From the Bookshelf of Challenge Corner…

Charlotte’s Web

E.B. White,

Garth Williams (Illustrator)

Start date: April 1, 2022

Finish date: April 30, 2022

Discussion: Book of the Month

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What Members Thought

Feb 18, 2022 Alicia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: movies-tv-shows, books-coralei-made-me-read, magical-realism, finally-read-it, classics

One of my children wanted me to read this, and for some reason it wasn't one I'd gotten to previously. I pretty much only read classics that are children's books, and Charlotte's Web is such a sweet story of friendship.
I can't believe how much the animated movie followed this book. It was literally word for word in so many places (Yes, I know most of the movie off by heart. It was a childhood favourite). It was like being reunited with old friends.
And apparently you could make Charlotte's final ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Apr 13, 2022 Celia Buell (semi hiatus) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens, under-200-pages, under-250-pages, under-350-pages, to-reread, owned, under-300-pages, animals, fantasy, turf-wars-high-points

I honestly don't know why I haven't reread this since I was in... (checks calendar, does the math)... first or second grade most likely. I don't even remember rereading it when my sibling was old enough to first read it, even though I have their old copy now for my future classroom. But even though I was reading it to see how it holds up today (more about that on my Goodreads account for children's books), I was incredibly happy to come back to this reread for myself as well.

Simply put, this was I honestly don't know why I haven't reread this since I was in... (checks calendar, does the math)... first or second grade most likely. I don't even remember rereading it when my sibling was old enough to first read it, even though I have their old copy now for my future classroom. But even though I was reading it to see how it holds up today (more about that on my Goodreads account for children's books), I was incredibly happy to come back to this reread for myself as well.

Simply put, this was fun and heartwarming. I wish animal POV books were more common in YA and adult literature (fully animal, not shifters) because these books do give a wholly different perspective on the way we see the world. I'm impressed by the way E.B. White can make the dialogue and prose so realistic to how we might commonly imagine these animals. I also love that in this story, each of the main animals and other characters has a place. While most of the book is in Wilbur's POV, there are a lot in other perspectives as well, and having all of them creates a sense of community that is difficult to develop in many genres for all ages. I love the different levels of relationships and friendships that are developed here.

As a future teacher, I also love all the quips about childhood and our relationship to nature when we're young versus when we grow up. I can guarantee that when I read this as a child I wasn't paying much attention to Fern because Wilbur, Charlotte, and Templeton were so much more exciting. Clearly, the animals take the spotlight, but Fern has a distinct story that older readers can appreciate as well. I appreciate the doctor's opinion that children understand quite a bit more about the natural world, and his claim that “It is quite possible that an animal has spoken to me and that I didn't catch the remark because I wasn't paying attention.” I feel that this is incredibly validating, especially knowing young children and the ways they see things differently. I love reading books where this is acknowledged because it means that there have been authors who acknowledged these things throughout time.

I will definitely be holding on to Charlotte's Web for my future classroom and for my own enjoyment, and would find it a lot of fun to use this as a read-aloud book for first or second grade. ...more

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