Charlotte’s Web in Around the World in 80 Books

Jan 21, 2012 Linda Martin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classics, newbery-medal-winners, 2021, fiction, middle-grade

I'm in love. Is it sick to love a book? Well, that's a deep subject. Okay, getting down to business here, I'll just say this is my second time to read Charlotte's Web. The first time was in the 1970's long before Goodreads existed, long before the internet even. Back when webs were just webs created by spiders. Way back then I enrolled in a children's literature class at Shasta College in Redding, California. This book was required reading along with A Day No Pigs Would Die and Mr. Revere and I: I'm in love. Is it sick to love a book? Well, that's a deep subject. Okay, getting down to business here, I'll just say this is my second time to read Charlotte's Web. The first time was in the 1970's long before Goodreads existed, long before the internet even. Back when webs were just webs created by spiders. Way back then I enrolled in a children's literature class at Shasta College in Redding, California. This book was required reading along with A Day No Pigs Would Die and Mr. Revere and I: Being an Account of certain Episodes in the Career of Paul Revere, Esq. as Revealed by his Horse. For the record, I appreciated all three books.

I got another copy of Charlotte's Web in September 2020 at a Red Cross center a few weeks after my home (and book collection) burned in a forest fire along with almost 200 other homes. Like a phoenix arising from ashes this little book sat in a box until January when I decided to read it as my first book of 2021, and as part of my 2021 PopSugar Reading Challenge endeavor.

The story starts out with precious little Fern rescuing a newborn pig from certain death just because he was the runt of the litter. She named him Wilbur and under her care he survived, but too soon, her parents decided he had to go live on a nearby farm rather than in their kitchen. Once in the new barnyard, abruptly on page 16, the point of view character changes from Fern to Wilbur, and suddenly there's a talking pig. Not only that, there's talking sheep and geese and even a talking spider. Also (horrors) a talking rat.

At first I wondered why the little girl was named Fern when the title character was Charlotte. It is soon clear that Charlotte is the spider, and of course that makes sense because who else would have a web back in the olden days before the internet? This book was published in 1952 when I was three months old. The following year, 1953, it was named a Newbery Honor Book. [It should have been the winner; the book that took the gold medal that year is rarely remembered these days.] ...more

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Jul 29, 2014 Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: nature, relationships, kids-1001, the-great-american-read

Wilbur the pig is saved at the last minute from death by a young girl Fern. He is sold to Fern's uncle but is befriended there by the spider Charlotte.

Friendship. ...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Farhana Faruq rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: early-readers

I read this as a child and although I had forgotten the story line I knew it was a book I enjoyed. Reading it after so many year it's still a wonderful read. A little sad though!! ...more

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