Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that a major character dies, peacefully but alone. All children (and most adults) will cry, but especially sensitive children may be disturbed.
Families who read this book could discuss the various concepts of friendship presented here. Charlotte obviously gives a lot in this relationship -- what does she get in return? How should one treat one's friends? What should one expect from them?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Matt Berman
One of the all-time great classics of children's literature, this gentle story with its kindly wisdom about friendship and love has survived and prospered even in the digital age. Set in a slow, simple, rural America that hardly exists anymore, it appeals to young and old, boys and girls, because its themes are universal and timeless: how should we make and keep friends, how should we treat each other.
Though most readers will certainly cry near the end, it's never maudlin or sappy. Indeed, it's New Yorker editor and author E. B., White's avoidance of cuteness, astringent prose, whimsical humor, and matter-of-factness about life-and-death issues that sets this apart from the pack.
His heroine is a hairy spider who sucks the blood out of flies, aided by a very fat, rat-like rat, and they are working to save Wilbur from the reality of every working barn -- that the animals are there for a reason, not for a rural idyll. Kind people can be ugly and sometimes cruel, others can be greedy but helpful, snooty but caring. The world can be harsh but also beautiful and warm. It's a lovely fantasy grounded in reality, and perhaps that's why kids have loved it for so long -- they know when they're being told the truth.
From The Book
Fern came slowly down the stairs. Her eyes were red from crying. As she approached her chair, the carton wobbled, and there was a scratching noise. Fern looked at her father. Then she lifted the lid of the carton. There, inside, looking up at her, was the newborn pig. It was a white one. The morning light shone through its ears, turning them pink.
"He's yours," said Mr. Arable. "Saved from an untimely death. And may the good Lord forgive me for this foolishness."
Plot Summary:
When Fern convinces her father not to kill the runt pig of the litter, she names him Wilbur and raises him with a bottle. Soon Wilbur goes to live in her Uncle Homer Zuckerman's barn down the road, where she visits him every day. But when she's not there, Wilbur is lonely -- the sheep, cows, geese, even the rats, don't want to play and be his friend.
Then he meets Charlotte, a grey spider whose web is in a corner of the barn door, and they become good friends. But soon after, they learn that Wilbur is to be slaughtered next Christmas to make hams and bacon. So Charlotte hatches a plan to make the Zuckermans want to keep Wilbur around forever.
Related Books:
Other Books by E.B. White
Stuart Little
The Trumpet of the Swan
Books with Similar Themes
Whittington by Alan Armstrong
Babe, The Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith
The Cuckoo Child by Dick King-Smith
Sophie Hits Six by Dick King-Smith
Animal Stories by Dick King-Smith
Charlie Muffin's Miracle Mouse by Dick King-Smith
Opal: The Journal of an Understanding Heart by Opal Whitely and Jane Boulton, ed.
Related Website
Publisher's Site
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Social BehaviorCharlotte is selfless and kind. |
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CommercialismCereal and car brands mentioned. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoAn adult smokes a pipe. |
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