Charlotte's Web

Title: Charlotte's Web
ISBN:0064410935
Author:E.B. White
Award Won: Newbery Honor Book and Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal
Age group recommendation: Ages 5 and up
Group represented: 2 Farm families and their animals, families are Caucasian



Summary:

This is the story of Wilbur a pig that is being raised on Zuckerman's farm. Wilbur was the runt of a liter of pigs that were born to Fern's father . She convinced her dad not to kill Wilbur and that she would take care of him. When Wilbur was old enough he was sent to live on the Zuckerman's farm, Fern's aunt and uncle, because her father did not want to feed him. On the farm Wilbur is lonely and befriends the spider who has woven her web above his pen. Her name is Charlotte and she is very nice to Wilbur and very smart. Wilbur discovers that Mr. Zuckerman is fattening him up so they can kill him around Christmas time. Wilbur is so depressed by this news that Charlotte decides that she is going to save him. She thinks long and hard and comes up with an idea and asks Templeton, the farm rat, to go the the dump and bring back wrappers and labels from old food. She uses the words that she learns from the labels to write messages about Wilbur in her web to persuade Mr. Zuckerman not to kill Wilbur. All the people are so surprised and amazed by this, that Wilbur gets entered in the state fair because he is so famous and wins. The Zuckermans are so proud of their pig Wilbur that he gets to live out his long life on the farm. Charlotte dies at the fair, which makes Wilbur sad, but Wilbur takes her eggs back to the farm with him and 3 of her children stay on the farm to be with Wilbur.



This book could be used in a lesson on fiction books, on books about farm life or how a farm runs. It could also be used in a unit on alliteration, stories that make animals into characters with human characteristics because all of the animals in the book that talk and have human qualities.