Because of Winn-Dixie

　　歐寶三歲時媽媽便離家出走，牧師爸爸獨自照顧她。十歲那年，她和爸爸由南方搬到北方，在人生地不熟的地方，她備感孤單，也更加想念媽媽。一天，她去買番茄時，超市裡跑進一隻會笑的狗，她因不忍流浪狗被捕狗大隊帶走，便硬著頭皮把牠帶回家。

　　牧師同情牠又瘦又癩痢，答應歐寶收留牠，沒想到因此使他們單調、嚴肅的生活有了轉變。在狗狗溫迪客的帶領下，歐寶認識了愛看書的圖書管理員、會談吉他的寵物店員、眼睛不好的老太太、憂鬱的女孩、愛吸手指的小可愛和兩個光頭兄弟。

　　為了要聯繫這些朋友，歐寶決定開個派對。派對中下起雷雨，膽小的溫迪客走失了。歐寶和牧師爸爸在找狗的時候，有了一些爭執，但也拉近了彼此的距離。這次的溝通，終於使歐寶相信自己雖然想念媽媽，但仍不妨礙她和新朋友過開心的生活。

　　★榮獲紐伯瑞兒童文學銀牌獎

　　《傻狗溫迪客》融合幽默和感人的一部小說，帶有希望卻又令人感到淡淡憂傷。藉由溫迪客這隻狗，隱喻著小女孩不願接受自己被媽媽拋棄的事實。而溫迪客的「懼雷症」，也就像是女孩爸爸害怕提起離他們遠去的女孩媽媽一樣。

　　擅長描繪人與人之間難解心境的凱特，藉由各種動物去溫暖每個受傷的小心靈，用笑容為女孩化解人與人之間的隔閡，唯有開啟溝通的那扇門，希望的光才能灑進那幽暗脆弱的心！

　　——中文簡介摘錄自《傻狗溫迪客》，台灣東方出版

得獎紀錄

　　★2001年美國紐伯瑞兒童文學銀牌獎
　　★2000年出版人周刊年度最佳童書

　　The classic heartwarming tale from Kate DiCamillo—now with an afterword from the beloved author, reflecting on twenty years in print
 
　　One summer’s day, ten-year-old India Opal Buloni goes down to the local supermarket for some groceries—and comes home with a dog. But Winn-Dixie is no ordinary dog. It’s because of Winn-Dixie that Opal begins to make friends. And it’s because of Winn-Dixie that she finally dares to ask her father about her mother, who left when Opal was three. In fact, as Opal admits, just about everything that happens that summer is because of Winn-Dixie.

　　This updated edition of Kate DiCamillo’s classic novel invites readers to make themselves at home—whether they’re experiencing the book for the first time or returning to an old favorite.

Kate DiCamillo says of writing BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE, ＂I was living in an apartment where no dogs were allowed. As a result, I was suffering from a serious case of ’dog withdrawal.’ One night, before I went to sleep, I heard this little girl’s voice (with a Southern accent) say, ’I have a dog named Winn-Dixie.’ When I woke up the next morning, the voice was still talking, and I started writing down what India Opal Buloni was telling me. The book is (I hope) a hymn of praise to dogs, friendship, and the South.＂