【推荐1】The Best Books of 2020

On Monday, the American Library Association announced the top children’s books of 2020. Here are the winners.

Devotion

Author Clare Vanderpool took home the John Newbery Medal for  outstanding contribution to children’s literature for Moon over Manifest. The book is about a young girl’s magical adventures in a small Kansas town, in 1936.

Vanderpool said that she was shocked to learn that she had won. “You grow up reading legendary authors like Madeleine L’Engle, but I never expected to be put in a category with her,” Vanderpool told TFK. “It’s fabulous.”

Picture This

The picture book A Sick Day for Amos McGee won the Randolph Caldecott Medal. The book was illustrated by Erin E. Stead and written by her husband, Philip C. Stead. It tells the story of an elderly zookeeper and the animals that visit him when he’s not well enough to go to work.

“I love drawing animals and I love drawing people and I love drawing the emotional connection between animals and people,” said Stead.

More Honored Books

The Coretta Scott King award, given to an African-American author and illustrator of “outstanding books for children and young adults,” went to Rita Williams-Garcia for  One Crazy Summer. Set in 1968, the novel follows three sisters from Brooklyn, New York, who  visit their mother, a poet who ran away years ago and lives in California.

The king prize for best-illustrated work went to Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave. The book, which was written by Laban Carrick Hill and illustrated by Bryan Collier, tells the story of a skilled potter who engraved his poems on the clay pots and jars that he made. The enslaved potter, known only as Dave, lived in South Carolina in the 1800s.

【推荐3】Two decades ago, Tropical Storm Allison hit Houston. More than 70,000 houses were flooded, including the home of Sarah Feldman and her family.

At the time, they were in Connecticut on vacation, so they didn’t know what kind of damage they were going to face when they got home to Texas. But then Feldman’s grandparents called with bad news: all of her books had been destroyed in the flooding. Feldman was 14 at the time and loved reading.

To cheer her up, Feldman’s father took her to the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University. When they arrived, she started a conversation with Bill Carver, a man who worked at the library.

“I asked him a bunch of questions like, ‘How do you keep all these rare books? What’s the oldest book you have?’” Feldman remembered. Carver answered all of Feldman’s questions. When she told him about her books being destroyed, he told her that he would send her a book in the mail, so she could restart her collection.

After returning to Houston, she received his gift, titled The Medieval Book by Barbara Shailor. Carver included a note that read:

I have often thought of you and your family, and that terrible flood… As promised, with the letter is a rather scholarly book, which may be slightly mature(成熟) for your age, but I thought it might help you shape your new library collection. And as the years progress, this book may grow in value to you. Have a happy holiday season. Wish you and your loved ones all the best.

Yours,

Bill Carver

A lot has changed since Feldman received that book. Feldman is in her 30s now. She’s married and has a dog. But Carver’s gift has made a lifelong impact. “I’m interested in medieval art,” Feldman said. Feldman has tried to find Carver, but with no success. If she could speak to him today, she would like to tell him how much that small gesture meant to her.

【推荐1】Some new museums are opening around the world. Here are four of them.

The Parisian townhouse where the French singer Serge Gainsbourg lived has been closed off to the public since his death in 1991. This spring, though, it’ll finally open as a museum focusing on his life and work. The project has been led by his daughter and the main attraction will surely be Serge’s living area, with his piano and a huge collection of paintings.

This year, the National Museum of Norway will open in Oslo, becoming the largest museum in the Nordic countries. The museum collection includes 100, 000 objects, including the Norwegian Baldishol tapestry (挂毯) and a collection of Golden Age Flemish landscapes.

The rebuilding of the Art Gallery of New South Wales has cost a cool $177 million. Visitors enter via a huge glass wall, which hangs above a pair of oil tanks from the Second World War period. Torres Strait Islands’ artists’ artworks enjoy priority (优先权) in the new spaces.

Opening towards the end of the year, this new gallery in India was founded by businessman Abhishek Poddar. He’s known for his collection of art and photos and more than 18, 000 of his own pieces will be on show here. What’s more, the museum is going to have digital exhibits on its website, so you can get your culture enjoyment far away.

【推荐3】ARCTIC CIRCLE & NORTHERN LIGHTS TOUR

HIGHLIGHTS

Experience the Arctic Circle and amazing northern lights with us.

Cover a total of 400 miles in this 14-hour expedition.

Cross the broad Yukon River.

En-route, enjoy breathtaking views of Alaska, USA.

You may see moose, lynxes and foxes in their natural habitat.

ATTENTION: The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) is a natural phenomenon and can not be guaranteed. There is no refund (退款) if the Aurora Borealis does not appear.

PICKUP TIME

12:15 pm — 1:00 pm.

MEETING POINT

Your hotel in Fairbanks.

WHAT TO EXPECT

1:00 pm — Departure from Fairbanks.

Trans-Alaska-Pipeline. — Get a close-up view of the famous pipeline and learn interesting facts about the engineering and building period.

Arctic Circle — Have your picture taken at the Arctic Circle and receive your Arctic Circle Certificate.

Yukon River — Walk right to the edge of Alaska's most famous river.

3:00 pm — Arrival at your hotel in Fairbanks.

On the return journey to Fairbanks we pass many sites, which are perfect: for possible northern lights viewing.

We provide ham (or veggie) sandwich, chips, sweets, two bottles of water and hot drinks. Please feel free to bring extra food.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Cancellations 30 days ahead of tour date are subject to 5% banking charge.

Cancellations within 30 days are non-refundable.

IMPORTANT

A minimum of 2 people is required for online booking. Single travelers and short notice reservations (within 7 days of tour date) always' have to contact us for availability at info@1stAlaskaTours.com or 907-590-5900.