Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Apr 05, 2010

Ceridwen rated it:

I liked sad things when I was a child. I probably still do like sad things, the lovely feeling of loss and connection one gets when unfortunate things happen to imaginary people in books. I would beg my Grandma Dory to read me The Little Match Girl over and over, and I would weep giant crocodile tears of pain and empathy at the girl's frozen body, the grandmother and the candles, the matches all struck and burnt down to a flash of pain and then the letting go...

Charlotte is something More...

40 comments like (34 people liked it)

Jan 28, 2012

Tanu rated it:

It may sound weird but this is the first time I am reading this book. I don’t know how I missed out on it when I was a kid. Maybe it was the Famous 5 or Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew. Anyway, if I had read it as a kid I might have mustered some sympathy for Wilbur. Right now though, I am just mad. Such a whinny and annoying crybaby. Met enough people like him in real life. Poor Charlotte!

My personnel bitchy nature aside, this book was amazing. A quick read, but it makes an impact. Beauti More...

3 comments like (8 people liked it)

Apr 04, 2011

K.D. rated it:

One of the best books written for children that I've read so far this year.

It has full of lessons that anyone including adults can learn from or at least be reminded of. It has many interesting characters that anyone can relate to. It's about life - the young pig Wilbur learning his life important lessons from the caring spider Charlotte. It's about friendship - Fern taking care of runt Wilbur, Charlotte weaving for Wilbur, rat doing favors for Wilbur and Charlotte, etc. Most importa More...

7 comments like (7 people liked it)

Nov 25, 2007

David rated it:

I grew up without reading this book. For some, that seems to be unimaginable. I can maybe understand why. My wife and I are reading it now, or I should say, I am reading it aloud before bed, and it's really wonderful. I could totally see why it would be a kind of life-formative book. I was reading a passage last night and laughing at it (there is so much in here that is really funny), and it made me wonder about the level of the humor. That is, would the kid me have thought this was funny o More...

1 comment like (12 people liked it)

May 01, 2011

jzhunagev rated it:

Web of Friendship
(A Book Review of E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web)

My first encounter with E.B. White is through this slim book called The Elements of Style, written in part by his former English professor William Strunk Jr., and a tiny thing though it is, nonetheless it packs up a lot of amusing, informative and useful instruction in the elementary usage of grammar and composition. If you’re not familiar yet with the book well checking this one out is worth your while, Gentle Rea More...

9 comments like (5 people liked it)

Mar 30, 2008

Ji rated it:

I read this book three times and my opinion of the book has changed each time. The importance of this? Just think how complex and well written a book is if you can take different meanings from a novel at different stages of your life.

Here is a mini recap of what I thought each time I read it...

4th Grade: Poor piggy! I'm glad he found a nice spider friend. I'm so sad that Charlotte died at the end! But I still hate spiders.

8th Grade: I guess it is a really go More...

2 comments like (11 people liked it)

Jan 20, 2009

Sylvia rated it:

Kelar dalam beberapa jam! What a wonderful story! Kenapa juga nggak baca dari dulu? Karena gw pikir ini cerita anak-anak *emang iya sih* dan gak seru. Tapi ternyata... uhuu seru banget, dan mengharukan!

Persahabatan antara Wilbur si babi dan Charlotte si laba-laba di sebuah peternakan. Wilbur yang takut disembelih dan dijadikan daging asap, menjadi panik ketika omongan diantara hewan mulai santer bahwa dia akan dipotong di malam natal.

Charlotte, teman sejatinya, berjanji b More...

13 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 06, 2009

Michael rated it:

Annotation:
A young pig's life is saved by a Charlotte, a wise spider. Through Charlotte, the pig learns important lessons about friendship and loss.

Review:

Perhaps the most striking aspect of E.B. White's 1952 classic Charlotte's Web is abundance of endearing, clearly-drawn characters. White's tale of friendship, altruism and loss rings very true because of how quickly the reader comes to care for and identify with the characters. Despite being written for children, More...

2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Sep 05, 2007

Stephanie rated it:

Within 3 minutes of reviewing its Top 100 Novels Written in English List, I knew The Modern Library was irrelevant. That's because it failed to include CHARLOTTE'S WEB. I mean, I realize that children's literature is considered a joke by most intellectuals, but get serious. Anybody who reads this story and fails to recognize its greatness doesn't really like books, in my opinion.

Not only does CHARLOTTE'S WEB feature one of the most ingenious plots in all of literature, its prose is b More...

1 comment like (11 people liked it)

Nov 14, 2008

Susanna rated it:

In my desperation for a good night's sleep, I jettisoned my Nguigi wa Thiong'o novel (as Em says "is there any great African literature that's not about war or hunger or political corruption?") and, as after Mom's going, delved into some children's books. This was all I remembered it being when I read it at 8 and more.

I can't say more than Eudora Welty did:
"What the book is about is friendship on earth, affection and protection, adventure and miracle, life and d More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Mar 04, 2009

lAuRa rated it:

Okay I have a lot to say about this book! I couldn't have read this at a more perfect time in my life. Charlotte's Web to me is a story about true friendship, standing up for those and what you believe in, and heroes. Charlotte was obviously the main hero because she was so brave, humble, and kind to take on the act of saving Wilbur's life. She asked for NOTHING in return and that is what a true friend is. When she died Wilbur wanted to take her children and she knew they would be safe with him More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 18, 2012

L12_tomj rated it:

Charlotte's Web is an endearing and beautifully tender story about the joy, sharing, and sacrifice that is inherent in any true friendship. E.B. White also expresses in an eloquently simple and genuine voice the innocence and pleasures that come from working and living on a farm. Except in the most remote corners of America, the sixty plus years since E.B. White wrote about this type of simple farm life have likely disappeared and have been replaced by the daily trappings of the 21st century inv More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Apr 23, 2009

J.R. rated it:

I read Charlotte's Web as a child, and loved it. Recently I had the pleasure of rereading it with my daughter, taking on a chapter a day. The descriptive phrases E.B. White uses while helping us to fall in love with the characters and their world are wonderful.

I will admit I was concerned reading some parts of the story to a 4 year old, whether it be the "circle of life" comments by Charlotte or the fear of Wilbur being killed. However, I took it slow, answered question More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 06, 2008

Beth F. rated it:

This was the very first book that ever made me cry. I cried for days after finishing this one. I've always meant to re-read it but I'm afraid it will make me cry all over again (some things never change, even with age).

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 18, 2012

L12_sarah rated it:

What makes this book so good is its handling of deep issues like finding one's purpose in life, fitting in/sticking out (i.e. conformity vs. individuality), friendship, acting selflessly, and death in a way that makes them appropriate and understandable for children. White uses characterization effectively to create characters that the reader can not only picture clearly, but also relate to and empathize with. This is no small feat when the main character is a pig! Finally, the amount of realist More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Apr 11, 2011

Jessica rated it:

Okay, seriously: you see a spider web that says, "some pig" and you think, "Wow! That's some pig all right!" Um. Nooooo. You think, "HOLY CRAP, THE SPIDER CAN WRITE!"

But put that aside, folks, and just enjoy this charming story of a young, innocent pig being saved from the frying pan by his clever spider friend. This is a tender and funny look at loyalty, friendship, and the realities of farm life.

I saw the cartoon movie many times as I ki More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Apr 08, 2008

Belinda rated it:

I think that this book is really an interestingt book and i would recommend students like me to read this book.The main characters in this book includes Wilbur and Charlotte.

Charlotte’s Web” is a tale of unconditional, selfless love. A love not unlike that of our Savior. The story’s beauty lies in its simplicity. I was moved deeply by this faithful presentation of E. B. White’s timeless classic children’s story.

Charlotte (the soothing voice of Julia Roberts), a spider who More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Sep 04, 2007

Susan rated it:

A beautiful book. I think one of my favorite things about it (and probably one of my favorite things when I was a kid reading it) is that it doesn't talk down to the reader while providing a whole lot of interesting information. Let's face it, you learn a lot about spiders! I could never convince myself that any of them were as cool as Charlotte, but it was nice to know why they did what they did. The feelings were also very recognizable, even if life on a farm was not, starting with Fern's lov More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 10, 2007

Lisa rated it:

This is one of my favorite books from childhood. I read it around the time I read Stuart Little and The Wind in the Willows and it won hands down. It’s the one I reread many times from age eight to the present. It’s a beautiful fable, and it doesn’t talk down to kids, yet even young kids (as long as they’ve been introduced to the concept of death) can enjoy it. All the characters are interesting, and I thoroughly enjoy the story. However, it sure didn’t help me be any less frightened of spiders. More...

15 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 24, 2012

L12_luisespinoza rated it:

I had heard about this book and even caught a glimpse of the movie, but this was the first time I actually read the book (believe it or not). I really enjoyed reading it and it strongly resonated with me. I enjoyed the friendship aspect of this story and all that comes with true friendship (loyalty, sacrifice, camaraderie to name a few). I can see why this book won the awards it did.

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 17, 2008

LINDA rated it:

I recently listened to an interview on NPR with E.B. White. I wanted to re-read this book after hearing the interview and came across a used copy at a great little bookstore named the Paradox Book Store in Wheeling West Wirginia while on a weekend camping trip!

Sadly, I barely remembered anything from my initial reading of this book as a child.

I loved this quick read! Several times I caught myself laughing out loud, and the ending touched my heart.

The aut More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 03, 2007

Kasey rated it:

There is a little "bring one take one" library at one of the schools I work at. I got all excited till I saw that all the books were crap. But, excitement came back when I saw the children's library, "take one home for your kids." I saw Charlotte's Web and read it on my breaks which prompted some stupid lady to inform me, "You know there are adult books here too!" I didn't punch her, but I wanted to.
So anyway...I was reading it and, although it was super More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 07, 2009

Sophia rated it:

read it so long ago but i never forgot what a beautiful story it was about friendship and when charlotte died i cried....charlotte was the spider right??

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 14, 2008

Maria rated it:

Before you see the rating and become outraged, keep in mind that this is GoodReads - not Amazon. 2 stars means "It was OK". Also you need to know that I read this book for the first time at the age of 28 (I'd seen the cartoon, but that's it). I can see that it'd be a sweet and charming book for children who're only just starting to learn to read, but without the element of nostalgia... sorry, it doesn't cut it. Unlike books like Narnia, it doesn't have anything to endear it to adults.. More...

5 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 15, 2009

Karinne rated it:

This book really expresses my personality, because I would never alllow a pig to be killed anywhere near my house.

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 19, 2009

♪ Lavi ♪ rated it:

This story was really touching. It had a lot of heart and optimism in it. I wish she wrote Charlotte's Web 2.

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 14, 2008

Jodi rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jun 06, 2011

Anabertha rated it:

was a very nice book(:

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 24, 2009

Jonathan rated it:

Charlotte's Web is a fascinating story about friendship. The protagonist of the story is a piglet named Wilbur. The story starts out with a sad tone, seeing that the farmer wanted to kill one of the newborn pigs because he was weaker than the rest. Fern, the farmer's daughter begged to spare his life, and so, she names the pig Wilbur. They shared a happy life together and Wilbur was a curious piggy, always exploring. But with each passing hour, time flew by. Wilbur was sold to another ranch and More...

0 comments like

Feb 11, 2012

Utami rated it:

I love the cover and the illustration in this book. And after I read it, I understand why the book has become one of the best books for children.

The story is about Wilbur, a cute and funny pig. Wilbur semula dipelihara oleh Fern. Tapi kemudian, Wilbur menjadi penghuni suatu peternakan, dimana dia berteman dengan charlotte, seekor laba-laba. Suatu hari, Wilbur ketakutan mendapati kenyataan bahwa menjelang Natal, dia akan menjadi santapan bagi keluarga pemilik peternakan tempatnya tingga More...

0 comments like

reviews