"Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White

Once upon a time, back in the 1958-59 school year, I went to the bookshelf that was in the back of our third grade classroom at St. Philomena School, and took out the book "Charlotte's Web".  Not sure what possessed me to select that book, but I did.  I began to  read it and became completely enthralled with the story.   I spent every spare moment reading this story of the little girl, Fern, who saved the runt-of-the-litter pig, named him Wilbur, raised him throught he first weeks of his life, and visited him and his fellow barnyard animals at her uncle's farm.   The animals could all talk to each other (only Fern was able to hear and understand them).   In addition to Wilbur, there were geese, sheep, cows, a wily rat, and an amazingly wise and understanding spider named Charlotte.

(Cute and adorable aside here.  When my parents asked what was the name of this book that I couldn't get my nose out of, I confidently replied "It's called Car-lotties Web."   Yes, as I read the book, I kept reading the title character's name as "Car-lottie."  To this day, I think of that whenever I see the name Charlotte.  My parents really laughed at this, but I know that they were thrilled that I was reading a book and not just watching television all the time.)

I always have remembered that book and its impact on me as a young reader.  About twenty or so years ago, we bought a copy of it with the intention of rereading it, and, of course, I never got around to doing so until just this week.  I remembered this 1952 classic as being about animals that talked and a spider that spelled out words in her web, but the Adult Me wanted to see just what this book was actually about.

"Charlotte's Web" is about  friendship and self-sacrifice.  It is about loyalty and respect for others.  It as about sudden fame and how it affects people.  It is about how children grow up.  And it is about the circle of life, and that circle's ultimate conclusion, death.  E.B. White wrote of all of these things in a frank yet understated style.  It is no wonder that the book is still being widely read to this very day.

Adult Me saw all of these things as I read this book a few days ago,  The big question in my mind though became, what did Eight Year Old Me see and read and feel when I read this book sixty-five years ago?   Did I understand what was happening to Charlotte as the summer wore on and she got more tired with each passing day?  And how did I feel when  - spoiler alert - Charlotte died?  Did I get sad? Did I cry?  I don't remember, but surely I felt something when that happened.   I really wish that I could get into a time machine and recall what Eight Year Old Me felt as I read this book.

If nothing else, I am pretty sure that the lessons being taught in "Charlotte's Web" were passed on to me, if only subliminally at the time.  It may well have been the first real "book" that I ever read on my own.   One impact that I know that it had on me was it introduced me to the joy of reading, and for that alone, I owe it a great debt.