Books for young children that you can read over and over and over
适合幼儿反复阅读的书籍

IF YOU JUDGE how well-read someone is by the number of books they get through, your correspondent is a veritable bibliophage. Most of the books are around 30 pages long and generously illustrated. They are read aloud, to a five-year-old at bedtime. His favourites, requested again and again, can start to grate. The most annoying are stored on shelves that are out of a small arm’s reach. But many are funny, thought-provoking and moving enough to stay in the rotation. Here are eight children’s books that both read-to and reader can enjoy, over and over.
如果你以一个人读过的书的数量来判断他是否博览群书，那么你的通讯员就是名副其实的“书虫”。大多数书大约 30 页长，插图丰富。这些书是五岁孩子睡前大声朗读的。他最喜欢的书，一再要求，可能会开始感到厌烦。最烦人的书被放在小手够不到的书架上。但许多书都很有趣、发人深省、感人肺腑，足以让它留在书架上。以下是八本儿童读物，无论是朗读还是阅读都可以反复欣赏。

Mog’s Bad Thing. By Judith Kerr. HarperCollins; 32 pages; $6.99 and £7.99
Mog 的坏事。作者：Judith Kerr。HarperCollins ；32 页；6.99 美元和 7.99 英镑

Mog is an ordinary cat leading an unremarkable life as a pet in the Thomas household. She deposits the “bad thing” on Mr Thomas’s armchair when she can’t find her usual toilet spot outside. Mog flees to the attic and has to find a way to redeem herself. Other books in the series recount a chaotic trip to the vet and Mog’s attachment to a new toy. She is “nice but not very clever”. In fact her only unusual characteristic is a telepathic connection with Debbie, the Thomases’ daughter. Many readers will also bond with Mog, a cat who prefers life to be uneventful and is most interested in what is for supper.
莫格是一只普通的猫，作为托马斯家的宠物，过着平凡的生活。当她在外面找不到她常用的厕所时，她就把这个“坏东西”放在了托马斯先生的扶手椅上。莫格逃到阁楼，不得不想办法赎罪。该系列的其他书籍讲述了一次混乱的兽医之旅以及莫格对一个新玩具的依恋。她“很乖，但不太聪明”。事实上，她唯一不寻常的特点是与托马斯家的女儿黛比有心灵感应。许多读者也会和莫格建立联系，这只猫喜欢平淡无奇的生活，最感兴趣的是晚餐吃什么。

The Paper Dolls. By Julia Donaldson. Illustrated by Rebecca Cobb. Pan Macmillan; 32 pages; $14.99 and £10.99
《纸娃娃》。作者：朱莉娅·唐纳森。插画：丽贝卡·科布。Pan Macmillan；32 页；14.99 美元和 10.99 英镑

Julia Donaldson has written more than 100 children’s books that have sold tens of millions of copies. Her most famous, “The Gruffalo”, turned 25 years old in 2024. “The Paper Dolls” is a lesser-known treasure. A mother and her daughter create a string of paper dolls who go on a fabulous adventure. The book touches on parenthood, time, memory and loss. Rebecca Cobb’s illustrations capture the joy and sadness of Ms Donaldson’s writing.
朱莉娅·唐纳森 (Julia Donaldson) 创作了 100 多本儿童读物，销量达数千万册。她最著名的作品《咕噜牛》在 2024 年出版，已经 25 岁了。《纸娃娃》是一部鲜为人知的珍宝。一位母亲和她的女儿制作了一串纸娃娃，它们开始了一场奇妙的冒险。这本书涉及父母身份、时间、记忆和失去。丽贝卡·科布 (Rebecca Cobb) 的插图捕捉到了唐纳森女士作品中的喜悦和悲伤。

Harold and the Purple Crayon. By Crockett Johnson. HarperCollins; 64 pages; $19.99 and £8.99
《哈罗德与紫色蜡笔》。克罗基特·约翰逊著。哈珀柯林斯出版社；64 页；19.99 美元和 8.99 英镑

There is a special pleasure in reading to a child a book that was read to you. “Harold and the Purple Crayon” was first read to baby-boomers. About a boy who draws his own world and has adventures in it, this book and its sequels celebrate children’s imagination. A film adaptation was released in 2024, nearly 70 years after it was first published.
给孩子读一本你读过的书是一种特别的乐趣。《哈罗德和紫色蜡笔》最早是读给婴儿潮一代的。这本书和它的续集讲述了一个小男孩画出自己的世界并在其中冒险的故事，它赞美了孩子们的想象力。2024 年，距它首次出版已有近 70 年，该书被改编成电影上映。

The Pencil. By Allan Ahlberg. Illustrated by Bruce Ingman. Candlewick Press; 48 pages; $7.99. Walker Books; £8.99
《铅笔》。作者：艾伦·阿尔伯格。插画：布鲁斯·英格曼。Candlewick Press；48 页；7.99 美元。Walker Books；8.99 英镑

“Once there was a pencil, a lonely little pencil, and nothing else.” Like Harold’s crayon, Allan Ahlberg’s pencil can create people and objects. This includes a boy called Banjo, a paintbrush called Kitty and an over-excited rubber, which erases much of the pencil’s work. The story is surreal and sprawling, but has a satisfying conclusion. Bruce Ingman’s drawings add charm and detail.
“从前有一支铅笔，一支孤独的小铅笔，除此之外什么也没有。”就像哈罗德的蜡笔一样，艾伦·阿尔伯格的铅笔可以创造人和物体。其中包括一个叫班卓的男孩、一支叫凯蒂的画笔和一块过度兴奋的橡皮擦，橡皮擦会擦掉铅笔的大部分作品。这个故事超现实且杂乱无章，但结局令人满意。布鲁斯·英格曼的绘画增添了魅力和细节。

Not Now, Bernard. By David McKee. Andersen Press; 32 pages; $14.99 and £12.99
伯纳德，现在不行。大卫·麦基 (David McKee) 著。安徒生出版社；32 页；14.99 美元和 12.99 英镑

Despite his persistent entreaties, Bernard’s parents won’t listen to him. They really should. Bernard is in danger. This darkly humorous book is a treat for children and a warning for preoccupied adults. It is another classic from David McKee who also wrote and illustrated the much-loved “Elmer the Patchwork Elephant”.
尽管伯纳德不断恳求，他的父母还是不听他的。他们真的应该听。伯纳德处于危险之中。这本黑色幽默的书是孩子们的享受，也是对心事重重的成年人的警告。这是大卫·麦基的另一部经典作品，他还创作并绘制了广受喜爱的《拼布大象艾尔默》。

We’re Going to Find the Monster! By Malorie Blackman. Illustrated by Dapo Adeola. Puffin; 32 pages; £7.99
我们要找到怪物！作者：马洛里·布莱克曼。插画：达波·阿德奥拉。Puffin ；32 页；7.99 英镑

Non-white characters have been rare in books for young people. “We’re Going to Find the Monster!” helps to correct that. Malorie Blackman’s two heroes, black kids called Charlie and Eddie, are adventurers in the best tradition of children’s literature. Will they find the monster they so persistently seek?
青少年读物中非白人角色很少见。《我们要找到怪物！》有助于纠正这一现象。马洛里·布莱克曼的两位英雄，名叫查理和埃迪的黑人孩子，是儿童文学中最好的传统中的冒险家。他们会找到他们如此执着地寻找的怪物吗？

The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business. By Werner Holzwarth. Illustrated by Wolf Erlbruch. HarperCollins; 24 pages; £7.99
《小鼹鼠的故事：他知道这不关他的事》。作者：沃纳·霍尔茨瓦特。插画：沃尔夫·埃尔布鲁赫。哈珀柯林斯出版社；24 页；7.99 英镑

This whodunnit takes full advantage of a common theme of children’s humour. The little mole must work out which of the other animals has pooed on his head, then exact revenge. First published in German, this tale went on to international success.
这部侦探小说充分利用了儿童幽默的常见主题。小鼹鼠必须找出其他动物中哪只在它头上拉了屎，然后进行报复。这个故事最初以德语出版，随后在国际上大获成功。

Penguin. By Polly Dunbar. Candlewick; 40 pages; $7.99. Walker Books; £7.99
企鹅出版社。作者：Polly Dunbar。Candlewick ；40 页；7.99 美元。Walker Books；7.99 英镑

“Penguin” has even fewer words than most youngsters’ books. This is useful when a child is demanding “just one more” before lights-out. This story of a frustrated boy, a forgiving penguin and a lion with a sense of justice is also very funny.
《企鹅》的字数甚至比大多数青少年读物还要少。当孩子在熄灯前要求“再来一个”时，这一点很有用。这个故事讲述了一个沮丧的男孩、一只宽容的企鹅和一只有正义感的狮子，也非常有趣。

Also try  也可以尝试

The links in this section are to articles that few five-year-olds will want to have read to them, even once. Are American children’s books becoming more woke? Probably not, a study finds. But this book, about two male penguins who incubate an egg, became caught up in America’s culture wars. We wrote about how the Gruffalo went global. In 2015 we wrote about the politics of children’s books in China. ■
本部分中的链接指向的文章很少有五岁儿童愿意听他们读，哪怕是一次。美国儿童读物是否变得更加醒目？一项研究发现，可能并非如此。但这本关于两只雄性企鹅孵蛋的书卷入了美国的文化战争。我们写了《咕噜牛》如何走向全球。2015 年，我们写了关于中国儿童读物政治的文章。 ■