For more than a decade, Nancy Richards Fares e has been taking heartwarming photos of children around the world. Throughout her travels, the American photographer has noticed a common characteristic(特点) that seems to go beyond cultures. "They play no matter what's going on," she said on a video call.
When Nancy Richards Farese visited Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, she took photos of the poor children there. Among the hardship, children played with what they made for themselves. They blew pinwheels(玩具风车) and pulled a water bottle as a toy with wheels and an old rope. She said, "The other adults and I had a thought of the seriousness of this situation. We were sorry they were in a difficult situation. However, the kids were actually doing something, quite naturally, to help themselves feel good."
Farese's new book brings together almost 100 photos she has shot while examining children's play across 14 countries. Her young subjects(年轻受试者) play chess in Jordan and in Cuba; they jump, laugh and run; they kick and throw balls, climb and jump ropes. Dolls and kites often appear. Many games are seemingly global.
The photographer said, "We sometimes pay no attention to the importance of playing, but when you talk to scientists, they will say it is one of the most fundamental (基本的) things we ever do in our lives. It is something we were born with. It helps shape our ideas and other characteristics. It's just interesting to realize that our abilities to work together, to understand tolerance(容忍) are just simple developmental sides that we practice in a game. And they are so important."
"We move through the world everyday with this treasure. We should allow ourselves to play as a regular practice—to be creative, to set aside even five minutes every day as a time when we're in nature," she added.
