E.B. White

First, we read Charlotte’s Web, of course.

It’s probably his most famous work, and for good reason. We laughed out loud at the goose’s stammering, giggled over Templeton’s greedy nature, and felt the sorrow of Wilbur’s loneliness when Charlotte dies. I highly recommend the book on cd version of this classic, read by Mr. White himself. His voice is wonderful, and his Upstate New York accent seems perfectly suited to his prose.

Next up was The Trumpet of the Swan, which I have no memory of reading as a child, but I must have, because my mother remembers reading it aloud before bed with me.

In either case, we all loved it. The cob, Louis’ father, was one of my children’s favorite parts of the story. His verbosity had them in stitches, which I found fascinating. They seemed to just know he was being ridiculous. Good writing does that, gets the point (or the joke) across without beating you over the head with it. What a fantastic tale of courage in overcoming obstacles, and of a parent’s love for his child.

And now we are finishing up Stuart Little. What a dear little mouse he is.