Once Upon a Time . . . A House: A Tale for Children and All Those Young at Heart

by Dulce Rodrigues

Once Upon a Time... a House received Honorable Mention at the 2013 Hollywood Book Festival. It is the English version of the children s bestselling book Il Etait une Fois une Maison, which was awarded a literary prize in France. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere, lonely and forgotten by everybody, a House has one day the joy of seeing different guests come, one by one with the seasons, to build a new life: Mrs. Spider, Mr. and Mrs. Mouse, Mrs. Duck and her ducklings, the big gray and white Cat, the Ewe, even the Ants and the Bees... all of this little community shares the same place and lives peacefully together. Until one day this agreeable quietude is disturbed by the arrival of Man and his faithful friend, the Dog! What lesson must Man learn in order to become less selfish and more respectful of nature? A bitter lesson! Dulce Rodrigues has authored six children s books and a travelogue about Egypt. Born and raised in Lisbon, Portugal, she received a scholarship to study at the Goethe-Institut in Germany, and one for a scientific course with the Open University in the UK, and wound up living in many different countries around Europe. Now retired after a career that included working for NATO and as a translator for the U.S. Military, she currently lives in Belgium, where in addition to writing she enjoys traveling, gardening, and arts in general. Please visit her at www.dulcerodrigues.info or at www.barry4kids.net. Publisher's website: http: //sbpra.com/DulceRodrigues

60 pages, Paperback

First published August 12, 2010

About the author

Dulce Rodrigues authored sixteen children's books published in several languages, including the three award-winning children's books Once Upon A Time A House, Barry's Adventure, and Il était une Fois une Maison, and a few of her kids' plays were performed in countries in Europe. She also authored two travelogue books and a novel. She speaks six living languages and translates most of her own books. Born and raised in Lisbon, Portugal, she received a scholarship to study at the Goethe-Institut in Germany, and one for a scientific course with the Open University in the UK, and wound up living in many different countries around Europe. Now retired after a career that included working for NATO and as a translator for the U.S. Military, she currently lives in Belgium and Portugal. In addition to writing she enjoys travelling, gardening, photography, music, and pets. She also has a passion for History and for all forms of Art that transmit Beauty. Please visit www.barry4kids.net, the children’s website she created for learning with joy in four languages.

Reviews

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes I read a French children's book. It was actually a good story albeit simple. I would read this to my children if it were in English. Now to move on to a big kids French book.

[Dulce Rodrigues · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ce conte fut primé en France en 2004; la version en anglais reçut "Mention Honorifique" au 2013 Hollywood Book Festival.
Sur ce conte, l'écrivain, philosophe et poète français Serge Lapisse a dit: "Une œuvre pleine de sensibilité et de tendresse dans laquelle le cœur prend le pas sur la raison pour nous mener à la découverte de la vraie vie, où tout être vivant trouve sa place. Dulce Rodrigues nous montre avec talent qu'il faut retrouver souvent un cœur d'enfant afin de s'ouvrir aux réalités de la vie qui font les vraies joies. Dulce Rodrigues a bien mérité le prix qu'elle a obtenu au CIELA pour son œuvre qui porte un regard nouveau sur la vie, nous ouvre à un monde où la beauté transcende toutes les laideurs.
Je ne peux que la féliciter de nous conduire sur des chemins de vie autres qui échappent hélas souvent à nos yeux d'adultes. Elle a su avec hardiesse laisser aller son imagination pour nous mettre en présence de ce petit monde vivant autour d'une maison qu'elle fait jouer avec bonheur sous nos yeux.
Lecteurs attirés par la poésie de la vie, cet ouvrage vous montrera avec finesse l'interdépendance entre l'homme, les animaux, les plantes, pour exister et subsister. Vous y trouverez des souvenirs, ou des joies ignorées, d'un temps où les hommes vivaient davantage en harmonie avec la nature."

[Dulce Rodrigues]

Nas palavras do poeta e filósofo francês Serge Lapisse: "Uma obra cheia de sensibilidade e de ternura, na qual o coração se sobrepõe à razão para nos levar à descoberta de uma vida verdadeira em que cada ser vivo tem lugar. Dulce Rodrigues mostra-nos com talento que, por vezes, precisamos de voltar a encontrar o nosso coração de criança para nos abrirmos às realidades da vida que nos proporcionam verdadeiras fontes de alegria. Dulce Rodrigues mereceu plenamente o prémio literário que o Centre International d'Expression Littéraire et Artistique (CIELA) lhe atribuiu por esta obra que nos faz prestar uma nova atenção à vida, abrindo-nos os olhos para um mundo onde a beleza transcende toda a fealdade. Não posso senão felicitá-la por nos conduzir por caminhos da vida que, infelizmente, escapam por vezes aos nossos olhos de adultos. Ela soube com ousadia dar asas à sua imaginação para nos pôr em presença de um pequeno mundo que vive à volta de uma casa, recriada com felicidade perante os nossos olhos. Leitores a quem a poesia da vida seduz, esta obra mostrar-vos-á com subtileza a interdependência que une o homem, os animais, as plantas, para existir e subsistir. Nela encontrareis recordações, ou alegrias ignoradas, de um tempo em que os homens viviam mais em harmonia com a natureza»

[Dulce Rodrigues]

About this story, the French poet and philosopher Serge Lapisse wrote: "This is a fine story full of sensibility and tenderness that lets our heart take over reason and leads us to the discovery of a true life where every living being has its own place and role to play.
Dulce Rodrigues shows us with talent that the true joy can sometimes only be perceived when we face life with a child's heart. A work that invites us to look at life in a different way and to enter a world where beauty overcomes ugliness.I couldn't but congratulate her for leading us through such paths of life that are alas very often overlooked as we grow adult."