In the process of children's growth and development, the sensitive period of interpersonal communication is a very important period. This not only reflects that children understand that people are connected by different relationships, but is also related to children's future interpersonal interactions. The picture book "Perfect Partner" is such a picture book about interpersonal communication. In this picture book, the young protagonist is not only learning the skills of interpersonal communication, but also completing the journey of self-discovery step by step.
The text writer of "The Perfect Partner" is Naomi Jones, who has been dealing with children's literature for many years and has a rich background in children's books. The illustrator James Jones is an award-winning art director and designer. The artist was once called a rising star in the illustration world by the British "Bookseller".
Although this is a picture book about interpersonal communication, the protagonist in the book is not a child, but a yellow triangle of various shapes, always walking on the road to find friends; and other triangles that briefly became Friends circle, square, hexagon.
The story unfolds as a triangle's journey to find friends. During this process, the triangle has always adhered to the inherent view that only those with the same shape can become good friends, and has been leaving other different shapes until it finds the one of its dreams. Only after becoming good friends do we realize that differences are also a form of "perfect pairing".
"Perfect Match" is a picture book about triangles looking for friends. In the story, triangles become friends with circles, squares, and hexagons, but later they play with other shapes because of triangles. You'll bump into them when you puzzle. Although other shapes thought it was okay, the triangle was very annoyed by this and felt that he was not suitable to be friends with them.
In the triangle mind, the place that really suits you is other triangles. He believes that the same graphics together are a perfect match.
In fact, the triangular friendship standard of "judging people by their appearance" represents the view of friendship of most people in society. In our concept, only like-minded people can become friends. However, the criteria for judging like-minded people are often very narrow. Family background, knowledge, and appearance are all important criteria for consideration, and we are often blinded by these external standards.
In "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", Hugo used bizarre and contrasting techniques to write an absurd story that took place in France in the 15th century. In this story, Quasimo is ugly and kind-hearted, and Claude Sanctimonious, Phoebus is beautiful and evil. Except for Esmeralda, in this story, the external standard is broken and cannot become the yardstick for judging the internal.
In "Perfect Partner", circles, squares, and hexagons keep saying "it doesn't matter" to the triangle, but the triangle is still very concerned about its own appearance. It didn't realize it until it found another group of triangles. I lacked some other friends, so I re-invited them as friends: "Are you still willing to play with me?"
The figures that were playing together again were using their own advantages to try to compete with other figures. A suitable match, and they had a lot of fun this time, just like Naomi Jones said at the end of the story: "Although triangles are not exactly the same as other shapes, they are still a perfect match."
Triangle has given up its insistence on external standards and has more good friends who can play together. It is because of the "differences" between these friends that the world is fun.
The most difficult thing for people in this world is to recognize themselves and find a path that suits them.
If you look at the picture book "Perfect Partner" vertically, you will find that it is a journey of self-discovery disguised as finding friends. The initial triangle has low self-esteem and stubbornness. Because it accidentally bumps into others, it will want to stay away. Just like us, after accidentally doing something that hurts a friend, it will escape and dare not face the friend, thus entering another friend. Circle, this pattern of making friends starts over and over again.
If you put it on a child, this is the child’s exploration of the rules for making friends. At the beginning, he didn’t know what the standards for making friends were, so he could only use his own standards to constantly test them. In the end, he I found the rules for making friends and learned how to get along with my friends.
In real life, it seems that most parents are particularly anxious about their children's friendship issues after their children enter kindergarten. They are worried that their children will not have friends in kindergarten, and they are also worried that their children will be bullied in kindergarten.
Of course, 3-4 year old children will also start to look for friends as they enter the sensitive period of interpersonal communication. But this process is not smooth sailing, and will be accompanied by different contradictions.
My son, who is in the bottom class of kindergarten, once told me on the way home that he would never play with XX again because XX hit him without saying sorry to him.
This is just like when the corners of a triangle collide with other shapes. Children always have conflicts when getting along, but they will play together again after a show of goodwill. In this process, children constantly revise their own standards for making friends and how to get along with them.
For parents, children are the directors of a relationship, and we are just bystanders. As a guide, we let our children find solutions to problems, just like the stars in "The Perfect Partner" The shape is the same. When the triangle is depressed, as a guide, enlighten him and guide him to find friends with the same shape and friends with different shapes. Instead of controlling or preaching, you can only guide and let him find his own solution to the problem.