Blurb (as on Goodreads):
This beloved book by E. B. White, author of Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan, is a classic of children’s literature that is “just about perfect.” This high-quality paperback features vibrant illustrations colorized by Rosemary Wells!
Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte’s Web, high up in Zuckerman’s barn. Charlotte’s spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who simply wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur’s life when he was born the runt of his litter.
E. B. White’s Newbery Honor Book is a tender novel of friendship, love, life, and death that will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come. This edition contains newly color illustrations by Garth Williams, the acclaimed illustrator of E. B. White’s Stuart Little and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series, among many other books.
Genre: Children’s Fiction/Fantasy
Pages: 184
Format: Paperback/Hardcover/eBook/Audiobook
Price (as on Amazon):
-Paperback: ₹599/$7.79
-Kindle eBook: ₹ 175.75/$6.03
My Rating: 4.3/5
Wilbur is a little pig, who is always scared and unsure of the ways of the world. Saved by the kindness of Fern, a girl who adopts Wilbur when her father says he’d kill Wilbur because he is weak and won’t survive. Once a bit grown, Wilbur is sold to Fern’s uncle and here he makes friends with Charlotte, a spider, who weaves messages in her web, that describe Wilbur. Why does she do it? That’s what makes the book interesting and insightful.
What I liked about the book:
- Despite being categorized as Children’s Literature, this one would be a mesmerizing read for adults as well. A teeny-tiny spider, considered creepy in the real world is made to look beautiful. Not only that, but she proves to be the most loyal and intelligent creature and friend.
- A simple story where your will find the unfathomable power of selfless friendship and boundless love beyond the facade of caste, creed or color. It talks about an unlikely yet profound friendship between a lovably naive pig and a clever, kind spider, and the selfless sacrifices they make to keep the bond of love alive. This is a recommended read for all ages from 8 to 80 because Charlotte’s Web manages to weave the magic of love as you might never have felt before.
- Not just the story and characters, but even the description of the other animals, how they interact, the barn where the animals live, the changing seasons, and everything, manages to weave a vivid picture.
Quotable quotes:
- If I can fool a bug… I can surely fool a man. People are not as smart as bugs.
- I don’t understand it, and I don’t like what I don’t understand.
- It is deeply satisfying to win a prize in front of a lot of people.
- Meetings bore me
- Good things come to those who find it and shove it in their mouth!
- 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, for you mean a great deal to Zuckerman and he will not harm you, ever. 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…
- It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer.
- After all, what’s a life, anyway? We’re born, we live a little while, we die.
- You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing.
- By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.
- People are very gullible. They’ll believe anything they see in print.
- What do you mean less than nothing? I don’t think there is any such thing as less than nothing. Nothing is absolutely the limit of nothingness. It’s the lowest you can go. It’s the end of the line. How can something be less than nothing? If there were something that was less than nothing, then nothing would not be nothing, it would be something – even though it’s just a very little bit of something. But if nothing is nothing, then nothing has nothing that is less than it is.
- Children almost always hang onto things tighter than their parents think they will.
- Don’t write about Man; write about a man.
- 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.
- The crickets felt it was their duty to warn everybody that summertime cannot last for ever. Even on the most beautiful days in the whole year – the days when summer is changing into autumn – the crickets spread the rumour of sadness and change.
- Wilbur didn’t want food, he wanted love.
- In good time he was to discover that he was mistaken about Charlotte. Underneath her rather bold and cruel exterior, she had a kind heart, and she was to prove loyal and true to the very end.
- Life is always a rich and steady time when you are waiting for something to happen or to hatch.
- When your stomach is empty and your mind is full, it’s always hard to sleep
- The quickest way to spoil a friendship is to wake somebody up in the morning before he is ready.
- With the right words, you can change the world.
Check out the book:
This book review is a part of #ReadingWithMuffy challenge hosted by @kohleyedreads. I picked this book for its January prompt, ‘A book with an animal/bird on the cover’. You can check out my detailed post with the books I’ve picked for the challenge here.
I’m participating in Blogchatter’s #TBRChallenge.
For more bookish updates, you can also follow my Bookstagram account: @bookish_witch88
Thank you for reading.
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