Charlotte's Web

by Oversat, Garth Williams (Illustrator)

Overview

Sixty years ago, on October 15, 1952, E.B. White's Charlotte's Web was published. It's gone on to become one of the most beloved children's books of all time. To celebrate this milestone, the renowned Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo has written a heartfelt and poignant tribute to the book that is itself a beautiful translation of White's own view of the world—of the joy he took in the change of seasons, in farm life, in the miracles of life and death, and, in short, the glory of everything.

We are proud to include Kate DiCamillo's foreword in the 60th anniversary editions of this cherished classic.

Charlotte's Web is the story of a little girl named Fern who loved a little pig named Wilbur—and of Wilbur's dear friend Charlotte A. Cavatica, a beautiful large grey spider who lived with Wilbur in the barn.

With the help of Templeton, the rat who never did anything for anybody unless there was something in it for him, and by a wonderfully clever plan of her own, Charlotte saved the life of Wilbur, who by this time had grown up to quite a pig.

How all this comes about is Mr. White's story. It is a story of the magic of childhood on the farm. The thousands of children who loved Stuart Little, the heroic little city mouse, will be entranced with Charlotte the spider, Wilbur the pig, and Fern, the little girl who understood their language.

The forty-seven black-and-white drawings by Garth Williams have all the wonderful detail and warmhearted appeal that children love in his work. Incomparably matched to E.B. White's marvelous story, they speak to each new generation, softly and irresistibly.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780064400558
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	05/28/1974
Series:	Harper Trophy Books Series
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	721
Product dimensions:	0.00(w) x 0.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	680L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 11 Years

About the Author

E. B. White, the author of such beloved classics as Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan, was born in Mount Vernon, New York. He graduated from Cornell University in 1921 and, five or six years later, joined the staff of The New Yorker magazine, then in its infancy. He died on October 1, 1985, and was survived by his son and three grandchildren.

Mr. White's essays have appeared in Harper's magazine, and some of his other books are: One Man's Meat, The Second Tree from the Corner, Letters of E. B. White, Essays of E. B. White, and Poems and Sketches of E. B. White. He won countless awards, including the 1971 National Medal for Literature and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, which commended him for making a "substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children."

During his lifetime, many young readers asked Mr. White if his stories were true. In a letter written to be sent to his fans, he answered, "No, they are imaginary tales . . . But real life is only one kind of life—there is also the life of the imagination."

Garth Williams is the renowned illustrator of almost one hundred books for children, including the beloved Stuart Little by E. B. White, Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban, and the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

He was born in 1912 in New York City but raised in England. He founded an art school near London and served with the British Red Cross Civilian Defense during World War II. Williams worked as a portrait sculptor, art director, and magazine artist before doing his first book Stuart Little, thus beginning a long and lustrous career illustrating some of the best known children's books.

In addition to illustrating works by White and Wilder, he also illustrated George Selden’s The Cricket in Times Square and its sequels (Farrar Straus Giroux). He created the character and pictures for the first book in the Frances series by Russell Hoban (HarperCollins) and the first books in the Miss Bianca series by Margery Sharp (Little, Brown). He collaborated with Margaret Wise Brown on her Little Golden Books titles Home for a Bunny and Little Fur Family, among others, and with Jack Prelutsky on two poetry collections published by Greenwillow: Ride a Purple Pelican and Beneath a Blue Umbrella. He also wrote and illustrated seven books on his own, including Baby Farm Animals (Little Golden Books) and The Rabbits’ Wedding (HarperCollins).

Kate DiCamillo is the acclaimed author of many books for young readers, including The Tale of Despereaux, winner of the Newbery Medal; Because of Winn-Dixie, a Newbery Honor Book; and The Tiger Rising, a National Book Award finalist. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Table of Contents

Before Breakfast		1	(7)
Wilbur		8	(5)
Escape		13	(12)
Loneliness		25	(7)
Charlotte		32	(10)
Summer Days		42	(6)
Bad News		48	(4)
A Talk at Home		52	(3)
Wilbur's Boast		55	(11)
An Explosion		66	(11)
The Miracle		77	(9)
A Meeting		86	(6)
Good Progress		92	(13)
Dr. Dorian		105	(8)
The Crickets		113	(5)
Off to the Fair		118	(12)
Uncle		130	(8)
The Cool of the Evening		138	(6)
The Egg Sac		144	(11)
The Hour of Triumph		155	(8)
Last Day		163	(9)
A Warm Wind		172

Editorial Reviews

After 60 years, the story of Fern, her pig, Wilber, the wise spider, Charlotte, and all their barn friends still resonates clearly with the message of wonderment and friendship. It could be argued that White's story is even more important today than it was upon first publication. This novel is more than a story of a little pig that desperately wants a friend, and then finds one in a spider, who shares her love by weaving messages in her web. The novel is a celebration of the outdoor world. White masterfully expresses his joy of the outdoors in his descriptions of bird songs, nature's food, the sounds and smells of a barn, and the thrill of a rope swing. This 60th Anniversary Edition keeps the look of the original, complete with Garth Williams' detailed illustrations. It also includes a new forward by Newberry-winning author, Kate DiCamillo, in which DiCamillo confesses that she did not read the novel until she was an adult for fear that things would not turn out well. The miracle of the book, she writes, is that "we bear this unbearable thing. And in the end, we even rejoice." Reviewer: Jody Little

Children's Literature - Jody Little