[ 책 소개 ]

* Carolyn W. Field Award Honor Book 수상작
* Christopher Award 수상작
* IRA/CBC Children's Choices


구두끈을 만드는 공장에 다니는 해치씨는 언제나 외톨이입니다. 하루 일과도 매일매일 다람쥐 쳇바퀴 돌듯이 "출근-혼자 점심식사-퇴근-신문과 식료품 구입-저녁식사-신문읽기-샤워-취침"으로 언제나 똑같았습니다.

그러던 어느날, 해치씨에게 뜻밖의 소포가 배달됩니다. 하트 모양의 커다란 핑크색 박스 안에는 달콤한 캔디가 가득했으며, 메모에는 "누군가 당신을 사랑합니다"라고 적혀 있었지요.

이 선물과 메모는 하루하루 외롭게 살아가던 해치씨에게 커다란 변화를 불러 일으켰습니다. 이 선물을 보낸 사람이 누군지 무척 궁금했지만, 어쨓든 누군가 자기를 사랑하는 사람이 있다는 사실이 해치씨를 무척 행복하게 만들었습니다. 이제 해치씨는 자기를 몰래 사랑하는 누군가를 만나게 될지도 모른다는 생각에 옷도 좀더 멋있게 차려 입기 시작했고, 때로는 웃거나 춤을 추기도 했으며, 얼굴에는 로션을 바르기도 했습니다.

언제나 우중충한 행색과 어두운 표정으로 말없이 다니던 해치씨가 전혀 다른 사람같이 변화하자 주변 사람들은 너무 놀랐습니다. 해치씨는 이제 사람들을 대할 때도 밝고 명랑해 졌으며, 남들을 도와주기 시작했지요. 이제 이웃과 직장의 모든 사람들이 해치씨를 좋아하게 되고...

그나저나 해치씨를 이토록 변하게 만든 선물을 보내준 사람은 누구일까요? 예상치 못한 놀라운 반전과, 반전의 반전이 기다리고 있습니다.






[ 관련 동영상 보기 ]

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[ 서지 정보 ]

Paperback: 32 pages
ISBN-10: 0689718721
ISBN-13: 978-0689718724
책 크기: 25.4 cm x 22.2 cm



[ 영문 서평 ]

Book Description
One wintry day, a postman delivers a mysterious package with a big pink bow to a lonely man named Mr. Hatch.
"Somebody loves you," the note says.
"Somebody loves me!" Mr. Hatch sings as he dusts his living room. "Somebody loves me!" Mr. Hatch whistles as he does his errands in town. "But who," Mr. Hatch wonders, "could that somebody be?"
After some time, Mr. Hatch discovers just who his secret admirer is and, in doing so, enjoys the biggest surprise of his life!


Publishers Weekly
This warmhearted tale examines the effect that love and tender regard can have on a lackluster existence. Mr. Hatch is a drab, predictable gentleman who leads a painfully ordered and uninteresting life, his dreary routine at the shoelace factory barely broken by the same joyless lunch day after day. One Valentine's Day a giant candy-filled heart is delivered to Mr. Hatch with a note that reads, "Somebody loves you." Just the thought of someone taking an interest in him completely changes the way Mr. Hatch interacts with his neighbors and co-workers. The newly adorable gentleman becomes so much a part of people's lives that when it is disclosed that the heart was delivered by mistake, his friends and neighbors rally around him in a loving demonstration. With its carefully measured pace, Spinelli's gentle prose is perfectly married to Yalowitz's ( Some of My Best Friends Are Monsters ; The Spooky Eerie Night Noise ) contemporary-style colored pencil illustrations, rendered with skill and sensitivity. Even the palette here changes with the story's mood, from dull grays and tans to cheery pinks, oranges and blues.


Kirkus Reviews
Colorless Mr. Hatch--who works in a shoelace factory and eats a cheese and mustard sandwich for lunch every day with, just occasionally, a prune--is jarred from his reserve by receiving a huge Valentine box of candy with a card that says only, ``Somebody loves you.'' Amazed, he samples it, shares it at work and, buoyed by his friendly reception, sympathetically helps several people out on the way home (e.g., he watches the newspaper stall so that its proprietor can take his cold to the doctor). He's soon baking brownies, hosting a neighborhood picnic, and reading to the local kids. Then the postman arrives with the news that the candy was delivered to the wrong address, putting poor Mr. Hatch into a funk; but his devoted new friends rally round to bring him back into their cheerful society. Told with warmth and a light touch, the story easily transcends its predictability. It's much enhanced by Yalowitz's mellow color- pencil illustrations. His unique elongated characters with their extra-tall heads are at once animated and serene; the smooth clarity of his scenes is enlivened with many amusing details. A charming book with a real plot, its amiable tone beautifully complemented by the intriguing illustrations.