English Original
Dear Reader:
I receive many letters from children and can't answer them all. That is why I am sending you this printed reply. I'll try to answer some common questions.
Where did I get the idea for Stuart Little and for Charlotte's Web? Many years ago, I dreamed about a tiny boy who acted like a mouse. That's how Stuart Little began.
As for Charlotte's Web, I like animals and my barn is a pleasant place. One day, feeling sorry for a pig doomed to die, I thought of ways to save it. I had been watching a clever spider weaving. Gradually, I wove her into a story of friendship and salvation on a farm. It took three years to write.
I started writing as soon as I could spell. I can't remember a time I wasn't writing. I think children find pleasure in setting thoughts on paper. I was no good at drawing, so I used words. Later, writing became a way to earn a living.
I cannot visit schools or send books, pictures, or autographs. Books are made by publishers; writers must buy their own copies. I live in the country in New England, near my son and three grandchildren.
Are my stories true? No, they are imaginary tales. In real life, a child doesn't look like a mouse, a spider doesn't spin words, and a swan doesn't blow a trumpet. But real life is only one kind of life—there is also the life of the imagination. And though my stories are imaginary, I believe they contain truth about how people and animals feel, think, and act.
Yours sincerely,
E.B. White
中文翻译
亲爱的读者：
我收到许多孩子的来信，无法一一回复。因此，我寄上这封打印好的回信，尝试回答一些常见的问题。
《精灵鼠小弟》和《夏洛的网》的灵感从何而来？许多年前，我梦见一个行为像老鼠的小男孩。这就是《精灵鼠小弟》的起源。
至于《夏洛的网》，我喜欢动物，我的谷仓是个令人愉快的地方。有一天，我为一只注定要死的猪感到难过，于是开始思考拯救它的方法。我曾观察一只聪明的蜘蛛织网。逐渐地，我将她编织进了一个关于农场友谊与拯救的故事。这本书我写了三年。
我刚会拼写就开始写作。我不记得生命中有什么时候不在写作。我认为孩子们乐于将想法付诸纸笔。我不擅长画画，所以用文字代替。后来，写作成了一种谋生方式。
我无法访问学校，也无法寄送书籍、照片或亲笔签名。书籍由出版商制作；作者想得到自己的书也必须购买。我大部分时间住在新英格兰的乡村，靠近我的儿子和三个孙辈。
我的故事是真的吗？不，它们是虚构的故事。在现实生活中，家庭不会有长得像老鼠的孩子，蜘蛛不会在网中编织文字，天鹅也不会吹小号。但现实生活只是生活的一种——还有想象的生活。尽管我的故事是虚构的，但我认为其中包含着关于人和动物如何感受、思考和行动的真理。
此致
敬礼
E.B.怀特