📖 Peppe the Lamplighter

Peppe, who was a young boy, lived in a little tenement in Little Italy. His family recently immigrated to New York City, but needed money, so Peppe was determined to get a job. When he was hired as a street lamp lighter, he and his sisters were ecstatic, but his dad thought otherwise; in fact, he was furious that his son had a job like that. Still, Peppa loved the joyful feeling of walking through the evening in New York and lightning lamps aflame. Each following night, he came home to an angry dad and plummeting self-confidence; Peppe decided he wanted to quit. One day, however, his sister, Assunta, didn't come home at night, and his typically angry father pleaded with him, "The job of lamplighter is an important job…you will make me proud." Reluctant at first, he thought of his loving sisters who would always support him, and he headed out. At the last streetlamp he lit, Peppe finally found Assunta, who was cuddled up in a ball from her fear of the dark. Walking back to his tenement, he held his head up high again, believing that "one small flame is a promise for tomorrow." Reason for Recommendation: This touching picture book perfectly captures the bustling in the sidewalks of New York streets in the early 1900s and the struggle and hopes of new immigrant families. The heartfelt story is also paired with beautiful modern lamp-lit illustrations!

小男孩Peppe和家人住在小意大利区的一间小公寓里,他们最近移民到美国纽约。一家人生活困难,所以Peppe决心找一份事儿做。当他找到一份点灯人的工作时,他和他的姐妹们高兴极了。可Peppe的父亲却不这么认为;事实上,他对儿子做这样的工作感到羞愧和愤怒。尽管如此,Peppe仍然喜欢在纽约的夜晚漫步,他享受点亮路灯的快乐。可是每晚回到家,Peppe都会面对愤怒的父亲,他的自信心也因此一落千丈。正当Peppe决定辞去点灯人的工作,有一天他的妹妹阿桑塔 (Assunta) 晚上没有回家。一贯严厉的父亲恳求他,说道,"点灯人的工作是一项重要的工作……我相信你会让我感到骄傲的"。起初Peppe不太情愿,但想到一直支持他的亲爱的姐妹们,他带着点灯人的使命外出寻找阿桑塔。当最后一盏街灯被点亮时,Peppe终于找到了因害怕黑暗而蜷缩成一团的阿桑塔。这一次,Peppe昂首挺胸走回到自己的公寓,他相信"每一盏路灯的小小火焰都是一个对明天的承诺"。 推荐理由:这个故事描述了二十世纪早期纽约街头的街灯和街景,以及新移民家庭的奋斗与希望。故事感人至深,书中的插图非常精美!