Charlotte's Web
A couple of days ago, I finished reading Charlotte's Web to the older two.
I read to them from my old copy that Mum brought up with her recently. It is battered and old, and the pages are falling off the spine, but no pages are yet missing!
The story was as good as I remembered it. The children seemed to genuinely look forward to the next chapter, and paid attention throughout.
I did wonder how they would cope with the ending. It is probably the first story they have read that doesn't have the all-happy fairytale conclusion. I was interested too to see Aidan's take on it (he is curious about death at the moment, an interest which many four year olds seem to share).
They were quiet as I read the passage about Charlotte's death. Although well foreshadowed, I guess it is hard to imagine that it is actually going to happen. Even though the final chapter lifts the mood, Isabelle said at the end that she felt like crying. Aidan said "Poor Charlotte!". I found it hard to read without my voice wavering.
A day after we had finished, they still couldn't quite believe that Charlotte had died.
This is probably the first time I have read the book as an adult, and as a mother (which makes Charlotte's living on through her children even more poignant). I can now appreciate the skill of the writer on a different level. The theme of death and renewal is throughout the book - from Fern saving Wilbur in the first chapters, through Charlotte saving Wilbur from the reality of life as a farm pig, through Templeton's philosophy of live well, die young, and Wilbur's saving of Charlotte's egg sac (and through these offspring, saving Charlotte herself). Fern grows up and leaves childhood (and her place in the narrative) behind. This is all against the backdrop of the never-ending changing of the seasons, and the resulting farm routines.
It's interesting too that religion is absent from the circle of life and death, possibly because we are dealing with animals, and partly because it is not necessary to understand the key messages and themes. Charlotte lives on because she loved and was loved. That is precious enough.
(I googled E B White after writing this and was interested to see that he also wrote Stuart Little, which I thought was just a movie. The entry on Charlotte's Web is interesting, but just a once-over-lightly).
I read to them from my old copy that Mum brought up with her recently. It is battered and old, and the pages are falling off the spine, but no pages are yet missing!
The story was as good as I remembered it. The children seemed to genuinely look forward to the next chapter, and paid attention throughout.
I did wonder how they would cope with the ending. It is probably the first story they have read that doesn't have the all-happy fairytale conclusion. I was interested too to see Aidan's take on it (he is curious about death at the moment, an interest which many four year olds seem to share).
They were quiet as I read the passage about Charlotte's death. Although well foreshadowed, I guess it is hard to imagine that it is actually going to happen. Even though the final chapter lifts the mood, Isabelle said at the end that she felt like crying. Aidan said "Poor Charlotte!". I found it hard to read without my voice wavering.
A day after we had finished, they still couldn't quite believe that Charlotte had died.
This is probably the first time I have read the book as an adult, and as a mother (which makes Charlotte's living on through her children even more poignant). I can now appreciate the skill of the writer on a different level. The theme of death and renewal is throughout the book - from Fern saving Wilbur in the first chapters, through Charlotte saving Wilbur from the reality of life as a farm pig, through Templeton's philosophy of live well, die young, and Wilbur's saving of Charlotte's egg sac (and through these offspring, saving Charlotte herself). Fern grows up and leaves childhood (and her place in the narrative) behind. This is all against the backdrop of the never-ending changing of the seasons, and the resulting farm routines.
It's interesting too that religion is absent from the circle of life and death, possibly because we are dealing with animals, and partly because it is not necessary to understand the key messages and themes. Charlotte lives on because she loved and was loved. That is precious enough.
(I googled E B White after writing this and was interested to see that he also wrote Stuart Little, which I thought was just a movie. The entry on Charlotte's Web is interesting, but just a once-over-lightly).
posted by Mary at 11:37 am
1 Comments:
Lovely, Mary.
I'm finding that now school is back we are not reading long chapter books any more. Shame. I love school holidays.
Better get inspired and find another one so at least we ahve something great in the house.
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