Alabama authors win ‘the Oscar of children’s books

阿拉巴馬作家贏得「兒童繪本奧斯卡獎」

Updated Feb 03, 2021; Posted Feb 03, 2021

更新於2021年2月3日；發布於2021年2月3日

Karim Shamsi-Basha and Irene Latham co-wrote "The Cat Man of Aleppo," a children's book that won the Caldecott Honor for 2021. (Photo courtesy of Karim Shamsi-Basha)

卡里姆．沙希巴夏和艾琳．萊瑟姆合著的兒童繪本「阿勒頗的貓人」贏得2021年凱迪克榮譽獎。(照片由卡里姆．沙希巴夏提供)

By Michelle Matthews | mmatthews@al.com 

Birmingham-area authors Karim Shamsi-Basha and Irene Latham recently learned that the children’s picture book they wrote together has been named a 2021 Caldecott Honor Book. “The Cat Man of Aleppo” was published in April of 2020 by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, with illustrations by Yuko Shimizu.

伯明罕區作家卡里姆．沙希巴夏和艾琳．萊瑟姆最近得知他們合著的兒童繪本已獲得2021年凱迪克榮譽獎。《阿勒頗的貓人》 已於2020年4月由G.P.Putnam's Sons出版，清水裕子繪圖。

The book had been well received, earning five-star reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist. But then, on a Zoom call, their editor told them it was a Caldecott Honor Book – “like the Oscar of children’s books,” Karim said.

這本書很受歡迎，獲得出版商周刊及書單五顆星評論。不過之後，在一通Zoom電話中，他們的編輯告訴他們這本書獲得凱迪克榮譽獎—如同兒童繪本的奧斯卡獎。

“It’s super-validating and just an honor,” said Irene. “It doesn’t get better than the Newbery or the Caldecott.”

「這是非常好的認證，真的很光榮。」艾琳說，「沒有什麼比紐伯瑞或凱迪克更好了的。」

Both awards for children’s literature are presented by the American Library Association. In addition to one Caldecott Medal winner, only four books received the Caldecott Honor Book designation. The winners were announced on Jan. 25.

這兩項兒童文學獎都是由美國國家圖書館協會所頒贈，除了一個凱迪克獎贏家，只有四本書獲得凱迪克榮譽獎，獲獎者名單在1月25日公布。

“It’s by far the biggest thing that’s ever happened to me,” said Karim, a native of Damascus, Syria, who has lived in the United States since 1984. “I never expected anything like this.”

「這是到目前為止發生在我身上最重大的事，」卡里姆說，生於敘利亞的大馬士革，自1984年起定居美國，「我從未期待過像這樣的事。」

Inspired by a true story, "The Cat Man of Aleppo" is one of only four Caldecott Honor books for 2021. (Photo courtesy of Karim Shamsi-Basha)

取材於真實故事，《阿勒頗的貓人》是2021年四本凱迪克榮譽書之一。(照片由卡里姆沙希巴夏提供)

The idea for the book came about in 2016, when, while scrolling through Twitter, Irene learned of the big-hearted Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel, who had earned the nickname “Il Gattaro d’Aleppo,” or “the cat man of Aleppo.” When civil war broke out in Syria in 2012, Alaa, who previously worked as an electrician, had a chance to flee the country but chose to stay in his beloved city of Aleppo.

這本書的靈感源於2016年，艾琳在推特上瀏覽時，得知這位大心的穆罕默德．阿拉．阿爾賈里爾，那時他已得到一個綽號「阿勒頗的貓人」(義大利文 "Il Gattaro d’Aleppo" 或英文 "the cat man of Aleppo")。2012年敘利亞內戰爆發之前，阿拉是一名電工，他有機會逃離這個國家，但他選擇留在他深愛的城市阿勒頗。

He became an ambulance driver and paramedic as war raged around him. As residents abandoned their pets, Alaa started using what little money he had to buy meat to feed the many stray cats. Eventually, he built a shelter for them that turned into a sanctuary.

後來當戰爭在他周遭肆虐，他轉當救護車司機和醫護人員。因為居民遺棄他們的寵物，阿拉開始用他僅有的一點錢買肉餵食許多流浪貓，最後，他蓋了一間收容所，後來變成避難所。

Meanwhile, news had spread of his rescue efforts, and people from around the world started helping him achieve his dream of saving as many cats as possible. “In the midst of such horrifying news every day, that news item was so beautiful,” Irene said.

在此同時，他努力救援的消息已經傳開，世界各地的人們開始幫助他完成盡可能解救更多貓的夢想。「在每天各種可怕的新聞之中，那則新聞是如此美好。」艾琳說。

She knew Alaa was the perfect hero for a children’s book – and she knew just who could help her make it happen. “Karim instantly blinked into my mind,” she said. “I knew he would be a wonderful partner.”

她知道阿拉會是完美的童書英雄，她也知道誰能幫她實現。「卡里姆瞬間在我腦海裡閃現，」她說，「我知道他會是個很棒的夥伴。」

When she told Karim her idea, he was immediately interested in helping. He contacted Alaa, speaking to him in Arabic. “We had to let him know we wanted to write about him. He said he would be honored,” said Karim.

當她把自己的想法告訴卡里姆，他立刻很感興趣地幫忙。他與阿拉聯繫，用阿拉伯語跟他溝通。「我們必須讓他了解我們想要寫一本關於他的書，他說他深感榮幸。」卡里姆說。

Alaa also wrote an introduction to the book, which appears in Arabic and English. “Remember,” he wrote, “both people and animals suffer pain, and all of them deserve compassion. Together we can make the world a better place!”

阿拉為這本書寫了引言，以阿拉伯文和英文雙語呈現。「記住，」他寫道，「人與動物都在受苦，都值得同情。只要我們一起努力，世界就會成為更好的地方。」

Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel, known as "the cat man of Aleppo," holds a little girl in his orphanage as they react to the news that the children's book about him won a Caldecott Honor. (Photo courtesy of Karim Shamsi-Basha)被稱為《阿勒頗的貓人》的穆罕默德．阿拉．阿爾賈里爾抱著孤兒院裡的小女孩，對關於他的兒童繪本獲得凱迪克榮譽獎的消息做出回應。(照片由卡里姆．沙希巴夏提供)

Their book, “The Cat Man of Aleppo,” was sold to the publisher within 24 hours, and Yuko Shimizu was hired to illustrate it. She spent several months researching Aleppo and making sure she got the details, from head dressings to shoes, correct. “I can’t say enough about Yuko’s illustrations,” said Karim. “She made our story come alive.”

他們的書《阿勒頗的貓人》在24小時內就賣給出版商，聘請清水裕子為書插畫。她花了好幾個月研究阿勒頗，以確定她能掌握細節——從頭飾到鞋子——的正確性。「裕子的插圖好得沒話說，她使我們的故事鮮活起來。」

For Karim, sharing something so positive about his native Syria made the book a golden opportunity. “Humanity can exist in the middle of war,” he said. “This guy’s like a saint. He’s just amazing.”

對卡里姆而言，分享他的祖國敘利亞正面積極的事情為這本書創造了黃金的機會。「在戰爭中，人性依然能夠存在，」他說，「這傢伙是個聖徒，他實在太了不起了。」

Thanks to worldwide donations, Alaa has relocated the sanctuary, known as Ernesto’s Paradise, to the Syrian-Turkish border. He has built a playground for refugee and orphan children who have known nothing but war throughout their lives. And he uses the rescued animals for pet therapy for the children.

多虧了世界各地的捐款，阿拉已將避難所「歐內斯托的天堂」遷到敘利亞-土耳其邊境，他為難民和除了戰爭一無所知的孤兒蓋了一座遊樂場，他還用救來的動物為孩子們做寵物治療。

A cat rests on the desk of a child in Alaa's orphanage in Syria. (Photo courtesy of Karim Shamsi-Basha)在敘利亞阿拉的孤兒院裡，一隻貓正趴在一個孩子的桌上休息。(照片由卡里姆．沙希巴夏提供)

As soon as the Caldecott award was announced, Karim notified Alaa, who sent photos of children from the orphanage posing with posters of the book’s cover. Alaa has never received an actual copy of the book because mail isn’t allowed into Syria, said Irene. “It’s a dream to get all the kids there a copy. I hope the situation will continue to improve.”

凱迪克獎一公布，卡里姆便告知阿拉，阿拉從孤兒院寄了孩子與書封海報合影的照片，「阿拉從未得到一本真正的書，因為郵件無法遞送到敘利亞，」艾琳說，「我夢想能讓那裡的每個孩子都擁有一本書，希望情況能持續改善。」

Irene spent a couple of years living in Saudi Arabia as a child and traveled around the world with her family. “It really shaped me,” she said. “I have a huge love for other cultures. I believe so passionately that children need global stories. Syria is so often maligned. This book gives kids an open door to people doing beautiful things.”

艾琳小時候在沙烏地阿拉伯住了幾年，她和家人一起到世界各地旅行。「旅行塑造了我，」她說，「我對不同文化有著極大的熱愛，我熱切地相信孩子需要全球性的故事。敘利亞經常被惡意中傷，這本書為孩子開啟一扇門，讓他們知道人可以行善。」

“The award is great, and the publicity is great, but I go back to the message that Muslims are human,” said Karim, whose late father was poet laureate of Syria. His mother, sister, and brother still live there, and “life is very, very hard” for them, he said.

「這個獎很棒，宣傳也很棒，但我還是要回到故事本身所要傳達的信息，穆斯林也是人，」卡里姆說，他已故的父親曾獲得敘利亞的詩人獎，他的母親、姊姊、弟弟仍住在那裡，「他們的日子非常非常艱難。」他說。

Still, Karim tries to look for beauty in everything. “Love is always there,” he said. “All you have to do is look for it.”

一如以往，卡里姆依然嘗試在一切事物中尋找美，「愛一直都在，」他說，「你所要做的就是尋找它。」

For information on how to help Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel’s efforts to help animals and children in Syria, go to https://myevent.com/Alaawork.

如果想了解如何幫助穆罕默德．阿拉．阿爾賈里爾和敘利亞的孩子，請到 https://myevent.com/Alaawork.