The Boy, the Troll and the Chalk

 
      大家都說洞穴裡住了一個巨大、暴躁的怪物，「走開！」他的怒氣，讓每個人都躲得遠遠的。一個男孩卻不怕，用粉筆在洞口畫了一朵漂亮的花，留下一個花瓣沒上色，默默地把畫畫用的粉筆，留在花朵旁。第二天，所有的花瓣都塗上了漂亮的粉彩！於是，男孩每天跑到洞口，和洞裡的怪物接力完成一幅又一幅塗鴉。直到他們畫出了一個男孩，和一個兇巴巴的大怪物，手牽著手。男孩宣告：「你才不是怪物哩！我知道你是個男孩，就像我一樣。」男孩的耐心和善良，軟化了塵封已久的心，洞裡的他終於願意走到外頭來，和男孩一起畫畫。附近的小孩全都好奇地慢慢聚集了過來，大夥兒盡情地在地上塗鴉，全都忘了洞穴曾經很可怕。
     
      得獎插畫家大衛．里奇斐德（David Litchfield）為安．布斯（Ann Booth）溫柔、充滿希望的故事，增添了美麗的色彩。細膩呈現出人在退縮、孤立的困境中，有人願意主動釋出善意、耐心地陪伴關懷，是多麼地可貴，以及藝術撫慰人心的神奇力量。

Everybody knew that a big fierce troll lived in the cave.
"Leave me alone!" it yelled.
So everybody did.

　　Only one child cannot turn their back on the troll at the edge of the playground. One day, he takes his chalks up to the mouth of the cave. He draws a flower with every petal coloured in but one, and leaves the chalk behind. The next day, the flower has been completed. Day-by-day, the boy and the troll finish each other's drawings, until they each draw a portrait, showing a boy holding hands with a fierce, scary troll. "But you're not a troll," says the boy. "You're a boy - just like me."

　　Patience, kindness and the power of art win out in the end: the two boys wordlessly draw together. Soon all the other children gather to join in with the game. Everyone forgets that there was a troll inside the cave. Because outside the cave, there is so much to draw.

　　This touching story shows the power of kindness, art and imagination, in the face of isolation and difficult emotions, and delicately embodies the philosophy of art therapy. From the creative duo behind A Shelter for Sadness, award-winning artist David Litchfield's illustrations bring life and colour to this gentle tale of hope and friendship by Anne Booth. The beautiful, textured illustrations are also a joyful celebration of pavement art that is sure to have little ones reaching for their own chalks.

Anne Booth writes highly acclaimed children's fiction and picture books and is known for the exceptional warmth and authenticity of her writing. Her picture books include Refuge, illustrated by Sam Usher, and Little Cloud, illustrated by Sarah Massini.

David Litchfield is a multi-award-winning illustrator and author. His work has appeared in magazines, newspapers, books and on T-shirts, and he has exhibited his illustrations in the UK, Europe and America. David is the author/illustrator of several picture books including The Bear & the Piano, winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize.