do you often won\u00adder, \u201cWhen will my child be able to read to me?\u201d I think this expec\u00adta\u00adtion is per\u00adfect\u00adly rea\u00adson\u00adable, but in the real\u00adi\u00adties of par\u00adent\u00ading, it often seems elu\u00adsive. When my daugh\u00adter was about three years old, on days when she did\u00adn\u2019t have to rush to preschool, she would often wake up ear\u00adli\u00ader than usu\u00adal. Still half asleep, I did\u00adn\u2019t notice what she was doing until one morn\u00ading, when I sud\u00adden\u00adly heard her read\u00ading aloud from a pic\u00adture book in a clear, res\u00ado\u00adnant voice! You can imag\u00adine my delight at that moment\u2014holy crap! This child can actu\u00adal\u00adly read on her own! How\u00adev\u00ader, when I cau\u00adtious\u00adly entered her room and, pre\u00adtend\u00ading noth\u00ading had hap\u00adpened, tried to test her knowl\u00adedge of the words in the book, I dis\u00adcov\u00adered that she knew vir\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly noth\u00ading. She was rely\u00ading sole\u00adly on mem\u00ado\u00adriz\u00ading the text-to-pic\u00adture cor\u00adre\u00adspon\u00addences to accu\u00adrate\u00adly recite the con\u00adtent we had been describ\u00ading to her. Fur\u00adther\u00admore, while it\u2019s one thing for her to read to her\u00adself for fun and to pass the time, it\u2019s dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to get her to read to you in per\u00adson. Her read\u00ading aloud at that time was prob\u00ada\u00adbly just a self-made alarm clock pat\u00adtern \u2014 \u201cDing-ding-ding, adults, it\u2019s time to get up and play with me!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was\u00adn\u2019t until my daugh\u00adter was already in ele\u00admen\u00adtary school that I tru\u00adly enjoyed hav\u00ading her read to me. It was dur\u00ading a time when I was ill and had a fever, and dur\u00ading the time I usu\u00adal\u00adly read to her, I begged her to read a few books to me. Before that, we had also tried read\u00ading to her dog, Hen\u00adry. After a two-week exper\u00adi\u00adment in which she per\u00adson\u00adal\u00adly read numer\u00adous pic\u00adture books to Hen\u00adry, she final\u00adly accept\u00aded the real\u00adi\u00adty that Hen\u00adry was just an une\u00add\u00adu\u00adcat\u00aded dog. In sum\u00adma\u00adry, I believe that ask\u00ading chil\u00addren to read to you is not easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back to the book \u201cMom, Let Me Tell You a Sto\u00adry,\u201d although it\u2019s writ\u00adten in a child\u2019s voice, you don\u2019t have to expect them to read it to you right away. It\u2019s more like a demon\u00adstra\u00adtion and an invi\u00adta\u00adtion, a long-term, play\u00adful invi\u00adta\u00adtion, rich\u00adly sym\u00adbol\u00adic and full of fairy-tale fun. With enough patience, your child will one day glad\u00adly accept the invi\u00adta\u00adtion. The prepa\u00adra\u00adtion and wait\u00ading in the process of grow\u00ading up always seem too long, but when that unex\u00adpect\u00aded day arrives, you might dis\u00adcov\u00ader how sud\u00adden\u00adly hap\u00adpi\u00adness arrives, and how proud you\u2019ll be!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This book, writ\u00adten by Nico\u00adla Cin\u00adquet\u00adti and illus\u00adtrat\u00aded by Lucia Scud\u00aderi, depicts a heart\u00adwarm\u00ading scene through a series of live\u00adly illus\u00adtra\u00adtions and rhyth\u00admic text, depict\u00ading a child who, after learn\u00ading to read, decides to tell sto\u00adries to his moth\u00ader. This sim\u00adple yet pow\u00ader\u00adful role-play\u00ading not only marks the child\u2019s leap in self-aware\u00adness but also reveals the mul\u00adti\u00adple roles a moth\u00ader plays in her child\u2019s eyes. The text opens and clos\u00ades with the repet\u00adi\u00adtive phrase, \u201cMom, sit down. Stop for a moment. I\u2019ll tell you a sto\u00adry,\u201d cre\u00adat\u00ading a warm invi\u00adta\u00adtion and call. This clever use of struc\u00adture enhances par\u00adent-child inter\u00adac\u00adtion and makes read\u00ading a shared rit\u00adu\u00adal. The vibrant and col\u00ador\u00adful images, with del\u00adi\u00adcate lines and strik\u00ading col\u00ador con\u00adtrasts, draw read\u00aders into a world brim\u00adming with imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the eyes of a child, the book depicts var\u00adi\u00adous images of a moth\u00ader: nav\u00adi\u00adgat\u00ading the city, run\u00adning through the fields, swim\u00adming in the ocean\u2026 These images not only show\u00adcase a moth\u00ader\u2019s ener\u00adgy and adven\u00adtur\u00adous spir\u00adit, but also reflect the child\u2019s deep affec\u00adtion and pro\u00adfound respect for her. In the eyes of a child, a moth\u00ader is a pro\u00adtec\u00adtor, a guide, and a part\u00adner in shared adven\u00adture. Each \u201cadven\u00adture\u201d in the sto\u00adry sym\u00adbol\u00adizes the deep\u00aden\u00ading bond between moth\u00ader and child. From a child\u2019s learn\u00ading to read to their own active sto\u00adry\u00adtelling, every step bears wit\u00adness to their shared growth. The moment a child learns to read inde\u00adpen\u00addent\u00adly and shows their moth\u00ader this achieve\u00adment is undoubt\u00aded\u00adly the most cher\u00adished moment in the par\u00adent\u00ading process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my opin\u00adion, this work is rich with metaphors, and adult read\u00aders can eas\u00adi\u00adly relate each of the moth\u00ader\u2019s adven\u00adtures to real-life expe\u00adri\u00adences. For exam\u00adple, \u201cstrug\u00adgling to cross the city streets\u201d\u2014isn\u2019t that the dual chal\u00adlenge of work and fam\u00adi\u00adly life that mod\u00adern par\u00adents often face in the bustling city? Scenes like \u201ctra\u00advers\u00ading the pump\u00adkin patch, leap\u00ading over mud\u00addy pud\u00addles, step\u00adping over herds of cattle\u201d\u2014such scenes can be seen as the nat\u00adur\u00adal and unfore\u00adseen chal\u00adlenges encoun\u00adtered in a child\u2019s growth, the unex\u00adpect\u00aded dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties and prob\u00adlems that require imme\u00addi\u00adate solu\u00adtions in par\u00adent\u00ading. For exam\u00adple, \u201cclimb\u00ading moun\u00adtains and ridges, then swoop\u00ading down\u201d\u2014actions that are both chal\u00adleng\u00ading and liberating\u2014perhaps reflect the var\u00adi\u00adous hard\u00adships and ulti\u00admate joys of par\u00adent\u00ading. For exam\u00adple, \u201cwith\u00adout even tak\u00ading off her dress, she plunged into the sea, swim\u00adming in the bound\u00adless deep blue\u201d\u2014maybe sym\u00adbol\u00adizes the moth\u00ader\u2019s self-release and recov\u00adery in par\u00adent\u00ading. The ocean\u2019s tran\u00adquil\u00adi\u00adty and vast\u00adness reflect the calm\u00adness and tol\u00ader\u00adance nec\u00ades\u00adsary after fac\u00ading chal\u00adlenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, read\u00aders might also inter\u00adpret the book\u2019s series of adven\u00adture scenes as sym\u00adbol\u00adic depic\u00adtions of a moth\u00ader\u2019s return after a long day of work. After a hec\u00adtic work\u00adday in the city, nav\u00adi\u00adgat\u00ading dai\u00adly chal\u00adlenges, and over\u00adcom\u00ading numer\u00adous obsta\u00adcles, she final\u00adly returns home, a moment of tran\u00adquil\u00adi\u00adty and relax\u00adation. The child read\u00ading a sto\u00adry to her moth\u00ader is a reward for her hard work and a pre\u00adcious moment of fam\u00adi\u00adly con\u00adnec\u00adtion. This sit\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion not only pro\u00advides the moth\u00ader with need\u00aded rest and emo\u00adtion\u00adal ful\u00adfill\u00adment, but also strength\u00adens the child\u2019s sense of respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty and fam\u00adi\u00adly belong\u00ading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not famil\u00adiar with the two Ital\u00adian writ\u00aders and illus\u00adtra\u00adtors of this book. How\u00adev\u00ader, it\u2019s worth not\u00ading that the writer, Nico\u00adla Cin\u00adquet\u00adti, is actu\u00adal\u00adly a man, a high school his\u00adto\u00adry and phi\u00adlos\u00ado\u00adphy teacher, a chil\u00addren\u2019s book author, and a poet. This book feels like a poem he wrote in praise of moth\u00aders and par\u00adent-child read\u00ading, and the lit\u00adtle boy in the book per\u00adhaps reflects some of his own per\u00adson\u00adal feel\u00adings. Lucia Scud\u00aderi, the illus\u00adtra\u00adtor, is a pas\u00adsion\u00adate artist with a deep love of nature. The deep blue sea, rolling moun\u00adtains, lush forests, and exot\u00adic flo\u00adra and fau\u00adna all exude a mag\u00adi\u00adcal pow\u00ader in her paint\u00adings, invit\u00ading you to jour\u00adney into a fairy\u00adtale won\u00adder\u00adland. This duo has tru\u00adly achieved a tru\u00adly per\u00adfect col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A black\u00adbird with a red beak and red feet appears through\u00adout the book, accom\u00adpa\u00adny\u00ading the moth\u00ader in every adven\u00adture scene, from the front end\u00adpa\u00adpers to the back end\u00adpa\u00adpers. Yet, it remains unmen\u00adtioned in the text, like\u00adly due to the illus\u00adtra\u00adtor\u2019s clever design. In West\u00adern cul\u00adtur\u00adal sym\u00adbol\u00adism, birds often rep\u00adre\u00adsent free\u00addom, mes\u00adsen\u00adgers of the soul, or mes\u00adsen\u00adgers across life and death. In this book, the black\u00adbird may sym\u00adbol\u00adize a pro\u00adtec\u00adtive or guid\u00ading force, per\u00adhaps rep\u00adre\u00adsent\u00ading a child\u2019s obser\u00adva\u00adtion, com\u00adpan\u00adion\u00adship, and sup\u00adport of its moth\u00ader. Fur\u00adther\u00admore, the black\u00adbird\u2019s pres\u00adence offers a rare spec\u00adta\u00adtor\u2019s per\u00adspec\u00adtive, remind\u00ading read\u00aders to observe the moth\u00ader\u2019s life jour\u00adney from a broad\u00ader per\u00adspec\u00adtive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sym\u00adbol\u00adic ele\u00adments in the book enrich the sto\u00adry and offer mul\u00adti\u00adple inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adtions, allow\u00ading adults and chil\u00addren alike to dis\u00adcov\u00ader more mean\u00ading and enjoy\u00adment in read\u00ading. This book is a joy\u00adful invi\u00adta\u00adtion, remind\u00ading us that par\u00adent\u00ading is both a chal\u00adlenge and a reward\u00ading adven\u00adture, with every step filled with oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adties to learn and grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writ\u00adten in Bei\u00adjing on May 10, 2024<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Review of \u201cMom, Let Me Tell You a Sto\u00adry\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":942,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,12],"tags":[8,5,10,6],"class_list":["post-612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-review","category-ajia-review","tag-8","tag-5","tag-10","tag-6"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/\u5988\u5988\u7ed9\u4f60\u8bb2\u4e2a\u6545\u4e8b02.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=612"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":943,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612\/revisions\/943"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}