Charlotte's Web

Good.

Very good print

Love it

ياريت لو منه نسخة بالعربي , جدأ مؤثر وقصته مناسبة للأطفال وأكيد بعد القراءة حلو تشوف الفلم في نيتفليكس

My youngest granddaughter is a reluctant reader who would prefer to watch the movie than read the book. Until this one. I am a retired primary teacher and I have had to be very wily about getting her engaged. I told her I just had to read with her so I would not forget to be a teacher so she relented and listened to me read. I put on all the voices which she loved. Then I paused at a short paragraph so she could take over. I got her hooked to the point that she admitted that the book is better than the movie. She is now reading a chapter on her own and it is so so gratifying to see her confidence grow with her enjoyment. This is truly a great classic. My pupils all enjoyed it and I knew Eden would too. There's nothing like a good story to develop literacy. We are now doing a "book report" and a "character study" and Eden loves to help me remember.

There are hundreds of reviews to read through, so I do not want or need to cover trampled ground. What I will say is that although I loved this story as a child, as an adult I don't find it to have the same charm. My issue lies with Wilbur. Throughout the text, he is primarily a selfish creature. On the surface, he doesn't seem to always be selfish: he does give compliments to Charlotte from time to time, and he does ultimately lead to the saving of Charlotte's egg sac. However, think about his motives. He clearly saves Charlotte's eggs not only out of love for Charlotte, but more as a means of having a new generation of friends once Charlotte is gone; this is evidenced by his negative reaction to Charlotte's children leaving once they have hatched. Anytime he interacts with Templeton, the supposedly self-centered character, it is because he, Wilbur, wants Templeton to satisfy some need of Wilbur's. Wilbur is a nag constantly demanding Charlotte tell stories, sing songs, save him, etc. In the end, through his selfishness, he survives and continues to have friends, even if not on the same level as the rather one-way friendship he had with Charlotte. So finally, is the point that he who is selfish ultimately gets what he wants? It seems so. And how many of us know people that are selfish and at the end of the day do get what they want? It is rather unpleasant, but this seems to be a reality of the world which E.B. White has captured and encapsulated in our rather ungreat protagonist, Wilbur.

I'm not sure how a book becomes a classic, or if this is even called one (although it was written around the early 1900s and has been turned into a stage show so, probably can join the list of classics if it hasn't already. Aimed at a children's audience this will touch the nerve of anyone who reads it young (probably (9+) or old.Fern is a little girl who lives on a farm. She has a pig called Wilbur and a spider called Charlotte who is a big grey spider. Together they have all sorts of adventures including the story where they come across Templeton the Rat.

Absolutely love this book. My 7 year old read it this summer and we talked a lot about friendship and loyalty. It's brilliant for that age group. It is a bit old fashioned but not too old fashioned as to lose a 7 year old's interest. I am now reading it at bedtime to my 6 year old and he quite likes it. I need to explain the themes a bit more but he is happy to chat about them. It still makes me cry decades later at the end! A real children's wonder of a book.

I'm a grumpy cynic, and was sure I'd find something negative to say about this book, which my children wanted me to read for their bedtime story. Sadly I can't, and I have to agree with the other five star reviews. This is a lovely story, beautifully written.