Charlotte's Web
by E. B. White
List Price:
Our Price: $5.06
You Save: $3.93 (44%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.48 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: E. B. WhiteIllustrator: Garth Williams
Illustrator: Rosemary Wells
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-10-02
ISBN: 0064410935
Number of pages: 192
Publisher: HarperCollins
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780064410939
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Charlotte's Web
Book Review: My three year old's favorite novel.
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm sharing this review with the intention of being particularly helpful to parents of toddlers and preschoolers. I found that having a very young child with the attention span to sit through chapters of a novel left me scrambling a bit to find novels that were appropriate in theme and content for her age. I am reviewing each novel we have read or tried in the hopes of being helpful to other parents in the same situation.
Charlotte's Web by EB White was the second novel we read, and we selected it for two reasons. First, it was already on our bookshelf, and second, an area park was planning to host the live-action movie, projected outside for a picnic-under-the-stars movie experience. I thought the second sounded really fun, and having seen the live action version, I thought my daughter would really enjoy it.
It was a bit of a gamble starting this one primarily because it tackles the concept of death, and a young three year old might not handle that well. But, knowing her as I do, I decided to try it on, and see how she responded. I decided that I'm not opposed to altering the story if I felt it necessary. Though I'm generally opposed to censorship, I feel this is fine, as I do not intend to keep ideas from her, merely gauge when she is ready for them. Regarding death, I felt that to some extent she had already been exposed to insect death, and that animal death is a natural extension of that idea. So, after noting the possible red-flags this novel brought with it, we began reading.
My daughter fell in love with this story. She considers it Fern's story, which I find interesting. The novel begins with Fern, and she is Wilbur's first advocate. I think she liked the idea of a pig all wrapped up in a baby blanket, in a doll's carriage, drinking milk from a bottle. I think she liked to experience being a caregiver vicariously through Fern. I saw confusion and shock flash across her face during the early scene when Fern rescued Wilbur from an early death. I think to some extent, Fern won my daughter's devotion in that early scene. Like Fern, the idea that this baby pig should be killed because it was small, was not only foreign but definitely wrong. It was neat to see her draw that conclusion, and empathize with a character on the basis of emotion and moral righteousness. In that passage, I knew we'd done right to select this book, and that it gave her the gift of literature in a way that previous reading hadn't. It gave her books as a vehicle for examining ideas and drawing conclusions, as a means of experiencing difficult situations without actually having to live them.
She very much enjoyed the antics of Charlotte, Wilbur, and Templeton. She was a quiet listener, so that often times I wondered if she was fully engaged, and was surprised to find upon questioning that she was definitely fully with me. I was surprised by how well she kept with the story, not growing bored when we covered long passages about the wind blowing through the trees and the seasons changing on the the farm. I'd have predicted that she would need the clever antics to keep her interest up, but she was a rapt audience for the entirety of the book.
In the end, we took Charlotte's death on headlong, not editing or softening the blow. I felt the whole book had prepared for it, and to leave it out or soften it in the end would have made the preparation excessive. White was very wise in his handling of the story. It is very much an introduction to the idea of death, and he puts out early the idea that Wilbur may die, an idea his audience is not equipped to handle. Still, he prepares the audience for it, never lying. Never promising that it won't become a reality, presenting hope alongside the reality of death, and leaving the reader to know that those are what we have: the certainty of ultimate death, and hope in the face of it. And I love that he didn't chicken out. He didn't give us Wilbur, the victor over death and a means to avoid dealing with death as a certainty. He gave us Wilbur, saved from the slaughterhouse and free to live as full a life as any of us. And he gave us Charlotte, whose complete life came to it's natural end in this book. In doing so, he asks the reader to explore the idea of death and of the life-cycle, without giving them a free-pass. He is honest about it, and I respect that. He recognized that children weren't ready to say good-bye to Wilbur, and most especially not at the hand of humans and not by choice, but that he had prepared them for the idea of death and a natural death could be more easily accepted and understood. And so, Charlotte dies, and Wilbur lives to die another day, and my daughter begins to explore this idea and to decide for herself what it means to have a life.
Lots of questions accompanied this book, and followed it. Why do the people want to kill Wilbur? Why do we eat animals? Why does Charlotte not want Wilbur to die? Why did the farmer decide not to kill Wilbur? Why did Charlotte die? Do people also die? Will I die? Will you die when I die? What will happen after I die? When will I die? When will you die? Are Charlotte's babies sad because they don't have a mommy? And so on. And they are all important questions and I thank EB White for giving them to my daughter in such a gentle and loving way and allowing us to experience them together.
Summary of Charlotte's Web
Beloved by generations, Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little are two of the most cherished stories of all time. Now, for the first time ever, these treasured classics are available in lavish new collectors' editions. In addition to a larger trim size, the original black-and-white art by Garth Williams has been lovingly colorized by renowned illustrator Rosemary Wells, adding another dimension to these two perfect books for young and old alike.
An affectionate, sometimes bashful pig named Wilbur befriends a spider named Charlotte, who lives in the rafters above his pen. A prancing, playful bloke, Wilbur is devastated when he learns of the destiny that befalls all those of porcine persuasion. Determined to save her friend, Charlotte spins a web that reads "Some Pig," convincing the farmer and surrounding community that Wilbur is no ordinary animal and should be saved. In this story of friendship, hardship, and the passing on into time, E.B. White reminds us to open our eyes to the wonder and miracle often found in the simplest of things.
Farm Animals Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Farm Animals Books
Little Blue Truckby Alice Schertle
Harcourt Children's Books; Harcourt Children's Books; Published: 2008-05-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.07
Price in other shops:
Sali de paseo (Spanish Edition)by Sue Williams
HMH Books; Published: 2005-08-01; Board book; Book
Best price: $3.68
Price in other shops:
Let's Go Visitingby Sue Williams
Harcourt Children's Books; Published: 1998-10-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.14
Price in other shops:
Sal¡ de paseoby Sue Williams
Sandpiper; Published: 1995-04-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.89
Price in other shops:
Freddy Goes Campingby Walter R. Brooks
Puffin; Published: 2003-04-14; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.55
El Cuento de Ferdinando (The Story of Ferdinand in Spanish) (Picture Puffins)by Munro Leaf
Puffin; Published: 1990-12-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.38
Price in other shops:
Coconut Comes to Schoolby Berlie Doherty
HarperCollins Publishers; Published: 2004-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.79
Price in other shops:
Six Chicksby Henrietta Branford
HarperCollins UK; Published: 2004-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.08
Price in other shops:
I Went Walkingby Sue Williams
Harcourt Children's Books; Published: 1990-09-12; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $8.95
Price in other shops:
Christmas in the Barnby Margaret Wise Brown
HarperCollins; Published: 2004-09-21; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $20.99
Similar Books and other products
Harriet the Spyby Louise Fitzhugh
Yearling; Yearling; Published: 2001-05-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.47
Price in other shops:
The Trumpet of the Swan (full color)by E. B. White
HarperCollins; Published: 2001-10-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.43
Price in other shops:
The Secret Gardenby Frances Hodgson Burnett
Candlewick Press; Signet Classics; Published: 2003-07-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.00
Price in other shops:
Where the Wild Things Areby Maurice Sendak
Where the Wild Things Are; HarperCollins; Published: 1984-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.73
Price in other shops:
Mr. Popper's Penguinsby Richard Atwater, Florence Atwater
Spring Arbor/Ingram; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Published: 1992-11-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.29
Price in other shops:
Matildaby Roald Dahl
Puffin Books; Puffin; Published: 2007-08-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.47
Price in other shops:
Charlie and the Chocolate Factoryby Roald Dahl
Puffin Books; Puffin; Published: 2011-03-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.49
Price in other shops:
James and the Giant Peachby Roald Dahl
Puffin; Published: 2011-03-17; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.00
Price in other shops:
Pippi Longstocking (Puffin Modern Classics)by Astrid Lindgren
Puffin Books; Puffin; Published: 2005-04-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.82
Price in other shops:
Stuart Littleby E. B. White
Harper Collins Publishers; Harper & Row; Published: 1974-05-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.00
Price in other shops: