Night Lunch

 
　　夜色壟罩下，喀噠喀噠，街道遠處駛來一輛神秘的馬車。空氣中飄盪起誘人香氣，勾起陣陣食慾，餐車裡的貓頭鷹端出一道道美味餐點，為狐狸來塊肉餡餅，給獾來份三明治……夜晚的動物們排著隊，等待享用美食。在街邊打掃的小老鼠，羨慕的看著午夜餐車和動物們，暗自盼望著會剛好有落下幾塊食物碎屑。當暗夜即將邁入尾聲，忙了一晚的疲憊貓頭鷹發現了在一旁發抖的小老鼠，原來還有場大餐在等待？一起分享美食，讓溫暖和感謝滿足心和胃，結束這美好一晚吧！褐色調的精細筆觸，鋪展出如夢境般的魔幻氛圍，為讀者獻上精緻的視覺感官盛宴。

　　*2022 New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books Winner*

　　Teach values of generosity, understanding and community with this calm and scrumptious story about a lunch cart that feeds the wildlife creatures in the local area.

　　Furry noses sniff the air as mouthwatering smells waft down city streets, luring growling bellies to the Night Owl. Inside this elegant, horse-drawn establishment, a feathery cook works the grill, serving up tasty dishes for shift workers and operagoers alike: a mince pie for Fox, a ham sandwich for Badger and puddings for little Possums.

　　Mouse, a poor street sweeper, watches as the line of customers swells, ever hopeful that someone will drop a morsel of food – but Owl’s cooking is far too delicious for more than a crumb to be found. As the evening’s service winds down, weary Owl spots trembling Mouse. Has he found his own night lunch, or will he invite this small sweeper inside for a midnight feast for two?

　　From the imagination of two acclaimed picture book creators, together for the first time, this dreamlike picture book is a magical ode to Victorian lunch wagons. With stark, feathery illustrations and minimal, poetic wording, the visuals are simple yet sweet. Evoking the sounds, sights, smells and tastes of the city at night, Night Lunch reveals how empathy and kindness as well as dignity and gratitude can be found – and savoured – in the most unexpected places.

　　ERIC FAN is an artist and writer who lives in Toronto, Canada. Born in Hawaii and raised in Toronto, he attended the Ontario College of Art and Design, where he studied illustration, sculpture and f ilm. He has a passion for vintage bikes, clockwork contraptions and impossible dreams. His children's books include The Night Gardener, The Antlered Ship and Ocean Meets Sky. See more of his work at society6.com/opifan64 and on Facebook (Eric Fan Illustration).

　　Dena Seiferling is a highly acclaimed picture book author and illustrator and needle-felt artist who graduated with a B.F.A. and Visual Communications Degree from the Alberta University of the Arts, where she now works as an instructor. She is the illustrator of King Mouse, which was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award, and its companion book Bear Wants to Sing. The Language of Flowers marked her exquisite debut as both author and illustrator.