Charlotte's Web

Charlotte's Web. ISBN:0-590-30271. E.B. White. (1952). Newbery Honor, Lewis Caroll Shelf Award, ALA notable Children's book, and Massachusetts's Children's book award. Fantasy. Ages 9-12 (however it could be read to 5+ if they are ready for life/death stories). Rural Caucasian.

In this story of friendship, Fern is a little girl who lives on a farm. She pleads with her dad to save the runt pig that had been born, and she succeeds at saving him, as long as she cares for him. She agreed and she named him Wilbur. She kept him until he grew and she had to keep him at her uncle's barn. Fern and Wilbur loved each other very much. However, while Fern was away at school, Wilbur was very lonely. He became friends with a spider (whom the other animals avoided just because she was a spider) named Charlotte. As their friendship grew, they learned that the family, despite their agreement with Fern, was going to kill Wilbur and have him for dinner. Charlotte was determined not to loose her very close friend and so she did all that she knew how to do to save him. She spun a web, and on the webs she spun words and phrases such as "some pig" and "radiant." People came from all over to see the messages Charlotte wrote about Wilbur, and he was saved. (This pokes fun at adults and their advertising frenzies) In the end, though, Wilbur could not save Charlotte, but he was able to survive and help her children have a happy life full of many friends. This book focuses on friendship and the cycle of life.

The pictures in this book are sketches that show the drama and action taking place. They are colorless and leave it up to the reader to fill the color in with their imagination.

In the classroom, it would be fun to have children chart the main characters and what their quest in the book was, as well as whether or not they succeeded/what the outcome was of the quest. (Fern, Wilbur, and Charlotte).

It would also be fun to do some creative dramatics with this story.

You could supplement this story with factual information about farms and animals as well as spiders. It could be used in conjunction with life cycles and the food chain in science class.

You could also then go on to discuss relationships, and how we many look at someone and have bad feelings about them, but if we give them a chance and get to know them, they may be the most wonderful person we could ever know (as comparing to Charlotte). Children could write about an experience they have had with someone they were afraid of or did not like and explain how they eventually grew to enjoy that person (without using names, just circumstances).