EB White spins a classic in Charlotte’s Web

I don’t know if, growing up, I ever read E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web or not. I remember the cartoon, but not the book. Honestly they are just about the same, the film is a pretty literal translation. Everyone knows the story (or should anyway): Wilbur is a runt pig saved from a premature death by the love of others, first by Fern, a girl on the farm, and later by Charlotte, a spider and his best, true friend. All the farm animals know that Wilbur will be slaughtered for meat once he gets big enough, but Charlotte makes him famous by spinning adoring words in her web to describe Wilbur as “radiant” and “humble.”

Like most good childrens’ books from back “in the day,” this one has a lot of metaphors in place for greater meanings. The most obvious is to help kids deal with change in their lives. Fern grows up and moves off to play with boys instead of animals; Charlotte dies and her kids (and later grandkids) become good friends to Wilbur too, though he admits to the reader they will never replace Charlotte.

It is just a kid’s book, but it is beautifully written and deserving of an afternoon read by adults too. I dare you not to tear up when Charlotte inevitably dies near the end. It’s a charming tale that hasn’t lost anything through the years.