Seedfolks

　　貧窮破落的社區，街頭暴力頻傳，居民彼此冷漠以待。一個東方小女孩在社區的空地埋下六顆賴馬豆，希望天上的父親會望見她種的豆子蹦出地面，讓他知道她是他的女兒。

　　這小小單純的舉動，觸發了其他人內心深處的想望。不分年齡、種族和境遇，居民紛紛在這塊堆滿垃圾的空地種下希望的花果樹。

　　人與人的關係，就在這荒蕪廢棄空地的植豆、種花、拾葉、摘果動作中牽連、蔓延和活絡起來。他們跨越人與人之間的藩籬，超越了種族的隔閡與刻板的偏見，在情感的交流中體會了生命的歡喜。

　　本書中譯版《撒種人》由晨星出版。

ALA Best Book for Young Adults ∙ School Library Journal Best Book ∙ Publishers Weekly Best Book ∙ IRA/CBC Children’s Choice ∙ NCTE Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts

A Vietnamese girl plants six lima beans in a Cleveland vacant lot. Looking down on the immigrant-filled neighborhood, a Romanian woman watches suspiciously. A school janitor gets involved, then a Guatemalan family. Then muscle-bound Curtis, trying to win back Lateesha. Pregnant Maricela. Amir from India. A sense of community sprouts and spreads.

Newbery-winning author Paul Fleischman uses thirteen speakers to bring to life a community garden’s founding and first year. The book’s short length, diverse cast, and suitability for adults as well as children have led it to be used in countless one-book reads in schools and in cities across the country.

Seedfolks has been drawn upon to teach tolerance, read in ESL classes, promoted by urban gardeners, and performed in schools and on stages from South Africa to Broadway.

The book’s many tributaries--from the author’s immigrant grandfather to his adoption of two brothers from Mexico--are detailed in his forthcoming memoir, No Map, Great Trip: A Young Writer’s Road to Page One.

＂The size of this slim volume belies the profound message of hope it contains.＂ --Christian Science Monitor

And don’t miss Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, the Newbery Medal-winning poetry collection!

作者簡介

保羅．佛萊希曼 (Paul Fleischman)

　　1952年生於美國加州蒙特雷，在濱海的聖塔莫尼加長大，曾就讀於柏克萊加州大學和新墨西哥大學，熱愛歷史、音樂、自然科學，著有許多備受矚目的青少年讀物，包括Graven Images（獲紐伯瑞銀牌獎）、Path of The Pale Horse、Coming-and-Going Man、Bull Run（獲史考特歐迪獎）、I am Phoenix、Joyful Noise（獲紐伯瑞金牌獎）等。

　　Paul Fleischman grew up in Santa Monica, California in a house with a printing press, a grand piano, a shortwave radio, and his father—children’s author Sid Fleischman. Playing recorder in early music consorts led to his books of verbal duets—I Am Phoenix, Joyful Noise (winner of the 1989 Newbery Medal), and Big Talk. His novels built from monologues include Bull Run, a 16-character account of the Civil War's first battle, and Seedfolks—the chronicle of the first year of a Cleveland community garden. His interest in theater inspired his young adult novels Mind's Eye, Seek, and Breakout, all of which revolve around the spoken word. His historical fiction includes Saturnalia and The Borning Room. He's written nonfiction and picture books as well, including Time Train, Weslandia, and Sidewalk Circus.

　　Alongside the Newbery Medal, he's won a Newbery Honor Book, the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, the PEN West Literary Award, the California Young Reader Medal, and most recently was a finalist for the 2003 National Book Award. He makes his home in the village of Aromas, California.