This book is specially dedicated to the boys of the elementary schools between the ages of nine and thirteen years,and might be entitled:“The Story of a Scholastic Year written by a Pupil of the Third Class of an Italian Municipal School.”In saying written by a pupil of the third class,I do not mean to say that it was written by him exactly as it is printed.He noted day by day in a copy-book,as well as he knew how,what he had seen,felt,thought in the school and outside the school;his father at the end of the year wrote these pages on those notes,taking care not to alter the thought,and preserving,when it was possible,the words of his son.Four years later the boy,being then in the lyceum,read over the MSS.and added something of his own,drawing on his memories,still fresh,of persons and of things.

Now read this book,boys;I hope that you will be pleased with it,and that it may do you good.

Edmondo De Amicis.

原序

特將此書奉獻給九歲至十三歲的小學生們。

人們也可以用這樣的書名“一個意大利市立小學三年級學生寫的一學年之紀事”。——然而我說：一個三年級的小學生，我不能斷定他就能寫成恰如此書所印的一般。他是以自己的能力，慢慢地記錄在校內校外之見聞及思想于一冊而已。年終他的父親為之修改，仔細地未改變其思想、并于可能內保留兒子所說的這許多話。四年后兒子入了中學，重讀此冊，并借自己記憶力所保存的新鮮人物而又添了些材料。

親愛的孩子們，現在讀這書吧，我希望你們能夠滿意，而且由此得益！