在美国，很多人都读过《麦加菲读本》，美国媒体更称其为“影响美国五代人的心灵读本”。其主编者威廉·H.麦加菲，是美国知名的教育家。他先后担任过弗吉尼亚大学道德哲学教授、迈阿密大学语言学教授，以及俄亥俄大学校长。他用了20多年时间，从浩瀚的西方经典文学中选编了一套读本，希望通过这些散文、诗歌、戏剧、哲理故事中浅显而美妙的文字，让美国的小朋友们在提高文学修养的同时，也可以感受道德教育的力量。该读本一经面世，就有近万所美国学校将它选为教材。1961年以后，在西方每年销量仍达到3万册以上。可以说，没有哪一套个人主编的教材能超过这套书的发行量！
这套书英文原版共7册，包括一册启蒙读本和1-6级教材。由于启蒙读本和第一级篇幅都很少，我们出版时合编成一册；其余2-6级则和英文原版相同。这套书的内容由浅入深，从基本单词、常用句型开始，延展到简单的诗歌，再进阶到中长篇的经典著作。从难易程度来看，前三部分内容单纯美好，文字朴素简洁，比较适合国内中低年级小学生阅读；后三部分的内容相对繁复深奥，开始有侧重性，有的笔法精密，描写细腻；有的文风犀利，寓意深刻，比较适合高年级小学生和中学生阅读。
这套书的特色在于它所包含的内容更贴近生活。它没有童话的唯美和寓言的神奇，但其中的文章会让小朋友们觉得事情就发生在身边。而且，除了对真、善、美的颂扬，麦加菲也没有回避生活中的艰难与困苦，但其宗旨绝非消极愤世，而是突出困境之下个人的坚守与成长。这样的文章往往更容易引起心灵的共鸣，滋养心灵的成长，也将对小朋友的人生观起到积极正面的推动作用，堪称真正的“德育”教材。
我们衷心希望通过这套书的出版，让中国的小朋友学习到真正标准的英语，开阔自己的视野，打开通往世界的心灵之窗；同时又获得文学知识、个人修养、伦理道德等多方面的提升。
Lesson 1 Perseverance
Lesson 2 Try,Try Again
Lesson 3 Why the Sea is Salt
Lesson 4 Why the Sea Is Salt (Concluded.)
Lesson 5 Popping Corn
Lesson 6 Smiles
Lesson 7 Lazy Ned
Lesson 8 The Monkey
Lesson 9 Meddlesome Matty
Lesson 10 The Good Son
Lesson 11 To-morrow
Lesson 12 Where there is a Will there is a Way
Lesson 13 Piccola
Lesson 14 True Manliness
Lesson 15 True Manliness (Concluded.)
Lesson 16 The Brown Thrush
Lesson 17 A Ship in a Storm
Lesson 18 The Sailor's Consolation
Lesson 19 Two Ways of Telling a Story
Lesson 20 Freaks of the Frost
Lesson 21 Waste not, Want not
Lesson 22 Jeannette and Jo
Lesson 23 The Lion
Lesson 24 Strawberries
Lesson 25 Harry's Riches
Lesson 26 In Time's Swing
Lesson 27 Harry and his Dog
Lesson 28 The Voice of the Grass
Lesson 29 The Eagle
Lesson 30 The Old Eagle Tree
Lesson 31 Alpine Song
Lesson 32 Circumstances alter Cases
Lesson 33 The Noblest Revenge
Lesson 34 Evening Hymn
Lesson 35 How Margery Wondered
Lesson 36 The Child's World
Lesson 37 Susie's Composition
Lesson 38 The Summer Shower
Lesson 39 Consequences of Idleness
Lesson 40 Advantages of Industry
Lesson 41 The Fountain
Lesson 42 Coffee
Lesson 43 The Winter King
Lesson 44 The Nettle
Lesson 45 The Tempest
Lesson 46 The Creator
Lesson 47 The Horse
Lesson 48 Emulation
Lesson 49 The Sandpiper
Lesson 50 The Right Way
Lesson 51 The Golden Rule
Lesson 52 The Snow Man
Lesson 53 Robinson Crusoe's House
Lesson 54 Robinson Crusoe's Dress
Lesson 55 Somebody's Darling
Lesson 56 Knowledge is Power
Lesson 57 Good Will
Lesson 58 A Chinese Story
Lesson 59 The Way to be Happy
Lesson 60 The Giraffe, or Camelopard
Lesson 61 The Lost Child
Lesson 62 Which?
Lesson 63 The Pet Fawn
Lesson 64 Annie's Dream
Lesson 65 My Ghost
Lesson 66 The Elephant
Lesson 67 Dare to do Right
Lesson 68 Dare to do Right (Concluded.)
Lesson 69 Wreck of the Hesperus
Lesson 70 Anecdotes of Birds
Lesson 71 The Rainbow Pilgrimage
Lesson 72 The Old Oaken Bucket
Lesson 73 The Sermon on the Mount
Lesson 74 The Young Witness
Lesson 75 King Solomon and the Ants
Lesson 76 Rivermouth Theater
Lesson 77 Alfred the Great
Lesson 78 Living on a Farm
Lesson 79 Hugh Idle and Mr.Toil
Lesson 80 Hugh Idle and Mr.Toil (Concluded.)
Lesson 81 Burning of Fallow
Lesson 82 The Dying Soldiers
Lesson 83 The Attack on Nymwegen
Lesson 84 The Seasons
Lesson 85 Brandywine Ford
Lesson 86 Brandywine Ford (Concluded.)
Lesson 87 The Best Capital
Lesson 88 The Inchcape Rock
Lesson 89 My Mother's Grave
Lesson 90 A Mother's Gift
