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《威廉先生的圣诞树》同样属于海豚绘本花园系列。由美国藏书协会杂志《书单》鼎力推荐，圣诞节不可或缺的暖心故事，分享一份幸福，并不会使它变少，反而会得到幸福的N次方。
作者简介
罗勃．巴利（Robert Barry）毕业于美国的罗得岛设计学校。他是许多本获奖图画书的作者和绘者。他的作品《迷糊的乔治》曾被纽约时报评选为年度最佳十大图画书。他到过德国、瑞士、加勒比海群岛，在这些地方从事写作、绘画和教书的工作。
绘本内容
Mr. Willowby’s Christmas tree
Came by special delivery.
Full and Fresh and glistening green –
The biggest tree he had ever seen.
特快专递运来了威廉先生的圣诞树。它枝繁叶茂，散发着清新的气息，还闪着绿油油的光亮。这可是威廉先生见过的最大的圣诞树哦。
He dashed down stairs to open the door –
This was the moment he’d waited for.
“A magnificent tree! Splendid!” he cried.
“Please, sir, won’t you carry it right inside?”
“I think it might look best this year
Right in the parlor corner here.”
这一刻，威廉先生已经等了很久了，他急匆匆地冲下了台阶。“好壮观啊，真是太漂亮了！”威廉先生欢呼起来。“它可是今年最棒的圣诞树了！放在哪儿呢？哦，就这里吧。”
But once the tree stood in its place,
Mr. Willowby made a terrible face.
The tree touched the ceiling, then bent like a bow.
“Oh, good heavens,” he gasped. “Something must go!”
不过，圣诞树放好了，威廉先生却发愁起来。因为高高的圣诞树碰到房顶后，树梢像弓一样弯向了一边。“哦，我的天啊！”他喘着气说，“得赶快想个办法才好呢。”
Baxter, the butler, was called on in haste
To chop off the top, though it seemed quite a waste.
“That’s great,”Mr. Willowby cried with glee.
“Now we can start to trim my tree.”
When the trimming was well underway,
The top was placed on a silver tray.
Baxter said, “I know just who’d be
Delighted with this Christmas tree.”
So, it was presented to Miss Adelaide,
Mr. Willowby’s upstairs maid.
管家白斯特听到喊声，二话没说，就用斧子“咔嚓”砍掉了圣诞树的树梢。真是有点可惜啊！不过，威廉先生却高兴地喊道：“太好啦！现在，我们可以开始修剪圣诞树了。”修剪工作进行的很顺利，剪下来的树梢被放进了一个银盘子里。百斯特自言自语着：“哈，我知道，无论谁看到这颗小圣诞树，都会很开心的。”于是，他把这颗小圣诞树送给了艾德莱小姐——威廉先生的侍女。
“Won’t this tree be a pretty sight
When I have trimmed it later tonight?
But the top, oh dear, I am so afraid,
Will have to be cut,” sighed Miss Adelaide.
And so with a scissors sharp and long
She snipped off the top while she hummed a song.
The top was set out the very next day
In back of the house, to be thrown away.
“嗯，它需要好好地修剪一下，特别是这个树冠，我的天啊，恐怕得剪下来了。”艾德莱小姐惋惜地叹了口气。很快，她就找来一把又长又锋利的剪刀，哼着小曲儿，“咔嚓”一下把树冠剪了下来。小小的树冠被扔到了房子后面，等着第二天被人扔出去。
The little treetop caught the eye
Of Timm, the gardener, passing by.
He certainly was not about
To see that little tree thrown out.
He hurried home straightaway
To see what Mrs. Timm would say.
“Fa la la… Surprise! Surprise!”
His wife could not believe her eyes.
“But our house,” she said, “is so snug and small,
I do not believe we need it all!”
And before Timm had a chance to shout
She cut off the top and threw it out.
“唉，这么好的一颗圣诞树，扔掉多可惜啊！”园丁提姆路过的时候，一眼就看到了这段漂亮的小树冠。他捡起小树冠赶紧跑回了家。他想送给自己的太太一个惊喜。“啊，太棒了！”提姆太太简直不敢相信自己的眼睛。“不过，我们的房子好像小了一些，恐怕得剪掉一段。”她说。还没等提姆说话，她就“咔嚓”一下剪下了小小的树冠，扔出了窗口。
Barnaby Bear was padding by_____
It almost hit him in the eye.
“Now, who would throw a tree away
So very close to Christmas Day?”
“I’ll take it home, that’s what I’ll do!
Look, Mama Bear, I’ve a present for you.”
正好，大熊巴纳从这儿经过，他一眼就看见了小树冠。
“咦？在圣诞节来临之前，谁会把一颗漂亮的圣诞树扔掉？”巴纳疑惑地自言自语道。“也许，我应该把它带回家。看啊，亲爱的，猜我给你们带回了什么礼物？”
“Isn’t it a pretty tree?”
Yawned Barnaby quite drowsily.
But little bear, standing off far,
Cried out, “That tree won’t hold a star!”
Barnaby said, “let’s cut a hunk
Off the bottom, here at the trunk
But Mama Bear just shook her head
And sliced the treetop off instead.
“哇！一颗漂亮的圣诞树耶！”小熊却远远地站着大叫起来：“可是，树顶上连一颗星星都放不下啦。”“别着急，我们可以从下面截掉一点，就从树干这儿，怎么样？”熊爸爸说。熊妈妈摇了摇头，拿起一把锋利的小刀，很快就把小树的顶端削掉了。
“Jolly, by golly!” Barnaby said with a kick.
“Mama, that surely is just the right trick.
Let’s trim is with bells and honey rings,
Some berries, and tinsel, and popcorn on strings.”
Mama said, “Trim it just as you like,
I’ve got to tidy up for the night.
The top we won’t need any more;
I’ll put it just outside the door.”
“哇——太棒了！”巴纳跳着说，“亲爱的，这个魔术真好玩。我们用铃铛和蜜色的圆环来装饰它吧，再挂上甜甜的浆果、闪光的金箔和香喷喷的爆米花，怎么样？”
“哦，你喜欢怎样装饰它就怎么做吧，我得去整理屋子了。这段剪掉的小树冠，我该把它扔掉啦。熊妈妈说着走出去。”
Later on that frosty night,
Frisky Fox came into sight.
He spied the treetop, rubbed his chin,
Opened his sack, and stuffed the top in.
美丽的雪夜里，狐狸费斯科路过大熊家门口，正准备回家时，突然看见了小树冠。他高兴地摸了摸下巴，赶快撑开身上的口袋，把小树冠塞了进去。
He scampered home and jumped his gate –
This Christmas present couldn’t wait.
“It’s even better than mincemeat pie,”
Said Mrs. Fox with a happy sigh.
Then the foxes saw that their Christmas prize
Was just a wee bit oversize.
“There, my dears, don’t you worry.
I’ll fix this top in a hurry.”
他连蹦带跳地跑回家，飞一样地跳进了大门。是啊，圣诞节的礼物可不能送迟了哦。“亲爱的，你好伟大耶！这个礼物可比苹果、碎肉饼好多了。”狐狸太太看到时惊叹道。不过，狐狸一家很快就发现，他们的圣诞礼物好像大了那么一点点。“亲爱的，不用担心，我很快就可以把它弄好啦。”狐狸太太说。
Benjamin Rabbit found it then
Just outside the Foxes’ den.
“It seems,” he thought, “most certainly,
Santa left that for my family.”
“Look,” he cried, “see the tree I found!”
With that he called his family round.
Then there was a merry making,
Rollicking, frolicking, carrot-shaking
Celebration around the tree.
All were as happy as rabbits can be.
这时，兔子本杰明正好从这儿路过，不用说，他也发现了小树冠。
“噢，这颗小小的树一定是圣诞老人送给我的礼物。”本杰明高兴地想。“快来看啊，看我找到了什么！”他大叫着，举着小树冠，三步并作两步奔回家里。大家围着圣诞树一边高兴地跳着、笑着，一边挥动着新鲜的胡萝卜。
Benjamin Rabbit, with his own hand,
Sliced a carrot and made a stand.
“Now let’s see how this will look
In our little chimney nook.”
But right away the children cried,
“Look, it’s leaning off to one side!”
“It’s too tall, that’s all,” said Mrs. Rabbit,
And as though it were a summer carrot,
She gave it a chop
And threw away… the top!
本杰明亲自动手，切下一片胡萝卜，为圣诞树做了一个底座。“看看，我们把小树放在壁炉上怎么样？”可是，孩子们立刻叫了起来：“看啊，圣诞树有点歪耶。”“嗨，它太高啦。”兔妈妈一边说着，一边像处理夏天的胡萝卜一样，“咔嚓”切下了一段，然后把它扔出了洞外......
耶！小树冠！
Then Mistletoe Mouse just happened to see
That tiny tip of a Christmas tree.
He pulled it through the snow and ice…
Up some stairs…
He fell down twice!
At last he reached his cozy house.
“It’s just the right size!” said Mrs. Mouse.
Then at the top, if you please,
They put a star made out of cheese.
老鼠米斯特恰巧看到了圣诞树的小树冠。他拖着小树冠在风雪中走过冰冻的小河。一步一步地爬上台阶......一连摔下去两次......最后，他终于回到了温暖的家。
“这棵树的大小正合适哦！”老鼠太太开心地说。老鼠一家可快乐了！他们在小树顶部安上了一颗乳酪做的星星。
Oh, wasn’t it grand to have a tree
Exactly like Mr. Willowby?
哈哈，拥有一棵和威廉先生一模一样的圣诞树，是不是很棒呢？
游客
