Original Title 住在树上的猫 Text by Jiu Er Illustrations by Little Ten Pages 44 Age 3+ Published Dandelion November 2018 Sold Persian
One cat, two cats… (How many cats are there? I don’t know either.) They made the large tree their home. Perhaps a large tree can provide stray cats with the protection of a home. Though the cats kept their distance from people, they were deeply dependent on them: the old granny brought them water and food on a daily basis, and the small girl gazed at them calmly. In conclusion, they lived happily ever after in this great tree, chasing and playing with butterflies and mice and occasionally fighting with dogs because there was nothing else to do.
Everything was beautiful and serene, until one day… One cat, two cats… They walked away from the massive tree one by one. But there was one cat who refused to leave. He was clinging to the large tree. He was clinging to the hope of the future. When it came time for him to leave the big tree, he shed tears while conveying to the readers a deep sense of warmth and ease.
Stray casts frequently appear in our sights, curling up under roofs and hiding behind car hoods… They always have a difficult life in the city. Cats are soft and cuddly. Their presence adds a touch of warmth to the human world. Humans and all living species have a similar relationship in that when we embrace them, they return happiness and goodwill to us!
Take a look inside! This is a touching story about kindness and faith.
Award Selected as the excellent book of the Year recommended by the Iranian Ministry of Culture
Jiu Er was born in China’s northeast area and now lives in Beijing. She was devoted to sculptural design for many years and displayed her works at the International Sculpture Symposium on numerous occasions. Since 2012, she has concentrated on the creation of picture books. My Sister’s Big Pumpkin, Unable to Return Home, Wishing for a Serendipitous Encounter, Twelve Puppies, The Moose of Ewenki, Monster Mountain, and Don’t Jump Rope with A Frog are among her best-known works. Several of her pieces have been sold in foreign countries, including Hong Kong.
The exhibition “Hometown Encounter – Jiu Er’s Original Pictures Gallery” was held in the Capital Library of China in July 2015. She has acted as a judge for both the Golden Pinwheel Young Illustrators’ Competition at China’s Children Book Fair and the first Zhang Leping Picture Book Award in 2016. Her illustrations in Don’t Jump Rope with A Frog were nominated for an annual honorable mention in the Chinese Board on Books for Young People (CBBY), making Jiu Er the first female Chinese illustrator who is selected in the International Board of Books for Young People’s booklist (IBBY).
Little Ten was born in China’s northeast and currently resides in Hangzhou. She is Jiu Er’s younger sister and the author of this book. Despite the fact that she idolized Jiu Er and had admired her sister since childhood, she wasn’t as fond of sketching as her sister. She had never imagined herself as an illustrator while working in the media industry’s operations and planning sections. She and her family adopted a lively and adorable kitten named Niu Niu in 2016. Little Ten took up her pen and began drawing portraits of Niu Niu, which she found rather interesting. After completing a couple of photos and receiving praise and support from her sister, she began drawing cats on a daily basis and gradually fell in love with illustrating. Little Ten’s pictures, according to Jiu Er, have a sense of naivety. The Cats That Lived in the Tree was written by Jiu Er for Little Ten in 2017. It’s Little Ten’s first book. Little Ten has dedicated this book to her beloved son, Xiao Chung, in order to wish him well in his future endeavors.
从流浪猫的视角 讲述欢聚与别离 家不是一所房子 而是能和心爱的人幸福生活在一起
流浪猫和人保持距离，却有着深深的依赖感：老婆婆每天给它们带来食物和水，小女孩默默地关注着它们。它们幸福地住在这棵大树上，和蝴蝶、老鼠追逐玩耍，偶尔和狗打打架，反正闲着也是闲着。 一切平静而美好，直到有一天……
“一只猫、两只猫…… 几只猫（到底几只呢？ 我也不知道。） 它们以一棵大树为家。 也许对于流浪猫来说，大树可以给它们家的庇护。它们和人保持距离，却有着深深的依赖感：老婆婆每天给它们带来食物和水，小女孩默默地关注着它们。总之，它们幸福地住在这棵大树上，和蝴蝶、老鼠追逐玩耍，偶尔和狗打打架，反正闲着也是闲着。一切平静而美好。直到有一天……
一只猫、两只猫……它们陆续地离开了大树。可还有一只仍然坚守着，守着这棵大树，也守着一份期待。当它终于要离开这棵大树时，它落泪了，可读故事的我们却觉得深深的温暖和踏实。
这是一个温暖的故事，关于友善与信任。流浪猫常常出现在我们的视线里——蜷缩在屋檐下、藏在汽车的引擎盖下，穿行在水泥马路间……在城市里，它们一直生活得很艰难。猫，柔软而温暖，它们的存在是人类世界中温暖的一隅。其实，人类与所有生灵之间的关系都如此——当我们接纳它们时，它们会回馈给我们快乐和美好！”
入选伊朗文化部推荐年度优秀图书
九儿，生于东北，现居北京，从事雕塑设计多年，作品曾多次入选国际雕塑邀请展，2012年开始潜心创作绘本。主要作品有：《妹妹的大南瓜》《回不去的故乡》《想要正好的遇见》《十二只小狗》《鄂温克的驼鹿》《妖怪山》《不要和青蛙跳绳》。部分作品输出到多个国家和中国香港地区。2015年７月在首都图书馆举办＂故乡·遇见—九儿绘本原画展＂。曾担任中国上海国际童书展“金风车国际青年插画家大赛”评委、2016年第一届“张乐平绘本奖”评委。《不要和青蛙跳绳》中的插画，被国际儿童读物联盟 (IBBY) 中国区提名为年度荣誉作品，九儿也成为第一位入选国际儿童读物联盟荣誉书单的中国女画家。
小十，生于东北，现居杭州。画家九儿的亲妹妹，却并没有像姐姐那样自小酷爱绘画，而是相继在传媒行业从事运营、策划等工作，从来没想过有一天自己也能画画。2016年，家里收养了一只活泼可爱的小猫，取名妞妞。小十偶然拿起笔给妞妞画像，觉得很有趣，画了几张之后受到姐姐的赞赏和鼓励，她说小十的画有一种稚拙的味道。于是，每天开始画猫，渐渐爱上绘画带来的乐趣。2017年，姐姐九儿为小十写了这个故事——《住在树上的猫》。这是小十的第一本图画书。
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