Editing Charlotte's Web

{{short description|1952 children's novel by E. B. White}}
{{About|the book}}
{{distinguish|Charlotte Webb}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox book
| name          = Charlotte's Web
| image         = File:CharlotteWeb.png
| caption       = First edition
| author        = [[E. B. White]]
| illustrator   = [[Garth Williams]]
| cover_artist  = Garth Williams
| country       = United States
| language      = English
| genre         = [[Children's literature|Children's]]
| publisher     = [[Harper (publisher)|Harper & Brothers]]
| release_date  = October 15, [[1952 in literature|1952]]
| pages         = 192
| isbn          = 9780062658753
}}
'''''Charlotte's Web''''' is a book of [[children's literature]] by American author [[E. B. White]] and illustrated by [[Garth Williams]]. It was published on October 15, 1952, by [[Harper & Brothers]]. It tells the story of a [[livestock]] [[pig]] named Wilbur and his friendship with a [[barn spider]] named Charlotte. When Wilbur is in danger of being [[animal slaughter|slaughtered]], Charlotte writes messages in her web praising him, such as "Some Pig", "Terrific", "Radiant", and "Humble", to persuade the farmer to spare his life.

The book is considered a classic of children's literature, enjoyed by readers of all ages.<ref>{{cite web |last=Neto |first=Bill |date=April 19, 2021 |title=Fiction Genres |website=eBooks Discounts |url=https://ebooksdiscounts.com/literary-genres/fiction-genres/ |access-date=April 19, 2021 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419004326/https://ebooksdiscounts.com/literary-genres/fiction-genres/ |archive-date=2021-04-19}}</ref> The description of the experience of swinging on a rope swing at the farm is an often-cited example of rhythm in writing, as the pace of the sentences reflects the motion of the swing. In 2000, ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' listed the book as the best-selling children's paperback of all time.<ref>{{cite web |title=Paperback |publisher=Factmonster.com |url=http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0203050.html |access-date=2014-05-25}}</ref>

The book was adapted into an [[Charlotte's Web (1973 film)|animated feature film]] by [[Hanna-Barbera Productions]] and Sagittarius Productions in 1973. In 2003, Paramount released a [[direct-to-video]] [[sequel]], ''[[Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure]];'' Universal released the film internationally.<ref>{{Citation |last=Piluso |first=Mario |title=Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure |date=2003-03-18 |type=Animation, Adventure, Family |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0355315/ |access-date=2024-06-30 |others=Julia Duffy, David Berón, Charlie Adler |publisher=Paramount Pictures, Universal Animation Studios, Nickelodeon Animation Studios}}</ref> A [[Charlotte's Web (2006 film)|live-action feature film version]] of E. B. White's original story was released in 2006. A [[Charlotte's Web (video game)|video game based on this adaptation]] was released that same year.

==Plot==
The Arable family are a farm family who raise and sell animals. One day, John Arable attempts to slaughter the [[runt]] of a litter of piglets that were born the night before, but his daughter Fern pleads for the piglet's life, and John gives him to her. Naming him Wilbur, Fern treats him as a pet, and the two become incredibly close. Eventually, Wilbur is no longer small, and so John decides to sell him, to Fern's dismay. Wilbur is given to Fern's maternal uncle, Homer Zuckerman, allowing her to periodically visit him.

From here on, the various farm animals are depicted as [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]]. In Zuckerman's barnyard, Wilbur yearns for Fern and is met with varying reactions from the other animals, with some, such as the motherly goose, showing him compassion, and others, such as the head ram, treating him with scorn. One day, the ram offhandedly tells Wilbur that Zuckerman is raising him for slaughter and consumption, leaving him distraught. As he mourns his fate, a [[barn spider]] named Charlotte, whose web sits in a doorway overlooking his pigpen, comforts him. She promises to find a way to save his life and takes on a motherly role for him. Meanwhile, Fern often listens in on the animals' conversations, to her mother's concern.

As summer passes, Charlotte comes up with a plan to save Wilbur. Reasoning that Zuckerman would not kill a famous pig, she weaves words and short phrases in praise of Wilbur into her web, the first phrase being "Some Pig". This turns Wilbur, and the barn as a whole, into a tourist attraction because many people believe the web to be a miracle. After the excitement dies down, the phrase gets destroyed. On the goose's suggestion, Charlotte weaves the word "Terrific" into her web, beginning the cycle anew. Although Zuckerman is pleased with Wilbur's fame, his plan to slaughter him stays firm. In another effort to maintain the public's interest in him, Charlotte tells Templeton, a gluttonous rat that lives under Wilbur's trough and holds a contentious relationship with the other animals, to get another word for the web. Templeton finds a laundry detergent ad with the word "Radiant", which Charlotte then weaves into her web.

As a result of this latest round of fame, Zuckerman enters Wilbur in the county fair, and Charlotte and Templeton accompany him. The Arables also go to the fair, but Fern, despite still cherishing Wilbur, has matured, and instead spends time with her childhood sweetheart, Henry Fussy. Charlotte weaves another word brought by Templeton, "Humble", into the web she spins at Wilbur's stall at the fair. Wilbur fails to win first prize, but is awarded a special prize by the judges. Charlotte, who has laid an [[egg sac]] at the fair, hears the presentation of the award over the public address system and realizes that the prize means Zuckerman will cherish Wilbur for as long as he lives and will never slaughter him. However, Charlotte, being a barn spider with a naturally short lifespan, is already dying of natural causes by the time the award is announced. Knowing that she has saved Wilbur, and satisfied with the outcome of her life, she decides not to return to the barn with Wilbur and Templeton. She gives them her final request to have her egg sac taken back to the barn, and then dies alone at the fairgrounds.

Wilbur waits out the winter, during which Charlotte's children hatch. Most of them fly away, to Wilbur's dismay, but three choose to remain. Future descendants of Charlotte keep Wilbur company for many years, though he always holds Charlotte in more esteem than them all.

==Characters==
* '''Wilbur''' is a rambunctious pig, the [[runt]] of his [[litter (animal)|litter]]. He is often strongly emotional.
* '''Charlotte [[Barn spider|A. Cavatica]]''', or simply Charlotte, is a spider who befriends Wilbur. In some passages, she is the [[heroine]] of the story.<ref>{{cite news |last=Block |first=Melissa |date=August 4, 2008 |title=Charlotte A. Cavatica: Bloodthirsty, Wise And True |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93263496 |access-date=2010-09-26}}</ref>
* '''John Arable''' is Wilbur's first owner.
* '''Fern Arable''' is John's daughter who adopts Wilbur when he's a piglet and later visits him. She is the only human in the story capable of understanding animal conversation.
* '''Lurvy''' is the hired man at Zuckerman's farm and the first to read the message in Charlotte's web.
* '''Templeton''' is a [[rat]] who helps Charlotte and Wilbur only when offered food. He serves as a somewhat caustic, self-serving [[comic relief]] to the plot.
* '''Avery Arable''' is Fern's elder brother and John's son. Like Templeton, he is a source of comic relief.
* '''Homer Zuckerman''' is Fern's uncle who keeps Wilbur in his barn. He has a wife named Edith and an assistant named Lurvy.
* '''Other animals''' in Zuckerman's barn, with whom Wilbur converses, include a disdainful [[sheep|lamb]], a talkative [[goose]], and an intelligent "old [[sheep]]".
* '''Henry Fussy''' is a boy of Fern's age, of whom Fern becomes fond.
* '''Dr. Dorian''' is the family physician/psychologist consulted by Fern's mother and something of a [[wise old man]] character.
* '''Uncle''' is a large pig whom Charlotte disdains for his coarse manners but is recognized as Wilbur's rival at the fair.
* '''Charlotte's children''' are the 514 children of Charlotte the spider. Although they were born at the barn, all but three of them (Joy, Aranea, and Nellie) go their own ways by [[Ballooning (spider)|ballooning]].

==Themes==

===Death===
[[Death]] is a major theme seen throughout the book and is brought forth by that of Charlotte. According to Norton D. Kinghorn, Charlotte's web acts as a barrier that separates the two worlds of life and death.<ref name=Kinghorn1986>{{cite journal |last=Kinghorn |first=Norton D. |date=Spring 1986 |title=The Real Miracle of Charlotte's Web |journal=Children's Literature Association Quarterly |issn=1553-1201 |doi=10.1353/chq.0.0418 |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=4–9|s2cid=144850869 }}</ref> Scholar Amy Ratelle says that through Charlotte's continual killing and eating of [[flies]] throughout the book, White makes the concept of death normal for Wilbur and the readers.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Ratelle |first=Amy |date=2014 |title=Ethics and Edibility in Charlotte's Web |journal=The Lion and the Unicorn |issn=1080-6563 |doi=10.1353/uni.2014.0026 |s2cid=143157075 |volume=38 |issue=3 |pages=327–341}}</ref> Neither Wilbur nor Templeton sees death as a part of their lives; Templeton sees it only as something that will happen at some time in the distant future, while Wilbur views it as the end of everything.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Gagnon |first=Laurence |year=1973 |title=Webs of Concern: ''The Little Prince'' and ''Charlotte's Web'' |journal=Children's Literature |doi=10.1353/chl.0.0419 |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=64|s2cid=144139864 }}</ref>

Wilbur constantly has death on his mind at night when he is worrying over whether or not he will be slaughtered.<ref name=Mills2000>{{cite journal |last=Mills |first=Sophie |date=2000 |title=Pig in the Middle |journal=Children's Literature in Education |issn=0045-6713 |doi=10.1023/A:1005178904342 |s2cid=142795986 |volume=31 |issue=2 |pages=107–124}}</ref> Even though he is able to escape his death, Charlotte, who takes care of him, is not able to escape her own. She passes away, but, according to Trudelle H. Thomas, "even in the face of death, life continues and ultimate goodness wins out".<ref>{{cite journal |last=Thomas |first=Trudelle H. |date=2016 |title=The Arc of the Rope Swing: Humour, Poetry, and Spirituality in Charlotte's Web by E.B. White |journal=International Journal of Children's Spirituality |doi=10.1080/1364436X.2016.1228618 |s2cid=151314127 |volume=21 |issue=3–4 |pages=201–215}}</ref> Jordan Anne Deveraux explains that E.B. White discusses a few [[realities]] of death. From the novel, readers learn that death can be delayed but that no one can avoid it forever.<ref name=Jordan1997>{{cite journal |last=Jordan |first=Anne Devereaux |date=1997 |title=Appreciating 'Charlotte's Web' |journal=Teaching and Learning Literature with Children and Young Adults |volume=7}}</ref>

===Change===
For Norton D. Kinghorn, Charlotte's web also acts as a signifier of [[Impermanence|change]]. The change Kinghorn refers to is that of both the human world and the farm/barn world. For both of these worlds, change is something that can't be avoided.<ref name=Kinghorn1986/> Along with the changing of the [[season]]s throughout the book, the characters also go through their own changes. Jordan Anne Deveraux also explains that Wilbur and Fern each go through their changes to transition from [[childhood]] closer to adulthood throughout the novel.<ref name=Jordan1997/> This is evidenced by Wilbur accepting death and Fern giving up her dolls. Wilbur grows throughout the book, allowing him to become the caretaker of Charlotte's children just as she was a caretaker for him, as is explained by scholar Sue Misheff.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Misheff |first=Sue |date=1998 |title=Beneath the Web and Over the Stream: The Search for Safe Places in Charlotte's Web and Bridge to Terabithia |journal=Children's Literature in Education |doi=10.1023/A:1022471421284 |s2cid=159809077 |volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=131–141}}</ref> But rather than accept the changes that are forced upon them, according to Sophie Mills, the characters aim to go beyond the limits of change.<ref name=Mills2000/> In a different way, Wilbur goes through a change when he switches locations. Amy Ratelle explains that when he moves from the Arables' farm to Homer Zuckerman's farm, he goes from being a loved pet to a farm animal.

===Innocence===
Fern goes from being a child to being more of an adult. As she experiences this change, Kinghorn notes that it can also be considered a fall from [[innocence]].<ref name=Kinghorn1986/> Wilbur also starts out young and innocent at the beginning of the book. A comparison is drawn between the innocence and youth of Fern and Wilbur. Sophie Mills states that they can identify with one another.<ref name=Mills2000/> Both Wilbur and Fern are, at first, horrified by the realization that life must end; however, by the end of the book, they learn to accept that, eventually, everything must die.<ref name=Jordan1997/> According to Matthew Scully, the book presents the difference in the worldview of adults versus the worldview of children. Children, such as Fern, believe killing another for food is wrong, while adults have been gradually conditioned to believe that it is natural.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Scully |first=Matthew |date=June 2011 |title=Tangled Web; A Children's Classic, and the Moral Dimensions of Animal Farming. (The Story of Charlotte's Web: E. B. White's Eccentric Life in Nature and the Birth of an American Classic) |journal=The Weekly Standard |volume=16}}</ref>

==History==
The book was published three years after White began writing it.<ref>{{cite web |last=White |first=E. B. |year=2006 |title=Authors & illustrators: E. B. White: AUTHOR NOTE: A Letter from E. B. White |work=harpercollinschildrens.com |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers |url=http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/HarperChildrens/Kids/AuthorsAndIllustrators/AuthorNote.aspx?CId=10499 |access-date=2009-05-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214113249/http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/HarperChildrens/Kids/AuthorsAndIllustrators/AuthorNote.aspx?CId=10499 |archive-date=2009-02-14}}</ref> His editor, [[Ursula Nordstrom]], said that one day in 1952, he arrived at her office and handed her a new manuscript, the only copy of the book then in existence, which she read soon after and enjoyed.<ref>{{cite news |last=Nordstrom |first=Ursula |date=May 12, 1974 |title=Stuart, Wilbur, Charlotte: A Tale of Tales |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/97/08/03/lifetimes/white-tales.html |access-date=December 22, 2008}}</ref> The book was released on October 15, 1952.<ref>"[https://www.proquest.com/docview/916889104/F9CC690987814501PQ/1 Charlotte's Web]". ''Virginia Kirkus' Bookshop Service'' (New York, New York). October 1, 1952.</ref><ref>"[https://www.proquest.com/docview/112400567/F9CC690987814501PQ/2 Books—Authors]". ''The New York Times''. October 4, 1952. p. 15</ref><ref>"[https://www.proquest.com/docview/112296987/F9CC690987814501PQ/4 Books Published Today]". ''The New York Times''. October 15, 1952. p. 29.</ref>

In light of White's ''Death of a Pig'', published in 1948,<ref>{{cite web |last=White |first=E.B. |date=January 1948 |title=Death of a Pig |work=The Atlantic |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideastour/animals/white-full.html |access-date=August 30, 2011}}</ref> which gives an account of his own failure to save a sick pig (bought for butchering), the book can be seen as his attempt "to save his pig in retrospect".<ref>{{cite news |last=Weales |first=Gerald |date=May 24, 1970 |title=The Designs of E. B. White |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/97/08/03/lifetimes/white-designs.html |access-date=2008-12-22}}</ref> His overall motivation for the book has not been revealed, and he once wrote: "I haven't told why I wrote the book, but I haven't told you why I sneeze, either. A book is a sneeze."<ref>{{cite web |last=Usher |first=Shaun |date=2013-08-02 |title=A book is a sneeze |work=Letters of Note |url=http://www.lettersofnote.com/2013/08/a-book-is-sneeze.html |access-date=2013-08-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130806171658/http://www.lettersofnote.com/2013/08/a-book-is-sneeze.html |archive-date=2013-08-06 }}</ref>

When White met the spider who originally inspired Charlotte, he called her Charlotte Epeira (after ''Epeira sclopetaria'', the Grey Cross spider, now known as ''[[Larinioides sclopetarius]]''), before discovering that the more modern name for that genus was ''Aranea''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Elledge |first=Scott |year=1984 |title=E. B. White: A Biography |publisher=W. W. Norton and Company |isbn=978-0-393-01771-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/ebwhite00scot}}</ref> In the book, Charlotte gives her full name as "Charlotte A. Cavatica", revealing her as a barn spider, an [[orb-weaver spider|orb-weaver]] with the scientific name ''Araneus cavaticus''.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

The arachnid anatomical terms (mentioned in the beginning of chapter nine) and other information that White used came mostly from ''American Spiders'' by [[Willis J. Gertsch]] and ''The Spider Book'' by [[John Henry Comstock]], both of which combine a sense of poetry with scientific fact.<ref name=Neumeyer1991>{{cite journal |last=Neumeyer |first=Peter F. |year=1991 |title=Charlotte, Arachnida: The Scientific Sources |journal=The Lion and the Unicorn |issn=0147-2593 |doi=10.1353/uni.1995.0034 |s2cid=144424077 |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=223–231}}</ref> White incorporated details from Comstock's accounts of baby spiders, most notably the "flight" of the young spiders on silken parachutes.<ref name=Neumeyer1991/> He sent Gertsch's book to illustrator [[Garth Williams]].<ref name=Elledge295>Elledge (1984), p. 295.</ref> Williams's initial drawings depicted a spider with a woman's face, and White suggested that he simply draw a realistic spider instead.<ref>{{cite book |last=White |first=E.B. |editor-last=Lobrano Guth |editor-first=Dorothy |year=1976 |title=Letters of E.B. White |publisher=Harper and Row |isbn=978-0-06-014601-6 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/lettersofebwhite00ebwh/page/353 353–354] |url=https://archive.org/details/lettersofebwhite00ebwh |url-access=registration}}</ref>

White originally opened the book with an introduction of Wilbur and the barnyard (which later became the third chapter) but decided to begin the book by introducing Fern and her family on the first page.<ref name=Elledge295/> White's publishers were at one point concerned with the end and tried to get him to change it.<ref name=Letters351>White (1976), p. 351.</ref>

''Charlotte's Web'' has become White's most famous book, but he treasured his privacy and that of the farmyard and barn that helped inspire it, which have been kept off limits to the public according to his wishes.<ref>{{cite web |last=Garfield |first=Henry |date=May 2007 |title=E.B. White's Web |publisher=Bangor-Metro |url=http://www.bangormetro.com/media/Bangor-Metro/May-2007/E-B-Whites-Web/ |access-date=2009-06-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113170224/http://www.bangormetro.com/media/Bangor-Metro/May-2007/E-B-Whites-Web/ |archive-date=2009-01-13}}</ref>

==Reception==
The book was generally well-reviewed when it was released. In ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[Eudora Welty]] wrote: "As a piece of work it is just about perfect, and just about magical in the way it is done."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/11/22/specials/welty-charlotte.html |work=The New York Times |date=1952-10-19 |first=Eudora |last=Welty |title=Along Came a Spider }}</ref>

Aside from its paperback sales, the book is 78th on the all-time bestselling hardback book list. According to publicity for the 2006 film adaptation (see below), it has sold more than 45 million copies and been translated into 23 languages. It was a [[Newbery Honor]] book for 1953, losing to ''[[Secret of the Andes (novel)|Secret of the Andes]]'' by [[Ann Nolan Clark]] for the [[Newbery Medal|medal]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charlotte's Web |url=https://www.ala.org/winner/charlottes-web |access-date=June 26, 2024 |website=American Library Association}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Schubert |first=Ruth |date=May 27, 2011 |title=Choosing a Newbery Medalist |url=https://www.seattleschild.com/free-summer-museum-admission-for-military-families/ |access-date=June 26, 2024 |website=Seattle's Child}}</ref>

In 1970, White won the [[Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal]], a major prize in the field of children's literature, for ''Charlotte's Web'' along with his first children's book, ''[[Stuart Little]]'' (1945).<ref>{{Cite web |title=White, E. B. (1899 - 1985) |url=https://www.maine.gov/msl/maine/writdisplay.shtml?id=94708 |access-date=June 21, 2024 |website=Maine State Library}}</ref>

Seth Lerer, in his book ''Children's Literature'', finds that Charlotte represents female authorship and creativity, and compares her to other female characters in children's literature such as Jo March in ''[[Little Women]]'' and Mary Lennox in ''[[The Secret Garden]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lerer |first=Seth |year=2008 |title=Children's Literature |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-47300-0 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/childrensliterat0000lere/page/249 249–251] |url=https://archive.org/details/childrensliterat0000lere |url-access=registration}}</ref> [[Nancy Larrick]] brings to attention the "startling note of realism" in the opening line, "Where's Papa going with that ax?"<ref>{{cite book |last=Larrick |first=Nancy |year=1982 |title=A Parent's Guide to Children's Reading |edition=Fifth |publisher=The Westminster Press |location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |isbn=978-0-664-32705-7 |page=67 |url=https://archive.org/details/parentsguidetoc00larr/page/67}}</ref>

Illustrator [[Henry Cole (illustrator)|Henry Cole]] expressed his deep childhood appreciation of the characters and story, and calls Garth Williams's illustrations full of "sensitivity, warmth, humor, and intelligence".<ref>{{cite book |last=Cole |first=Henry |others=Compiled by Reading Is Fundamental |year=2005 |title=The Art of Reading: Forty Illustrators Celebrate RIF's 40th Anniversary |publisher=Dutton Books |isbn=978-0-525-47484-5 |page=33 |url=https://archive.org/details/artofreadingfort00read/page/33}}</ref> Illustrator Diana Cain Bluthenthal states that Williams' illustrations inspired and influenced her.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bluthenthal |first=Diana Cain |others=Compiled by Reading Is Fundamental |year=2005 |title=The Art of Reading: Forty Illustrators Celebrate RIF's 40th Anniversary |publisher=Dutton Books |isbn=978-0-525-47484-5 |page=30 |url=https://archive.org/details/artofreadingfort00read/page/30}}</ref>

An unabridged audio book read by White himself reappeared decades after it had originally been recorded.<ref name=Ames1991>{{cite journal |last1=Ames |first1=Katrine |last2=Peyser |first2=Marc |date=1991-12-09 |title=For Little Pitchers With Big Ears |journal=Newsweek |issn=0028-9604 |issue=24 |page=79}}</ref> ''Newsweek'' writes that White reads the story "without artifice and with a mellow charm", and that "White also has a plangency that will make you weep, so don't listen (at least, not to the sad parts) while driving".<ref name=Ames1991/> Joe Berk, president of Pathway Sound, had recorded the book with White in his neighbor's house in Maine (which Berk describes as an especially memorable experience) and released it in LP.<ref name=Schnol1991>{{cite journal |last1=Schnol |first1=Janet |last2=Tangorra |first2=Joanne |date=1991-10-18 |title=Bantam Releases CD/Cassette of E. B. White Titles |journal=Publishers Weekly |issn=0000-0019 |volume=238 |issue=46 |page=32}}</ref> From Michael Sims: "The producer later said that it took him 17 takes to read the death scene of Charlotte. And finally, they would walk outside, and E.B. White would go, this is ridiculous, a grown man crying over the death of an imaginary insect. And then, he would go in and start crying again when he got to that moment."<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2011/08/19/139790016/weaving-charlottes-web "NPR – Weaving 'Charlotte's Web"]</ref> Bantam released ''Charlotte's Web'' alongside ''Stuart Little'' on CD in 1991, digitally remastered, having acquired the two books for rather a large amount.<ref name=Schnol1991/>

In 2005, a teacher in California conceived of a project for her class in which they would send out hundreds of drawings of spiders (each representing Charlotte's child, Aranea, going out into the world so that she can return and tell Wilbur of what she has seen) with accompanying letters; they ended up visiting a large number of parks, monuments, and museums, and were hosted by and/or prompted responses from celebrities and politicians such as [[John Travolta]] and then-First Lady [[Laura Bush]].<ref>[https://archive.today/20130101151242/http://www.en8848.com.cn/e/DoPrint/?classid=312&id=56672 Worldly Web: A traveling spider teaches fourth graders the joys of reading, meeting new people, and experiencing new adventures.] ''Reader's Digest'' 2007-06-13, page found 2012-11-13.</ref>

In 2003, the book was listed at number 170 on the BBC's [[The Big Read]] poll of the UK's 200 "best-loved novels".<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top200_2.shtml "BBC – The Big Read"]. BBC. April 2003, Retrieved August 28, 2017</ref> A 2004 study found that it was a common read-aloud book for third-graders in schools in [[San Diego County, California]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fisher |first1=Douglas |display-authors=etal |year=2004 |title=Interactive Read-Alouds: Is There a Common Set of Implementation Practices? |journal=[[The Reading Teacher]] |doi=10.1598/rt.58.1.1 |volume=58 |issue=1 |pages=8–17 |url=http://www.fisherandfrey.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/rt-read-alouds.pdf |access-date=August 19, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207031123/http://www.fisherandfrey.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/rt-read-alouds.pdf |archive-date=December 7, 2013}}</ref> Based on a 2007 online poll, the [[National Education Association]] listed it as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children."<ref name=NEA2007>{{cite web |author=National Education Association |year=2007 |title= Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children |url=http://www.nea.org/grants/13154.htm/ |access-date=August 19, 2012}}</ref> It was one of the "Top 100 Chapter Books" of all time in a 2012 poll by ''[[School Library Journal]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bird |first=Elizabeth |date=July 7, 2012 |title=Top 100 Chapter Book Poll Results |publisher=[[School Library Journal]] "A Fuse #8 Production" blog |url=http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2012/07/07/top-100-chapter-book-poll-results/ |access-date=August 19, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713031015/http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2012/07/07/top-100-chapter-book-poll-results |archive-date=July 13, 2012}}</ref>

In 2010, the [[New York Public Library]] reported that ''Charlotte's Web'' was the sixth most borrowed book in its history.<ref>{{cite web |last=Carlson |first=Jen |date=January 13, 2020 |title=These Are the NYPL's Top Check Outs OF ALL TIME - Gothamist |url=https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/nypl-most-checked-out-books-ever |access-date=2020-01-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113215347/https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/nypl-most-checked-out-books-ever |archive-date=2020-01-13}}</ref>

Its awards and nominations include:
* [[Newbery Medal|John Newbery Honor Book]] (1953)<ref>{{cite web |title=Charlotte's Web {{!}} Awards & Grants |website=[[American Library Association]] |url=http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/content/charlottes-web |access-date=April 19, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419004325/http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/content/charlottes-web |archive-date=2021-04-19}}</ref>
* [[The Horn Book Magazine|Horn Book Fanfare]] (1952)<ref>{{cite web |date=December 5, 1952 |title=Horn Book Fanfare 1952 |website=[[The Horn Book Magazine]] |url=https://www.hbook.com/?detailStory=horn-book-fanfare-1952 |access-date=April 19, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419004326/https://www.hbook.com/?detailStory=horn-book-fanfare-1952 |archive-date=2021-04-19}}</ref>
* [[Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal]] (1970) (awarded to White for his children's books: ''Charlotte's Web'' and ''Stuart Little'')
* [[Massachusetts Children's Book Award]] (1984)<ref>{{cite web |title=Complete list of MCBA Winners by Year |url=http://massachusettschildrensbookaward.blogspot.com/p/the-massachusetts-childrens-book-award.html |access-date=April 19, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803074349/http://massachusettschildrensbookaward.blogspot.com/p/the-massachusetts-childrens-book-award.html |archive-date=2018-08-03}}</ref>

==Adaptations==
===Film===
The book was adapted into [[Charlotte's Web (1973 film)|an animated feature of the same name]] in 1973<ref>{{cite book |last=Lenburg |first=Jeff |others=Internet Archive |date=1999 |title=The encyclopedia of animated cartoons |publisher=New York:Facts on File |isbn=978-0-8160-3831-2 |url=http://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312}}</ref> by [[Hanna-Barbera Productions]] and Sagittarius Productions and released by [[Paramount Pictures]] with a score by the [[Sherman Brothers]]. In 2003, a [[direct-to-video]] sequel to that film, ''[[Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure]],'' was released by [[Paramount Home Entertainment]] and [[Universal Pictures Home Entertainment|Universal Home Entertainment Productions]], with [[Nickelodeon Animation Studio]] providing animation services.

Paramount Pictures, with [[Walden Media]], [[Jordan Kerner|Kerner Entertainment Company]], and [[Nickelodeon Movies]], produced [[Charlotte's Web (2006 film)|a live-action adaptation]], starring [[Dakota Fanning]] as Fern and [[Julia Roberts]] as the voice of Charlotte, which was released on December 15, 2006.

===Upcoming television miniseries===
On March 8, 2022, it was announced that [[Sesame Workshop]] was working on an animated miniseries based on the book.<ref>{{cite web |last=Milligan |first=Mercedes |date=2022-03-08 |title=WarnerMedia Expands Sesame Workshop Partnership with New Titles and Fresh Takes |website=Animation Magazine |url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/warnermedia-expands-sesame-workshop-partnership-with-new-titles-and-fresh-takes/ |access-date=2022-03-22}}</ref> It was in production for a few months, and was slated to premiere in 2024 on [[Cartoon Network]] and [[Max (streaming service)|HBO Max]].<ref>{{cite web |last=White |first=Peter |date=2022-03-22 |title='Charlotte's Web': Luke Matheny To Oversee HBO Max & Sesame Workshop Series |website=Deadline |url=https://deadline.com/2022/03/charlottes-web-luke-matheny-1234983771/ |access-date=2022-03-22}}</ref> On November 3, 2022, it was reported that the miniseries would not be moving forward.<ref>{{cite web |last=Flint |first=Joe |date=November 2, 2022 |title=Warner Bros. Discovery Marriage Hurt by High Debt, Low Morale |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-making-of-warner-bros-discovery-hurt-by-high-debt-low-morale-11667404373 |access-date=November 3, 2022}}</ref> However, Canadian animation studio [[Guru Studio]] claimed it is still in production.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tuchow |first=Ryan |date=April 18, 2023 |title=Talking Max with the kids biz |work=[[Kidscreen]] |url=https://kidscreen.com/2023/04/18/talking-max-with-the-kids-biz/ |access-date=April 20, 2023 |archive-date=April 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420235227/https://kidscreen.com/2023/04/18/talking-max-with-the-kids-biz/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Stage===
{{Main|Charlotte's Web (musical)}}
A musical production was created with music and lyrics by [[Charles Strouse]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Strouse |first=Charles |date=2008 |title=Put on a happy face : a Broadway memoir |publisher=Union Square Press |location=New York |isbn=978-1-4027-5889-8 |oclc=232955846 |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/232955846}}</ref>

* Tricycle Productions ([[Montreal]], [[Canada]]) produced a touring version of the show in 1996 with arrangements of Strouse's score by Canadian composer [[Derek Aasland]].

===Video game===
{{Main|Charlotte's Web (video game)}}
A [[video game]] of the [[Charlotte's Web (2006 film)|2006 film]] was developed by [[Backbone Entertainment]] and published by [[THQ]] and [[Sega]], and released on December 12, 2006, for the [[Game Boy Advance]], [[Nintendo DS]] and [[Personal computer|PC]].<ref>{{Citation |title=Charlotte's Web |url=https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/CharlottesWeb |access-date=2022-09-01}}</ref> A separate game also based on the film was released a year later for the [[PlayStation 2]] developed by [[Blast! Entertainment]].

===Ebook===
On March 17, 2015, [[HarperCollins|HarperCollins Children's Books]] released an [[ebook]] version.<ref>{{cite web |title=Charlotte's Web |website=[[HarperCollins]] |url=https://www.harpercollins.com/products/charlottes-web-e-b-white?variant=32114498797602 |access-date=April 19, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927181328/https://www.harpercollins.com/products/charlottes-web-e-b-white?variant=32114498797602 |archive-date=2020-09-27}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|United States|Children's literature}}
* ''[[The Tale of Little Pig Robinson]]''
* [[Death in children's literature]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book |last=Griffith |first=John |year=1993 |title=Charlotte's Web: A Pig's Salvation |series=Twayne's Masterworks Studies |publisher=Twayne Publishers |location=New York |isbn=978-08057-8812-9 |number=128 |url=https://archive.org/details/charlotteswebpig00grif}}
*{{cite book |last1=[[Peter Neumeyer|Neumeyer]] |first1=Peter F. |last2=Williams |first2=Garth |last3=White |first3=E. B. |year=1994 |title=The annotated Charlotte's web |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New York |isbn=978-0060243876 |url=https://archive.org/details/annotatedcharlot00neum}}
*{{cite book |last=White |first=E. B. |others=Illustrated by Maggie Kneen |year=2007 |title=Some pig!: a Charlotte's web picture book |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New York |isbn=978-0060781613 |url=https://archive.org/details/somepigcharlotte0000whit |url-access=registration}}
*{{cite book |last=White |first=E. B. |others=Illustrated by Maggie Kneen |year=2008 |title=Wilbur's adventure: a Charlotte's web picture book |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New York |isbn=9780060781644}}
*{{cite book |last=Sims |first=Michael |year=2011 |title=The story of Charlotte's web: E. B. White's eccentric life in nature and the birth of an American classic |publisher=Walker & Co |location=New York |isbn=9780802777546}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote|Charlotte's Web (book)|Charlotte's Web}}
*[http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/HarperChildrens/kids/gamesandcontests/features/charlottesweb/default.aspx ''Charlotte's Web'' home page at publisher's site]

{{Charlotte's Web}}
{{Pigs}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1952 American novels]]
[[Category:1952 children's books]]
[[Category:American bildungsromans]]
[[Category:American children's novels]]
[[Category:American novels adapted into films]]
[[Category:Children's novels about animals]]
[[Category:Novels set on farms]]
[[Category:Harper & Brothers books]]
[[Category:Newbery Honor–winning works]]
[[Category:Novels about friendship]]
[[Category:Children's books about pigs]]
[[Category:Children's books about spiders]]
[[Category:Works by E. B. White]]
[[Category:Children's books about friendship]]
[[Category:Children's books set on farms]]
[[Category:Novels about pigs]]
[[Category:Novels about spiders]]
[[Category:Novels about talking animals]]
[[Category:Novels about death]]
[[Category:Children's books about death]]