Dear Street

愛是會傳染的，當你/妳充滿愛時，別人也一定會感受到。

Alice非常喜歡她家附近的街道。街道上高大的楓樹還是萬壽菊，以及各種色彩繽紛的建築物和陽台，她都非常喜歡。但，卻不是所有人都像Alice一樣。抱怨，抱怨，還是更多的抱怨，總有人會抱怨街道上的事物。聰明的Alice決定寫封信給街道上的所有東西，公園、楓樹，甚至連雪都成了Alice寫信的對象。她將這些充滿愛的信藏在了不同的地方讓大家在無意中發現。一年四季，她寫了好多封不同的信。但某天，Alice也抱怨起了街道，在抱怨時她卻意外地發現了一封信，一封來自別人的信...

來自Lindsay Zier-Vogel的暖心作品。透過小女孩對街道及鄰居愛的表現來告訴大家，即便是一個小小的舉動，也能夠帶給環境一個莫大的改變。

A girl shares her love for her neighborhood, and finds that love multiplies, in this child-friendly story that encourages mindfulness and gratitude.

Alice loves her street. She loves its tall maple trees and marigolds and its apartment buildings with their colorful balconies. But not everyone feels the same. “Grumble, grumble, more construction, grumble, late, grumble,” she overhears. So Alice decides to write her street a love letter, which she leaves for someone to find. Through the seasons, as Alice encounters people grumbling about other things, she writes those things love letters, too, and leaves them to be found. She writes to her local park, a maple tree and even the snow. Then, one day, when Alice finds herself grumbling, she discovers a letter someone else has written to the spring crocuses. And Alice feels the joy she has been spreading to others come back to her!

Lindsay Zier-Vogel has created a delightful, uplifting story that celebrates how small acts by a single person can make a difference in a community. It inspires readers to pay attention and appreciate what they encounter every day. Caroline Bonne-Müller’s busy color-drenched illustrations beautifully evoke the abundance surrounding everyone (grumbling or not!) every day. 

This story was inspired by the international Love Lettering Project created by the author, in which participants write love letters to their communities and hide them for strangers to find. An explanation of the project at the end of the story encourages readers to write their own letters. This heartwarming picture book aligns with social studies lessons on cultures and communities, and character education lessons on caring, empathy and initiative.