First chapter book! Fond memories

when you dedicate yourself to someone worthy and make it a life mission to save someone there are rewards that span lifetimes and across family lines ( )

I like this book. I wasn't sure about it at first, but decided that Charlotte is one of the good guys, even if she is a spider! Good characters, good ending. I realized, during my second reading of the book, that there really is no "bad guy." Templeton isn't very nice, but he did what Charlotte wanted him to, so he's technically not a bad guy.

Independent Reading Level: Grades 3-5 (ages 8-10), Guided Reading Level: O-P
Awards/Honors: Newbery Honor
ALA notable Children's Book
A staple of children's literature with numerous adaptations, including film and stage versions.

Independent Reading Level: 3rd to 5th Grade (Lexile: 680L)
Awards/Honors: Newbery Honor Book

John Newbery Medal
Laura Ingalls Wilder Award
Massachusetts Children's Book Award 1984
Horn Book Fanfare Award 1952
George C. Stone Center for Children's Books Recognition of Merit Award

Independent Reading Level: 3rd-5th grade
Awards: Newbery Honor (1953)
Laura Ingalls Wilder Award (1970)
Massachusetts Children's Book Award (1984)
George C. Stone Center for Children's Books Recognition of Merit Award (1970)
Horn Book Fanfare Award (1952)

Independent Reading Level: Grades 3-5
Awards/Honors: Newbery Medel (1953)

Independent Reading Level: 3-5

Awards/Honors: Newberry Honor (1959), Lewis Carroll Shelf Award,
Children's Booksellers' Award, American Library Association's Notable Children's Books, Time Magazine's 100 Best Young-Adult Books of All Time,
National Education Association's "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children ( )

My 8 years old self would have loved this book, I had been looking for an excuse to read this book for years and just realised on seeing it this week in a book shop that I didn't need an excuse to read it, I can just pick it up and indulge myself in little animal behaviour and so I enjoyed this beautiful story of a livestock pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte.

This book is so beautifully written and the illustrations in the copy I have just made it that much better. Friendship and love are the central themes of Charlotte's Web, This is a terrific children's book which I think many adults like myself will appreciate the story as well and I am going to hold on to this copy as I hope if the future (long distant future) to take it out again and perhaps read to my grand children.

I seem to have missed out on so many of these great books that I should have read as a child but as the saying goes " better late than never" and so nice to choose one to read every now and then. ( )

The audio is read by the author - find it for the Newbery discussion!
.......
Done. It took awhile for White to warm up, and he was never super expressive or good at doing different voices for different people. But it was still enriching to listen to that, and to skim the annotated hardcover, edited by [a:Peter F. Neumeyer|130804|Peter F. Neumeyer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1490959797p2/130804.jpg]. ( )

AR: 4.4

Simple and beautifully written story of the best of humanity in animal form. The unusual friendship between a simple pig and an intelligent spider, written in a way to engage all ages.
Sweet without being in any way saccharin, I found it a great lesson in simple effective writing. ( )

What can be said about this classic that hasn't been said before? I re-read Charlotte's Web as part of a reading challenge which included going back to read a childhood favorite (actually, I listened to the unabridged audiobook, which was excellent). I'm happy to say that Charlotte's Web stands the test of time.

Most everyone is by now familiar with the beautiful story of friendship and Fern, Charlotte, and Wilbur. What struck me going back to reflect on the passages as an adult was how E.B. White weaves his love of nature so beautifully throughout the book. There are too many examples to include, but I'll just include a few that really stuck with me.

In one scene, a character remarks, "When the words appeared, everyone said they were a miracle. But nobody pointed out that the web itself is a miracle."

Also, "These autumn days will shorten and grow cold. The leaves will shake loose from the trees and fall. Christmas will come, then the snows of winter. You will live to enjoy the beauty of the frozen world...Winter will pass, the days will lengthen, the ice will melt in the pasture pond. The song sparrow will return and sing, the frogs will awake, the warm wind will blow again. All these sights and sounds and smells will be yours to enjoy, Wilbur -- this lovely world, these precious days..."

If you've never read Charlotte's Web, do yourself a favor an enjoy this beautiful book. If you have, read it again, or share it with a child.

( )

Writing: 4.5; Theme: 5.0; Content: 5.0; Language: 5.0; Overall: 4.5

When Wilbur (a pig) is told that his owner will end up turning him into bacon, a spider (Charlotte) helps build up the pig's name and reputation in order to change the perception of his owner. Highly recommend.

***May 25, 2024*** ( )

Pleasant, marginally subversive story about a little girl and a spider who save a pig. Some nice, mild jokes, and a charming storyline. However, seventy years on the cute farm setting and the stereotypical roles of the human characters are maybe getting a bit long in the tooth. Very much the rose-tinted childhood that Americans in the 1950s were already getting nostalgic about, a world where all the little boys were noisy and destructive and all the little girls thoughtful and sensitive. ( )

ages 8-12
The book "Charlotte's Web" has received several prestigious awards, including the Newbery Honor in 1953, recognizing it as one of the most distinguished contributions to American literature for children. ( )

Newbery Honor, The George C. Stone Center for Children's Books Recognition of Merit Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, The Massachusetts Children's Book Award, and The Horn Book Fanfare Award.
Reading grades 3-5 ( )

Animals

This classic tale has well developed characters. Charlotte's Web is a heartwarming tale of a lonely pig who wanted a friend. Throughout the story Wilbur learns many lessons about life, friendship and himself. Upper elementary to middle school students will be able to relate to the characters in this story.

Charlotte's Web is a magical story of an unlikely friendship between a pig and a spider. An 8-year-old girl named Fern, and her family live on a farm. One day Fern finds out that her father is going to kill the runt piglet. She believes it is unfair that it gets killed because it is small and defenseless. Fern names the piglet Wilbur and takes care of him until he is too big, at which point they sell Wilbur to Mr. Zuckerman, who has a farm not far away. Luckily Fern is able to visit Wilbur often, but Wilbur becomes lonely. Wilbur and and Charlotte, the spider, become the best of friends and have quite the journey together. Wilbur certainly is, "Some Pig." This is a sweet story that tells of how you can find friendship in unlikely creatures. ( )

I've loved this book since I was kid. I tried reading it to my daughter when she was only three because I couldn't wait to share it with her (yeah, it was too soon and I will try again when she's five). Lately I'm really into the podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text. I love HP, but I think Charlotte's Web may be an even better sacred text for me. As they say on the podcast, it has so many gifts to give.

Also, for me Charlotte's voice will always be Debbie Reynold's voice. Sorry, Julia Roberts. ( )

This is an old favorite that I re-read every so often, even though there may not be a young person around to share it with. Someone here recently mentioned there was an audio version read by the author, and of course I had to check that out. We all know the fine story of Wilbur, the runt pig, whose life was saved twice: once by an outraged little girl who wouldn't let her father kill him for being too small, and again by Charlotte A. Cavatica, a gray spider who devised an ingenious plan to prevent him from becoming Christmas ham and bacon. (Well, if you don't, you've missed out. Start with the paper book, because you really ought to have Garth Williams' illustrations in your head as you meet the gang for the first time.) On this outing, in addition to the wonderful characterizations of both people and farm animals; the simply delightful vocabu-abulary lessons; and the sensitive handling of the natural rhythms of life and death, I got to experience White's considerable talent at narration. His voice is pleasant, his inflections appropriate, and his accent a combination of George Plimpton, the Tappit brothers and Jack Nicholson. (I thought Paul Lynde nailed it as Templeton in the movie, but now I have to say I prefer Andy White's somewhat subtler, yet more menacing portrayal.) When I was trying to pin down White's accent, I got lycomayflower involved. She listened a bit, and suggested that he reminded her of one of the contemporary diarists portrayed orally in Ken Burns' Civil War documentary. AHA! I said to myself....George Templeton Strong...that's who! (Gotta love that his middle name was...ok, I didn't have to point that out.) And who provided the voice for Strong? George Plimpton. Yup. Imagine my surprise when, following the last chapter of Wilbur's story on the audio version, there came an Afterword written for the 50th anniversary edition of the book, narrated by...*drumroll*... George Plimpton. Some world.
Audio version, reviewed in 2017 ( )

Independent Reading Level - 1st- 2nd Grade
Awards-A Newbery Honor

I did not read this one as a child and I don't think I would have enjoyed it. So much sadness, loneliness, fear, and loss. I needed much happier stuff as a child. I would have related to hearing animals, though. :) ( )