This brilliant novel is about a young girl named Fern who begs her father to let her keep the runt of the pig litter. Wilber grows up big and strong and befriends the goats, the geese, the sheep, Templeton the rat and Charlotte the spider while living in the barn. When Wilber learns that Mr. Arable is fattening him up to kill him before Christmas, Charlotte puts her plan into action. She decides to spin adjectives on her web that represent what a good pig Wilber is to everyone. People come from all over to see the web and they become convinced that a miracle has happened. This book isn’t just about a big that is saved, but about the importance of putting others before yourself and living your life in peace and happiness with love and deep friendships.

Evaluation

This is the first time I have re-read a chapter book and found new messages and lessons-learned that I never noticed before. I read this book in second or third grade and I remember thinking to myself “this book is a very slow and somewhat boring read.” Times have certainly changed. Now, that I am older I appreciate this novel more than ever. One of the reasons why I enjoyed this book so much is the unending theme of friendship woven throughout. My mother has always told me that, at the end of your lifetime, if you have one or two good friends that you can count on one hand, you have lived a very successful life. As I grow older, I realize this is true. There are some people that you know only for a short while and they change your life forever. I love the ending quote in this novel and I plan on hanging it up in my classroom. “It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.” I hope that one day my students can look back at all the teachers they have ever had and be able to say, “Wow. Miss Amoscato was a good teacher and a true friend.” One of the reasons why I entered into this profession is because I loved my teachers in elementary school, middle school and high school. I was excited to go to school and learn and laugh and be in the presence of some wonderful teachers.

I think this novel would be a great read aloud for children in first or second grade. Something that I thought about while reading this book was the extreme amount of vocabulary that was threaded throughout and taught by Charlotte. (Salutations, radiant, humble, etc.) I think it would be wonderful to dedicate a small corner in the classroom to “Charlotte Web” vocabulary. The teacher could create a large spider web on a bulletin board and change the vocabulary word in the middle every week. I think sometimes children learn vocabulary better when it is tied to a theme. The teacher may ask the students to use this vocabulary word in their journal entries and through conversation as the week progresses.

E.B. White Author
Garth Williams Illustrator
Harper Collins Publisher Publisher
1980 Year