【無字繪本大師】機器人和被遺忘的動物園The Last Zookeeper

 
　　地球被大洪水淹沒，視野中唯一可見人類留下的痕跡，就是大半被浸在水中的建築。在一片氾濫的景象中，有著一個手臂上寫著「NOA」的高大黃色機器人，還有一座被遺忘的動物園。善良的機器人NOA於是為自己找到一個新任務，那就是照顧這群陷入困境中的動物。
 
　　雨又開始落下，海平面逐漸上漲，在下一波的災難來臨前，NOA從殘骸中打造了一艘方舟，並將長頸鹿、貓熊、老虎、大象等動物一一帶上方舟。他們一起踏上旅程，尋找新的土地和家園，而在尋找希望的過程中，竟遇見了意想不到的幫助……　
 
　　The Last Zookeeper是一本無字的繪本，由曾以《旅程》（Journey）榮獲美國凱迪克榮譽獎的艾隆．貝克（Aaron Becker）創作。在這則動人的科技寓言中，他以細膩的圖畫描繪屬於我們這個時代的諾亞方舟，訴說在災難中留存下的美好與希望，正如書中引用自珍古德的話語「唯有當我們了解，才會關心；唯有當我們關心，才會伸出援手；唯有當我們伸出援手，才能獲得救贖。」

A master of the wordless form imagines a futuristic Noah’s Ark in a luminous sci-fi parable for our changing world.

　　The Earth has flooded. The only signs of humankind are the waterlogged structures they left behind. Peeking out from the deluge are the remnants of a zoo, home to rare and endangered animals, survivors of long neglect. Tender-hearted NOA is a construction robot who’s found new purpose as the caretaker of the zoo’s beleaguered inhabitants. Bracing for the next storm, NOA builds an ark from the wreckage in search of new land, only to discover something even more profound. With boundless compassion and sweeping scenes of sea and sky punctuated by detailed wordless panels to pore over, Caldecott Honor–winning creator Aaron Becker delivers a timely and concrete message about the rewards of caring in even the most difficult of times that is sure to inspire the dreamers among us.

Aaron Becker is the best-selling author of the wordless picture book Journey, which won the Caldecott Honor. He has written and illustrated many other books for children young and old, including One Sky, The Tree and the River, The Last Zookeeper and Winter Light. When he’s not home with his wife and two daughters, he can be found creating something new in his backyard studio in Massachusetts. Aaron is online at storybreathing.com, and on Instagram and X as @storybreathing.