Charlotte's Web

Title: Charlotte's Web
Author: E.B White
Publisher/Date: HarperCollins, 1974
Reading Level: 6-11
Pages: 184
Genre: Fiction

Summary: When John Arable's sow has a litter of piglets the farmer noticed the runt and thought it would be best to kill it.  His young daughter begs her father to let her keep the smallest piglet and names him Wilber.  When Wilber gets to be bigger, the Arable's sold him to their uncle who was planning on making Wilber the family christmas meal.  Wilber was lonely and scared until he meet Charlotte, a spider living in the barn.  She writes messages to the farmer in her web such as "some pig" until the farmer decides to let the pig live.  Wilber then goes on to win awards at the fair.  While at the fair, Charlotte dies.  But before she did, she laid a egg holding all her offspring.  Wilber brings the egg back to the farm and when it hatches Wilber is there.  As the spiders grow up most leave, but a few stay and live in the barn with Wilber.

Reaction: I think that this book is really good.  I thought that it was very well written and had a lot to say about the innocence of baby animals and the compassion that even a spider could have.  I really thought that the book had a good moral and was fun to read.

Potential Problems: This book may have children grow to love spiders although that may not be the best idea for children.  I didn't really find any other problems with this book and think it is a good read.

Recommendations: This book was read to me for the first time by my mother before bedtime.  I loved it then and I still love it.  I think that children should read this book because of the good feeling that you get form it and how fun it is to read.