奧巴馬兒童書11月出版 細寫美國13位先驅人物

President Barack Obama will release a children's picture book, inspired by his two daughters, that pays tribute to 13 influential Americans, publisher Random House said on Tuesday.

Called "Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters," the book was written by Obama before he took office in January, 2009 and will be released on November 16, two week after the mid-term elections. It is illustrated by award-winning author Loren Long.

The book will address "groundbreaking Americans and the ideals that have shaped" the United States including former US President George Washington, the first black Major League Baseball player Jackie Robinson and artist Georgia O'Keeffe, the publisher said. The ten other subjects were not revealed.

Obama, who has written two bestselling books, "Dreams from My Father," and "The Audacity of Hope," was inspired to do the book through his experience as the father of two daughters, Malia, 12 and Sasha, 9, the publisher said.

It is part of a three-book $1.9 million deal Obama agreed with Random House in 2004.

The book will have a 500,000 first print run and proceeds will be donated to a scholarship fund for fallen and disabled U.S. soldiers. It will be published by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, a division of Random House, which is owned by Germany's Bertelsmann AG.

蘭登書屋本週二宣佈，美國總統貝拉克•奧巴馬將出版一本受兩個女兒啓發撰寫的兒童圖畫書，並在其中向13名傑出美國人致敬。

這本名爲《讚美你：致我女兒們的一封信》的讀物是奧巴馬總統2009年1月就職前所寫，定於11月16日，恰逢國會中期選舉兩週後上架。插圖由獲獎畫家洛倫•朗繪製。

據出版商介紹，這本書將講述塑造了美國的“先驅人物和理想精神”，包括開國總統喬治•華盛頓、職業棒球聯盟的第一位黑人運動員傑基•魯賓遜、以及藝術家喬治亞•奧基夫。但他拒絕透露其餘十個人物。

奧巴馬已出版了《我父親的夢想》和《無畏的希望》兩本暢銷書。出版商透露，是女兒們啓發了奧巴馬寫這本書的靈感。奧巴馬有給兩個女兒，12歲的瑪利亞和9歲的薩莎。

奧巴馬於2004年和蘭登書屋簽下了三本書的出版合約，總價達190萬美元，這本書是其中之一。

該書首次印刷50萬冊，收益將捐給爲美國犧牲和受傷致殘軍人所設立的獎學基金。出版商爲蘭登書屋旗下的阿爾弗雷德•A•克諾夫青少年讀物出版社。蘭登書屋目前爲德國貝塔斯曼集團所有。

Vocabulary:

proceeds: the total amount derived from a sale or other transaction（售物或演出等的收入，收益，進款）