在梅溪邊（下）

小木屋系列 漢聲中譯本 #7

by Laura Ingalls Wilder, 姜慶堯 (translator)

離開了印地安區，走過了大草原，羅蘭全家來到明尼蘇達州的梅溪邊。

　　在梅溪邊，他們住在一種從來沒住過的土洞屋裡。羅蘭和瑪莉有好多好玩的地方可去。爸爸還種了一大片小麥，爸爸說，只要小麥收成了，他們想要什麼就有什麼。只要小麥收成了，他們就有錢了。爸爸甚至借錢蓋了一幢新房子。

　　但是，當小麥綠盈盈的成熟時，一片烏雲籠罩住大地，降落下來。那是一大群蝗蟲！蝗蟲落到他們頭上、屋頂上、小麥田上。眼看小麥就要被牠們吃光了……

　　「在梅溪邊」是美國作家羅蘭．英格斯．懷德的「小木屋系列」的第四本，描述羅蘭一家離開大草原，走過密蘇里州、愛荷華州，到明尼蘇達州，居住在梅溪邊的情形。這時羅蘭已經八歲，所以全書的敘事觀點隨羅蘭的成長而改變，生活的挑戰與家庭的力量在羅蘭眼中更加具體。

本書特色

　　●文字：對9~12歲的孩子而言，閱讀文學作品除了汲取故事的精神，同時也是重要的語言訓練。為此，我們不但在選書時極其用心，在文字處理上也耗費許多工夫。「少年拇指文庫」的每一本書，均經過漢聲六次以上的譯修，文字優美流暢，非但沒有一般翻譯文學的「洋味」，更力求呈現原著風貌，使孩子接受一場真正的文學洗禮。

　　●印刷：為保護少年讀者的視力，特採用較大的字級與不透明、不反光的高級紙張，製作精良、品質優異，更減少孩子讀完一頁所花的時間，讓他擁有翻閱的成就感。

　　●插圖：對9~12歲的孩子來說，讀完一本長篇小說並不容易，為此特別配有名家繪製的精彩插圖，以引發讀者對故事情節的興趣，進而耐心讀完整本書。

　　●拇指廣場：為避免翻譯文學的時空背景造成孩子閱讀上的隔閡，我們特別為讀者與作品之間搭建了一座溝通的橋樑──「拇指廣場」。拇指廣場由專家協助製作，附於每篇故事結束之後，以活潑生動的方式教導孩子有關故事的背景知識，也以遊戲方式引導孩子認識自我。

361 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1937

About the author

Laura Ingalls Wilder was an American author, journalist, and educator whose "Little House" series transformed the arduous reality of the American frontier into a foundational pillar of children's literature. Born in the "Big Woods" of Wisconsin to Charles and Caroline Ingalls, Laura’s childhood was a nomadic journey through the heart of a shifting nation. Her family moved across Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, and the Dakota Territory—often staying just ahead of legal evictions or chasing the promise of fertile soil. These years were marked by extreme hardship, including the "Hard Winter" of 1880–81 in De Smet, South Dakota, where the family survived near-starvation. Despite the struggle, these experiences provided the raw material for her eight-volume record of pioneer life, a series that has since been translated into over forty languages.
Before becoming a world-renowned novelist in her sixties, Wilder lived several distinct lives. At fifteen, she became a teacher in one-room prairie schools, a job she took primarily to support her family financially. In 1885, she married Almanzo Wilder, beginning a partnership that endured fire, paralysis from diphtheria, and the heartbreaking loss of an infant son. These trials eventually led them to Mansfield, Missouri, where they established Rocky Ridge Farm. It was here that Laura developed her voice as a professional writer, serving as a columnist and editor for the Missouri Ruralist for over a decade.
The Great Depression and the 1929 stock market crash wiped out the Wilders’ savings, providing the ultimate catalyst for Laura to pen her memoirs. Her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane—a successful author in her own right—encouraged her mother to adapt her autobiography, Pioneer Girl, into a format more suitable for children. This resulted in a complex and often rocky literary collaboration; while Lane provided the professional "style," Wilder provided the "substance" and narrative heart. The first book, Little House in the Big Woods, was published in 1932 when Laura was sixty-five.
Wilder’s legacy is a blend of immense literary success and modern historical scrutiny. While her books remain staples in classrooms for their vivid descriptions of 19th-century domestic life, her portrayals of Native Americans and African Americans have led to recent reevaluations. In 2018, the American Library Association renamed the "Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal" to the "Children's Literature Legacy Award" to reflect these evolving cultural sensitivities. Nonetheless, Wilder remains a monumental figure in American letters, a woman who successfully "saved the American soul" by documenting the grit, faith, and unyielding persistence of the pioneer spirit.