Ann Estelle is very busy working on The List. The Queen of Christmas knows there's nothing more important! How else can she get all the things she really wants?
As the Christmas countdown moves along, there's so much for the Queen to do! Sledding, baking, singing, trimming the tree.... Ann Estelle wants to enjoy every minute. But will she manage to get The List finished in time for Santa? What's the lesson Ann Estelle really learns?
Festive artwork, brimming with good cheer and cozy detail,invites readers into Ann Estelle's world as Mary Engelbreit tells an unforgettable, merry, and heart-warming Christmas story.
Greeting card designer Mary Engelbreit, who transitioned into picture book illustrator with best-selling The Night Before Christmas, pens the first of a series of stories about likable young Ann Estelle. Ann, the self-appointed Queen of Christmas, has been working on "The List" since just after Christmas last year. After all, if she forgets anything, "that would make Christmas not quite as wonderful as it should be." So, although she has a marvelous time ice-skating with Grandma, perhaps a sparkly red skating outfit would make it better. And going sledding with her father on his old wooden sled is great, but still, it might be nice to have a brand-new plastic one.
It might sound as though Ann Estelle should really be called the Spoiled Princess of Christmas, but in truth, she’s just a normal little girl bedazzled by the "golden gift-getting opportunity" of Christmas. And--with no parental prodding whatsoever--our little heroine closes the story with the kind of moral every parent would like to hear: "Oh, Dad, it’s not just the presents that matter. Don’t you know that?" (Ages 4 to 8)
--Emilie Coulter
PreSchool-During the seven days before Christmas, Ann Estelle engages in fun activities like baking cookies and going ice-skating. Most importantly, she continues to add items to the wish list that she has been keeping since last year. On Christmas day, she finally realizes that it's the fun she has had with family and friends, and not the presents, that is the most important part of the holiday. The illustrations, in typical Engelbreit style, are flat and stiff, but colorful and quirky enough to have child appeal. The story, however, is too uneventful and staid to invite repeat readings.
-E. M.
Mary Engerbreit grew up studying the illustrations in the vintage storybooks of her mother's childhood, and she developed a unique style that harkens back to those simpler times. When Mary began her carrer, her greeting cards were an instant success, and now her distinctive images have made her a celebrity to millions who eagerly snap up gift items, calendars, books, fabrics, and more.
Mary's dearest wish has always been to illustrate for children. Her edition of The Night Before Christmas positively glows with the sense of wonder, spirited wit, and nostalgic warmth that is is her signature around the world. Now, here is the first of a charming series of stories about Mary Engelbreit's irrepressible alter ego. Ann Estelle.
length: (cm)26.2 width:(cm)23
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这本小说简直是假日季的一股清流,完全不是那种甜腻到齁人的老套路。作者的叙事功力一流,构建了一个极为真实可信的北欧小镇背景,那种常年积雪、壁炉噼啪作响的画面感扑面而来。故事的核心冲突设定得非常巧妙,围绕着一场古老的圣诞节传统展开,牵扯出几代人的恩怨情仇。我特别喜欢主角团的塑造,他们都不是那种完美无缺的“好人”,每个人都有自己的阴影和坚持,尤其那位老奶奶的角色,简直是全书的灵魂人物,她对待传统近乎偏执的坚守,与新一代想要打破常规的冲动形成了绝妙的张力。书中对细节的描摹达到了令人发指的地步,比如描绘制作某种传统圣诞点心时的气味、温度,甚至连阳光穿过冰晶折射出的光影都栩栩如生。虽然故事节奏偏慢,但这种缓慢恰到好处地烘托出小镇生活的沉静与内敛,让人心甘情愿地沉浸其中。读完后,感觉自己好像真的去那里度过了一个漫长而又充满惊喜的圣诞节,心灵得到了极大的净化和慰藉。强烈推荐给喜欢深度文学和细腻情感描写的读者。
评分说实话,我一开始对这本书抱有很高的期望,因为它被誉为某个文学奖项的遗珠,但读完后我必须承认,它确实配得上所有的赞誉。它的世界观构建非常庞大且细致入微,仿佛作者是这个架空世界唯一的见证者和记录人。书中的“奇幻”元素处理得极其克制,它们并非是推动剧情的工具,而更像是环境本身的一部分,融入在那些古老的习俗和自然的法则之中,不突兀,不喧宾夺主。这种“含蓄的魔力”让整个故事笼罩着一层永恒的神秘感。最让我动容的是它对“牺牲”主题的探讨,不是那种英雄主义的壮烈牺牲,而是日常生活中那些微小、却决定性的自我放弃。这种内敛的力量比任何宏大的场面都更具穿透力。我建议读者一定要在安静的环境下阅读,因为任何外界的干扰都会让你错过那些隐藏在文字之间的低语和暗示。
评分我必须得说,这本书的文学价值远超一般的节日读物。它的语言风格非常古典且富有诗意,读起来有一种朗诵史诗的庄重感,但同时又不失现代叙事的流畅性。我印象最深的是关于“记忆”和“时间”的处理。作者似乎并不满足于线性叙事,而是频繁地在过去和现在之间穿梭,每一次跳跃都伴随着一种象征意义的意象,比如一盏永不熄灭的煤油灯,或者一幅被尘封的油画。这种结构要求读者必须高度集中注意力,否则很容易迷失在时间的长廊里。其中探讨的主题相当深刻,涉及到了身份认同、地方主义的消亡与坚守,以及个体在宏大历史面前的渺小。虽然情节推进相对克制,但每一次关键事件爆发时的冲击力却异常强大,像冰面下暗涌的激流。对于那些寻求阅读挑战,不满足于轻松愉快的“爆米花”故事的读者来说,这本书绝对是值得反复品读的佳作。它成功地将地域文化、哲学思考和引人入胜的故事融为一炉。
评分这本书读起来需要耐心,但回报是巨大的。它不是那种读完就扔在一边的消遣读物,而更像是一部需要被时间沉淀的作品。作者在语言节奏的控制上简直是个大师,有的章节长达数页,仿佛在描绘一幅缓慢移动的全景图,充满了对自然力量的敬畏;而有的关键对话,却短促得像是两把冰锥的撞击,瞬间划破了宁静。我发现自己常常会停下来,回味某些句子,因为它们具有多重含义,并且与前面或后面的段落产生了奇妙的呼应。这种反复阅读带来的惊喜感,是当下快餐文学中很难找到的体验。这本书的核心,我认为是关于“寻找归属感”的永恒主题,角色们为了追寻或重建一个“家园”,付出了常人难以想象的代价。它不仅讲述了一个故事,更像是提供了一种看待世界的方式,一种更深沉、更具历史厚重感的视角。
评分这本书的结构实在太令人惊艳了!我很少读到这样能够将多重叙事线索编织得如此天衣无缝的作品。它就像一件极其复杂的挂毯,初看之下只觉得色彩斑斓,细看之下才能发现每一根丝线是如何精准地与其他丝线连接起来的。我们跟随几条看似不相关的生命轨迹,从一个贫困的渔村到一个繁华的都市,最终在那个关键的冬至之夜汇集。作者对人物内心独白的捕捉极其精准,那种微妙的、难以言喻的情绪变化,通过简短却有力的文字表现出来,令人拍案叫绝。我尤其欣赏作者没有急于给出明确的“答案”或道德评判。它只是呈现了生活的复杂性,让读者自己去面对和接受那些模糊的地带。阅读过程像是在解一个精致的谜题,每揭开一层,都会对整体的图景有更深的理解。如果你对叙事结构和心理描写感兴趣,这本书绝对能满足你对“精妙”的所有想象。
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