The Annotated Charlotte's Web

This 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 be quite a pig.

How this all comes about is Mr. White's story. It is the 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 by Charlotte the spider, Wilbur the pig, and Fern, the little girl who understood their language.

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This is the book which turned me into both a book lover, and an English Major, at age 5. My sister, who was 8 at the time, had checked it out and asked my mother to read it aloud to her. I listened in, and was hooked from the first page. As soon as I could comprehend the basics of reading, this is the book I read, more than any other. The story (Talking animals! Friendly spiders!) is down-home, laugh-out-loud funny, but also charming and slighly sad, but still optimistic, at it's conclusion. While children who have never experienced farm life may not understand some of the details, the pace of the story is quick enough to keep everyone entertained, one chapter at a time.

Please, if you need the "perfect book" to read to a child who loves animals, Charlotte's Web would be a great choice!