• CHARLOTTE’S WEB
• by E. B. White
• drawings by Garth Williams
• [rated by pbs readers as #7 !]
• 184 pages

I have a confession to make. I was scared to read Charlotte’s Web again.

It basically slaughtered me as a kid. But since life has recently given me a reason to contemplate life and death, it seemed like the perfect time to read it.

Picking it up tonight, I read a third of it (even a third grader would have read a third of it). I was totally charmed.

The thing about writing for younger readers is that every darned word counts. How I love that! I found myself skimming, unintentionally, and then going back and picking up every word. After just reading a book that was the pinnacle of extra detail, I found myself in love with how much was said with so few words.

Because 60 pages in, you are in that barn with Wilbur and Fern and Charlotte and the geese and sheep and smells and sweetness.

Reviewers in the front fold correctly suggest that White finds a way to tell a sweet story that at its heart contains darkness and complication. And that is a hat trick. This is a story about life and death and sure enough, life and death exist on every page.

But – and this is a big but, if you’ll pardon that expression – there is beautiful innocence here. Life desperately needs more innocence. Aw hell, I need more innocence. And this is a perfect stomping ground for it. I’m in love.

What I didn’t remotely remember from childhood were the drawings by Garth Williams. I don’t know if his drawings are in every edition, but for this reader, they make up a healthy half of what you are getting here. They are achingly innocent and beautiful. I don’t know how many times I’ll return to this book, but I would love to have one of the drawings on my wall. They grab my whole heart.

DONE.

Oh my gosh. What can you say about this gentle treatise on love, death, friendship, the changing of seasons…

I loved it.

But my last word on this, if you haven’t for awhile is, read it again. This is a beautiful thought-provoking book for kids, but it lulled this adult like the world’s greatest fairy tale. And maybe it is just that.

Charlotte’s Web was picked in the top ten of this survey, along with heavyweights like To Kill A Mockingbird. And it belongs there. And thank you to E.B. White. As Wilbur says on the last page, it is hard to find a good friend and a great writer. You created a masterpiece that has held the world in its sway for decades. And because of your great writing, I feel like you are my friend. I’m sending you a hug through the seasons to wherever you have ballooned off to.