「Snort」在字典上的意思是「發出哼聲」，比如小豬佩奇一家喜歡發出的「哼」聲在英語里就叫做「snort」。

在本書中，因為起重機發出的聲音是「snort」，而小鳥不知道這機械叫什麼名字，就把「snort」作為起重機的代稱了。順便介紹一下，「起重機」在英語里正確的叫法是「crane」。

拓展遊戲

布偶劇

我們可以拿出家裡現有的毛絨玩具玩布偶劇或者指偶劇，而且不僅限於書里提到的動物，配上動物的叫聲就更形象了。

如果家裡沒有類似的玩具，也可以不用道具，和孩子分別扮演小鳥和各種動物進行對話。可以由家長扮演小鳥提問，孩子只需要搖頭說「No」，學動物叫就可以了。

找媽媽專題

市面上還有幾本相同題材的繪本，可以考慮做一個「找媽媽專題」，一齊閱讀。

A. Does a Kangaroo have a Mother, Too? （袋鼠也有媽媽嗎？） 作者：Eric Carle

這本書介紹了各種小動物的它們的媽媽，風格和卡爾老爺爺最經典的作品Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?類似。雖然官方建議年齡是4-8歲，但其實語言很簡單，我認為3歲以下的孩子完全可以理解。

本書有中文版，書名是《袋鼠也有媽媽嗎？》，由明天出版社出版。

B. Is Your Mama a Llama?（你的媽媽是羊駝嗎？） 作者：Deborah Guarino

這本繪本講述的是一隻小羊駝找媽媽的故事。

它問別的小動物「你的媽媽是羊駝嗎？」但它們的媽媽當然都不是羊駝，直到最後小羊駝才找到了羊駝夥伴。

這本繪本的語言略有難度，畫風是寫實的彩鉛畫風格。官方建議年齡是4-8歲，但我認為3歲左右的孩子應該可以理解。

C.國產繪本《小蝌蚪找媽媽》

我發現書名叫「小蝌蚪找媽媽」的繪本有很多不同的版本，而我並沒有實際讀過，無從判斷優劣，所以對繪本就不作推薦了。

附錄 Are You My Mother?完整版

A mother bird sat on her egg.

鳥媽媽坐在她的蛋上。

The egg jumped.

鳥蛋跳起來了。

"Oh oh!" said the mother bird. " My baby will be here! He will want to eat!"

「哦哦！」鳥媽媽說。「我的寶貝快出來啦！他可能想吃東西！」

"I must get something for my baby bird to eat!" she said. " I will be back!"

「我必須找點東西給我的寶寶吃！」她說。「我馬上回來！」

So away she went.

所以她離開了。

The egg jumped. It jumped, and jumped, and jumped!

鳥蛋跳著。跳呀，跳呀，跳呀！

Out came the baby bird!

鳥寶寶出來啦！

"Where is my mother?"

「我的媽媽在哪裡呀？」

He looked for her.

他在找他的媽媽。

He looked up. He did not see her.

他向上看。他沒看到媽媽。

He looked down. He did not see her.

他向下看。他也沒看到媽媽。

"I will go and look for her," he said.

「我要出去找她。」他說。

So away he went.

所以他離開了巢。

Down, out of the tree he went.

他從樹上掉下來了。

Down, down, down! It was a long way down.

掉啊，掉啊，掉啊！他一直往下掉。

The baby bird could not fly.

鳥寶寶不會飛。

He could not fly, but he could walk. " Now I will go and find my mother," he said.

雖然他不會飛，但是他可以走路。「現在我走著找我媽媽。」他說。

He did not know what his mother looked like. He went right by her. He did not see her.

他不知道媽媽的樣子。他跟媽媽擦身而過。他卻沒有看到媽媽。

He came to a kitten. "Are you my mother?" he said to the kitten.

他向一隻小貓走去。「你是我的媽媽嗎？」他對小貓說。

The kitten just looked and looked. It did not say a thing.

小貓只看了看他。什麼也沒說。

The kitten was not his mother, so he went on.

小貓不是他的媽媽，所以他繼續走。

Then he came to a hen. "Are you my mother?" he said to the hen.

然後他向一隻母雞走去。「你是我的媽媽嗎？」他對母雞說。

The kitten was not his mother. The hen was not his mother. So the baby bird went on.

小貓不是他的媽媽。母雞不是他的媽媽。所以，鳥寶寶繼續走。

"I have to find my mother! he said. " But where? Where is she? Where could she be?"

「我必須要找到我的媽媽！」他說。「但是在哪裡呢？她在哪裡？她會在哪裡呢？

Then he came to a dog. "Are you my mother?" he said to the dog.

接著，他走到一隻狗那裡。「你是我的媽媽嗎？」他向狗說。

"I am not your mother. I am a dog," said the dog.

「我不是你媽媽。我是一隻狗。」狗說。

The kitten was not his mother. The hen was not his mother. The dog was not his mother.

小貓不是他的媽媽。母雞不是他的媽媽。狗不是他的媽媽。

So the baby bird went on. Now he came to a cow.

所以鳥寶寶繼續向前。現在，他走到了一頭牛身邊。

"Are you my mother?" he said to the cow.

「你是我的媽媽嗎？」他對牛說。

"How could I be your mother?"said the cow. " I am a cow."

「我怎麼可能是你的媽媽？」牛說。「我是一頭牛。」

The kitten and the hen were not his mother. The dog and the cow were not his mother.

小貓和母雞不是他的媽媽。狗和牛不是他的媽媽。

Did he have a mother?

他真的有媽媽嗎？

"I did have a mother,said the baby bird. " "I know I did. I have to find her. I will. I WILL!"

「我真的有媽媽的，」鳥寶寶說。「我知道我有。我一定要找到她。我會。我一定會！」

Now the baby bird did not walk. He ran! Then he saw a car. Could that old thing be his mother? No, it could not.

現在，鳥寶寶不走路了。他跑步！然後他看到了一輛小車。那輛舊東西會是他媽媽嗎？不，它不會是。

The baby bird did not stop. He ran on and on.

鳥寶寶沒有停下來。他跑啊跑。

Now he looked way, way down. He saw a boat. "There she is!" said the baby bird.

現在，他向著很低、很低的地方看。他看到一艘船。「媽媽就在那裡！」鳥寶寶說。

He called to the boat, but the boat did not stop. The boat went on.

他向著船叫，但是船沒有停下來。

He looked way, way up. He saw a big plane. " Here I am, Mother," he called out.

他向很高、很高的地方看。他看到一部大飛機。「我在這裡，媽媽，」他大叫.

But the plane did not stop. The plane went on.

但是飛機沒有停下來。飛機繼續飛。

Just then, the baby bird saw a big thing. This must be his mother! " There she is!" he said. "There is my mother!"

就在那時，鳥寶寶看到一個大東西。這一定是他的媽媽！「她在那裡！」他說。「我媽媽在那裡！」

He ran right up to it. "Mother, Mother! Here I am, Mother!" he said to the big thing.

他跑到它那裡。「媽媽，媽媽！我在這裡，媽媽！」他對大東西說。

But the big thing just said, "Snort." "Oh, you are not my mother," said the baby bird. " You are a Snort. I have to get out of here!"

但是大東西只是說，「哼。」「哦，你不是我媽媽，」鳥寶寶說。「你是哼。我要離開這裡！」

But the baby bird could not get away. The Snort went up. It went way, way up. And up, up, up went the baby bird.

但是鳥寶寶走不了。哼抬了起來。抬得很高、很高。鳥寶寶也被抬得很高很高。

But now, where was the Snort going? " Oh, oh, oh! What is this Snort going to do with me? Get me out of here!"

但是現在，哼要去哪裡？哦！哦！哦！這台哼要對我做什麼？快放我走！」

Just then, the Snort came to a stop.

就在那時，哼停了下來。

"Where am I?"said the baby bird. " I want to go home! I want my mother!"

「我在哪裡？」鳥寶寶說。「我想回家！我想媽媽！」

Then something happened. The Snort put the baby bird right back in the tree. The baby bird was home!

然後發生了一些事情。哼正好把鳥寶寶放回了樹上。鳥寶寶回到家了！

Just then the mother bird came back to the tree. " Do you know who I am?" she said to her baby.

就在那時，鳥媽媽回到樹上。「你知道我是誰嗎？」她對寶寶說。

"Yes, I know who you are,"said the baby bird. " You are not a kitten. You are not a hen. You are not a dog. You are not a cow. You are not a boat, or a plane, or a Snort! You are a bird, and you are my mother."

「是的，我知道你是誰，」鳥寶寶說。「你不是小貓。你不是母雞。你不是狗。你不是牛。你不是船或者飛機也不是哼！你是一隻鳥，而且你是我的媽媽！

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