It was E B White who wrote Stuart Little, the story of a baby who resembled a mouse so much that “in fact he was a mouse”. But White’s masterpiece is not his mouse tale, or indeed the sentimental and, dare I say it, the pretty awful film made from it; it is Charlotte’s Web, the story ... Read review
An affectionate, sometimes bashful pig named Wilbur befriends a spider named Charlotte, ... more
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...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Fern loves a little pig named Wilbur and Wilbur's dear friend, Charlotte A Cavatica, a ... more
large grey spider who lived with Wilbur in the barn. With the help of Templeton the rat, who never did anything for anybody unless there was something in it for him, and a wonderfully clever plan of her own, Charlotte saved the life of Wilbur.
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It was E B White who wrote Stuart Little, the story of a baby who resembled a mouse so much that “in fact he was a mouse”. But White’s masterpiece is not his mouse tale, or indeed the sentimental and, dare I say it, the pretty awful film made from it; it is Charlotte’s Web, the story of Charlotte the Spider, Wilbur the Pig and Fern, the farmer's daughter.. After what seemed like the fiftieth sitting through of a Sky showing ... ...been a 3 yet? I lose track) I thought it was about time Conor, Kieran and I read about spiders and pigs and little girls.
Fern, a farmer’s child, persuades her father to give her the runt pig he is about to butcher. Fern names her pet Wilbur and feeds him up with milk from her doll’s nursing bottle. She is so successful that Wilbur is soon far from the runt of the litter. As he gains girth her parents firmly banish him back to the ... more
It was E B White who wrote Stuart Little, the story of a baby who resembled a mouse so much that “in fact he was a mouse”. But White’s masterpiece is not his mouse tale, or indeed the sentimental and, dare I say it, the pretty awful film made from it; it is Charlotte’s Web, the story of Charlotte the Spider, Wilbur the Pig and Fern, the farmer's daughter.. After what seemed like the fiftieth sitting through of a Sky showing of Stuart Little (or Stuart Little 2 - has there been a 3 yet? I lose track) I thought it was about time Conor, Kieran and I read about spiders and pigs and little girls.
Fern, a farmer’s child, persuades her father to give her the runt pig he is about to butcher. Fern names her pet Wilbur and feeds him up with milk from her doll’s nursing bottle. She is so successful that Wilbur is soon far from the runt of the litter. As he gains girth her parents firmly banish him back to the farmyard where he belongs and it is here that the fantasy begins. Wilbur starts to have some fun and makes friends with the other animals. Fern spends long periods of time watching Wilbur daily and discovers that she understands what the animals are saying to each other. Within Fern’s everyday world a little pool of magic exists creating a reality all of its very own. Of course, her parents don’t believe her. They start to worry. In fact they worry so much that they call in the doctor to have a look at their daughter who lives they think, in a fantasy world. Of course she does, but it’s not the sort of fantasy for we limited adults. My children looked at each other and laughed at the thought of how wrong Fern’s parents were and how right she was. ‘Shows how much you grown-ups know’ – just the sort of thing they love.
Back in the farmyard Wilbur has learned about the autumn butchering and his own unfortunate role in it. He doesn’t want to die. Help is at hand though, for Charlotte the spider befriends him and promises to help save his bacon. (Oops, sorry, but you must have known I’d get that horrid pun in somehow.). Her various devices for doing this are unique and exceedingly funny. She begins to weave words about him in her web; words that will call attention to young Wilbur in a very special way. She weaves words like "SOME PIG" and "TERRIFIC". Wilbur is so full of admiration that he tries, hilariously and unsuccessfully, to emulate her with a string tied to his tail. And as Charlotte weaves her words so is the magic for Wilbur woven. Word spreads and Wilbur becomes a special little pig and a famous little pig. He’s a miracle. As the big day, market day, approaches what will happen to Wilbur who faints when he hears the farmer talking of ham and bacon? And what does the future hold for Charlotte, her egg sac and her future babies? Soon, so soon, the day arrives and Wilbur must go alone, without Charlotte who must stay in the barn and take care of her precious egg sac. Just in case you’ve not read it I won’t tell you what happens but I will warn you. If you do buy Charlotte’s Web for your children read it to yourself first and see; especially if you’re prone to tears like me.
I think Charlotte’s Web is a fantasy universally acclaimed by adults and universally loved by children. Wilbur is a true pig – he relishes slops and good soft muck. But he is also a child, lonely, wanting friends, turning to Charlotte for understanding, reassurance, entertainment, love and most importantly a solution to his most urgent problem. Wilbur is no hero; he’s a frightened little boy. But he is obedient and tries his best to live up to all the good things Charlotte weaves about him in her web. All the readers and listeners I’ve known have responded to White’s simple direct writing and the both the humour and the pathos in his story.
No one read Charlotte’s Web aloud to me. I read it myself as a very little girl and it was the first book ever to make me cry. I’ve never forgotten it. Like tears at those cheesy films when you’re older, I can remember crying for poor Charlotte; so brave, so generous, so funny. I’m not sure any book that’s made me cry since has ever had quite such an impact and I’m so hopelessly weepy that I promise you there have been a fair few literary tears since those first, childish ones. Somehow though, even then, I think I realised that it was all right and things were just as they were meant to be for Charlotte. I still think of that little spider’s hundreds of babies and I still remember being six or seven and shedding the first "laughing tears" of my short life. When I finished reading Charlotte’s Web for the first time to my own two children, I almost cried again, for the umpteenth time. Conor said, ‘Mummy, did Charlotte’s babies REALLY fly away in the wind?’ and I looked at the pair of them staring out of the window, thinking about the spiders webs they’d seen in the garden. You see? They were realising too. Ok, I’ll be honest, five minutes later they were engaged in sniper fire with the hoover extensions and destroying all in their path as usual, but they’ve asked loads of questions since and we've since read the book several times over, and at their request. So I’m sure they did understand.
The thing to remember about fantasy, especially children’s fantasy, is that it’s deeply rooted in reality. It didn’t start out in story form; it’s older than that, probably as old as anything is. In the fantasy that is ‘Charlotte’s Web’ magically, through the funny and endearing partnership of a talking pig and a talking spider the basic truths of life are set out for your children. Fantasy helps children to understand reality even as it provides them with a flight into funnier and more exciting worlds. It helps them face reality but with imagination, creativity and spontaneity of thought.
Advantages: excellent prose, well developed characters, life affirming themes Disadvantages: sensitive children may cry when a main character passes
...familiar with E.B. White's stories, Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, thanks to recent blockbuster films, they may not be aware that these stories were indeed books first. They are well worth the read, for no matter how good a film is, the books themselves have subtle messages that cannot be translated into cinematic experiences. E.B. White's prose alone is something that would be a tragedy for any person to miss, and the books speak well to the ... ...Wilder Medal in 1970.
Charlotte's Web itself is a masterpiece of a story. It is the tragio-comic story of a young pig named Wilbur and focuses on his relationship with the young girl Fern and the barn spider, Charlotte. Fern is the daughter of a farmer and she rescues Wilbur from the axe when he is born a runt and rejected by his mother. Raising him on a bottle and cosseting the baby pig, Wilbur grows up to be a fine specimen of a pig thanks to ...
Shroud 17.04.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Charlotte's Web - E.B. White
Advantages: Some seriously goods lessons to be learn't. Disadvantages: None that I can see, except the need for a hanky!
What a deprived childhood I must have had, for I cannot remember reading any book back then, that was ever as enthralling and enchanting as 'Charlottes Web'. Of course I had heard of it, just never read it. So when I came across it in the book store, I decided to read it. O.K, at nearly 32 years old, you may be thinking I'm a little too old for children books, but not so. To read a book like this was like a breath of fresh air, and even had a profound ... ...So what's it all about? Fern Arable is a little girl who lives with her parents and her brother Avery on a farm somewhere in America. The book opens with Mr Arable going off to the 'hoghouse' with an axe, to 'do away' with the runt of a litter of pigs born during the previous night. Of course when Fern gets news of this, we just know she will have to do something about it. In this way we know Fern from the very first page, and we too feel her anguish ...
jusophine 19.10.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Charlotte's Web - E.B. White
Advantages: A beautiful story that will stay with you Disadvantages: None at all
I must have read Charlotte's Web for the first time when I was about 6 or 7 - and even now, some 23 years later, the story of Fern, Wilbur and Charlotte reamains with me still.
It is a beautiful story that can be read by children or adults (although it is marketed as a child's book), and the messages within the story are ones that all of us could learn from.
The story is based around a little girl called Fern, who rescues Wilbur (the runt of the ... ...raises Wilbur until he is too big, and then he goes to the Zuckermans who have a farm with lots of other animals. Fern visits regularly, but the story turns to focus mainly on Wilbur and his relationships with the other animals - particularly with a spider named Charlotte.
I won't give too much away, but the story goes on to be one of friendship, loyalty, sacrifice and loss - but also of gain.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough - and I ...
hsproston 28.08.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Charlotte's Web - E.B. White
Advantages: Its just a good book Disadvantages: Its not very big
E.B White has done a good job of writing this book.
Its about a little named Fern who saves a pig called Wilbur before her dad is about to kill it.
Fern brings up the little pig and when it is too big to stay at their house it moves to The Zuckerman's Farm- The Zuckerman’s are relations of Fern and her family.
Wilbur is now no longer a runt but a healthy pig that according to humans is fit enough to be eaten for dinner.
Fern sits with the ...
PreeZ 13.02.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Charlotte's Web - E.B. White
Advantages: A clearly written adventure which would enlighten any childhood (or adulthood!!) Disadvantages: Deals with death but in a very soothing manner
As an adult, I have endearing memories of three boos which I would gladly now buy for my children. "Charlotte's Web" is at the top of that list.
A trully magical tale of a Pig saved from a certain death by a girl who loves him, who then goes on to endear himself to many other animals - Charlotte the spider being one of them. E B White takes the reader on a journey of learning for the pig as he comes to terms with not having parents, but having the ... ...was warm in many ways, certainly taking me past my fear of spiders from a young age - afterall, who could dislike a character such as Charlotte - small but with a big heart. This is of course a children's book, but I have and know that I would again read this as an adult - enjoying it just as much. And I defy anyone not to cry at the end! However old you might be. ...
TeenyB 08.07.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Charlotte's Web - E.B. White
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When reading this book, I was taken back to my childhood when I was reading Roald Dahl's James And The Giant Peach, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie And The Great Glass Elevator; Beverly Cleary's Ralph S. Mouse; and E.B. White's Charlotte's Web.
All of these books attracted me to read. I am sure kids today do not want to read the books their parents did back then. These are new!! I am old to my nieces, and I am only 22. If I told them, I had something like they do now, I get the look of shock from their gorgeous faces!
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Advantages: Puffin books are a great read for educational purposes Disadvantages: None
Puffin Books.
CharlottesWeb! By E.B. White
This is the story of a little girl named Fern who loved a little pig named Wilbur, and of how Wilbur’s dear friend Charlotte A. Cavatica, a beautiful grey spider, saved Wilbur from the usual fate of nice fat pigs by a wonderfully clever plan which no one else could have possibly thought of.
There are a lot of other interesting characters on Mr Zuckerman’s farm; notably a cynical grey rat called Templeton and a most irresponsible goose, both of whom help to make Wilbur the most famous pig in the district!
E. B. White has written an outstanding book for children – full of summer magic – it will please readers up to 11 years of age and is especially good for reading aloud.
‘I don’t want to die! Save me, somebody! Save me!’
Some other Puffin ...
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