
這本書描寫的是父子親情,書中藉著兒子對父親提出的各種疑問,父親逐一回答來表現出父親對兒子深厚的感情。在現代台灣社會中,對很多父親而言,似乎仍不是很容易將「愛」直接說出口,大部份仍是透過不同的方式來表達對孩子的愛,「鐵漢柔情」的爸爸們,何不偶爾也像媽媽們一樣直接表達對孩子的愛呢?適合5歲以上兒童閱讀。The creators of the wildly popular Mama, Do You Love Me 1991), featuring an Inuit mother and daughter, focus on another indigenous culture to tell a simple tale of parental love. This time, the characters are a Masai father and son. While herding cattle, a boy tests his father's affection with a question game that fans of Mama will recognize: "Papa, do you love me? . . . How much? . . . How long?" Each time, Papa answers with reassuring words that reference Masai life: "I love you more than the warrior loves to leap." Lavallee's delicately shaded watercolors in brilliant reds and sunlit golds extend the story' warm sentiments, and children will enjoy spotting the many animals in the pictures. An annotated glossary offers more information about the Masai's traditional culture. Few picture books star African fathers and sons, and this one, like Mama, will probably draw a large, devoted following for its strong message of unconditional love. For more books about fathers and sons, see the Read-alikes, "A Day with Dad," in the June 2005 issue. Gillian Engberg
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