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今天要分享的是一本关于“接纳”的绘本故事《Elmer》，中文名叫《花格子大象》。
花格子大象
每个孩子群体中总会有一些个性鲜明的孩子，他们与众不同，也常常会因为这样而感到不自在，甚至有些自卑。
我要跟大家分享这本绘本，这个故事会引导孩子接纳每个人的不同特质，让孩子意识到另类特征也具有美好意义，不论是自己的还是他人的。
花格子大象艾玛天生与众不同，它不是灰色的，而是五颜六色的。虽然它是大家的开心果，经常为象群带来欢声笑语，但是它自己却不喜欢自己的“不同”。
终于有一天，艾玛离开了象群，走进了长满莓果的灌木丛，用莓果汁覆盖了身上的颜色。
可当它重新回到象群中后，发现大家不再像以前那样欢乐了，日子也变得沉闷。它看着沉默、没有笑容的同伴们，终于决定要重新变回大家的开心果。
共读这本书，我会告诉我的孩子：
接纳自己的不完美，认真做自己，一切都是命运最好的安排。
这个故事的句子有点长，读的时候要放慢速度，把焦点放在故事内容的理解上。不要着急读句子，带孩子慢慢感受故事里的美好。
下面大家跟我一起看一下故事吧：
There was once a herd of elephants. Elephants young, elephants old, elephants tall or fat or thin.
从前有一群大象，他们有的年轻，有的年老，有的高，有的胖，有的瘦。
Elephants like this, that or the other, all different but all happy and all the same colour. All, that is, except Elmer.
大象们有的喜欢这样，有的喜欢那样或其它样，各不相同但他们很开心，他们都是一样的颜色。全都这样，除了艾玛。
Elmer was different.
艾玛是与众不同的。
Elmer was patchwork.
艾玛是花格子的。
Elmer was yellow and orange and red and pink and purple and blue and green and black and white.
艾玛身上有黄色，有橙色，有红色，有粉色，有紫色，有蓝色，有绿色，有黑色，有白色。
Elmer was not elephant color.
艾玛不是大象的颜色。
It was Elmer who kept the other elephants happy.
艾玛是其它大象的开心果。
Sometimes he joked with the other elephants, sometimes they joked with him.
有时候他逗其它大象开心，有时候大家也来逗他。
But if there was even a little smile, it was usually Elmer who started it.
但只要有一点笑声，通常都是由艾玛开始引起的。
One night Elmer couldn't sleep for thinking, and the think that he was thinking was that he was tired of being different.
有一天晚上，艾玛因为想东西而睡不着，他所想的是他厌倦了自己和大家不一样。
"Whoever heard of a patchwork elephant?" he thought. "No wonder they laugh at me."
“谁听说过花格子的大象呢？”他想，“怪不得大家笑话我了。”
In the morning before the others were really awake, Elmer slipped away quietly, unnoticed.
早上在其它人醒过来之前，艾玛趁没有人注意悄悄地溜走了。
As he walked through the jungle, Elmer met other animals.
艾玛一路上穿过森林，遇到了别的动物。
They always said:"Good morning, Elmer." Each time, Elmer smiled and said:"Good morning."
他们总是说，“艾玛，早上好。”每一次，艾玛也笑着回答：“早上好。”
After a long walk， Elmer found what he was looking for - a large bush.
走了很久，艾玛终于找到了他要找的东西——一片大的灌木丛。
A large bush covered with elephant- coloured berries.
一个长满了大象颜色的莓果的灌木。
Elmer caught hold of the bush and shook it and shook it so that the berries fell on the ground.
艾玛抓住灌木摇啊摇，摇得树上的莓果全部掉到地上。
Once the ground was covered in berries, Elmer lay down and rolled over and over- this way and that way and back again.
当莓果掉满了地，艾玛躺下在上面打滚，翻来覆去，来来回回。
Then he picked up bunches of berries and rubbed himself all over, covering himself with berry juice until there wasn't a sigh of any yellow, or orange, or red, or pink, or purple, or blue, or green, or black, or white.
然后他又抓起一把把的莓果，擦满全身，用果汁覆盖住身上的标志，直到再也看不见任何黄色、橙色、红色、粉色、紫色、蓝色、绿色、黑色和白色。
After that Elmer set off back to the herd. On the way, he passed the other animals again.
在那之后，艾玛又回到象群中去了。在路上，他再一次经过其它的动物。
This time each one said to him: "Good morning, elephant." And each time Elmer smiled and said: "Good morning," pleased that he wasn't recognised.
这一次大家都对他说：“早上好啊，大象。”而每一次艾玛都笑着回答：“早上好。”很开心的是大家并没有认出他。
When Elmer rejoined the other elephants, they were all standing quietly. None of them noticed Elmer as he worked his way to the middle of the herd.
当艾玛返回象群，大家全部都安静地站着，艾玛一路走到象群中间，没有一个人注意到他。
After a while Elmer felt that something was wrong. But what?
过了一会儿，艾玛觉得有什么不对劲儿。
是怎么回事呢？
He looked around: same old jungle, same old bright sky, same old rain cloud that came over from time to time and lastly same old elephants. Elmer looked at them.
他看了看周围：还是和原来一样的森林，还是和原来一样的晴朗的天空，还是和原来一样的雨云时不时地飘过来，最后大象也还是和原来一样的大象。艾玛看着他们。
The elephants were standing absolutely still. Elmer had never seen them so serious before.
这些大象站着真是一动不动，艾玛从来没有看见他们这样严肃过。
The more he looked at the serious, silent, still, standing elephants, the more he wanted to laugh.
他越看这些严肃的、沉默的、静止地站立着的大象，他就越想笑。
Finally he could bear it no longer. He lifted his trunk and at the top of his voice shouted: BOOO!
最后他实在忍不住了，他扬起他的鼻子并用尽力气喊了一声：噗！
The elephants jumped and fell all ways in surprise.
大象们惊讶地跳得老高，跌出好远。
"Oh my gosh and golly!" they said and then saw Elmer, helpless with laughter.
“噢我的天哪！”他们说道，然后看见艾玛笑到停不下来。
“Elmer,” they said. "It must be Elmer."
“艾玛，”他们说，“肯定是艾玛。”
Then the other elephants laughed too, as they had never laughed before.
然后其它的大象也笑了，他们以前从来没有笑得这样厉害。
As they laughed, the rain cloud burst and when the rain fell on Elmer, his patchwork started to show again.
正当他们笑着时，下起雨来了，当雨水落到艾玛身上时，他的花格子又露出来了。
The elephants still laughed as Elmer was washed back to normal.
当艾玛恢复正常时，大象们还在笑。
"Oh Elmer," gasped an old elephant." You've played some good jokes, but this has been the biggest laugh of all. It didn't take you long to show your true colours."
“噢艾玛，”一只老象喘着气说，“你开过很多很好的玩笑，但这一次是最好笑的。这才没过多久，你真正的颜色就原形毕露了。”
"We must celebrate this day every year," said another. "This will be Elmer's Day. All elephants must decorate themselves and Elmer will decorate himself elephant colour."
“我们一定要每年都庆祝今天这个日子，”另一只象说，“这天就叫做艾玛日，所有的大象都必须装扮自己成艾玛的颜色，而艾玛要装扮成大象的颜色。”
That is exactly what the elephants do. On one day a year they decorate themselves and parade.
大象们也是这样做的。每一年的某一天，他们装扮自己并且进行游行。
On that day if you happen to see an elephant ordinary elephant colour, you will know it must be Elmer.
在那一天如果你碰巧看见一只普通大象颜色的象，你就会知道，他一定是艾玛。
大象Elmer是孩子们非常喜欢的童书角色，可能很多家长给孩子读过它的中文版本。
其实无论读哪一个版本，有益的故事都会带给孩子同样的心灵滋养，为小朋友的性格塑造带来帮助和启发。
希望大家喜欢今天的分享，有任何想法欢迎在留言区和我交流～
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