Posted
by Liz Weslander
December 8, 2005 at 3:44 p.m.
I Heart E.B. White
Our copy of Charlotte's Web is overdue at the library, and I'm sad to admit that I don't think we're going to finish it this time around. We have owned a copy of the movie since the kids were about two. The movie closely follows the book; it's smart and sweet, and is one of very few movies that we've felt good about our young kids viewing. However, now that my daughters are at a good age to sit through the book, they are too familiar with the plotline to crave the next chapter like they do with stories they don't know. I will not make this mistake with other books that are now movies - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Harry Potter, and The Chronicles of Narnia come to mind.Although the kids may not have gained much from Charlotte's Web this time around, I have. When I read this book as a third grader, it was a story about talking animals, a girl with a fun life, and a spider who dies, which was sad. Reading this story as an adult, I've taken the themes of friendship and the nature of humans much more to heart. The closing lines of the book, which I wrote in the teaser for this blog, really get me, especially when you take into account the passage where Wilbur first meets Charlotte.(Wilbur thinking to himself):"But what a gamble friendship is! Charlotte is fierce, brutal, scheming, bloodthirsty - everything I don't like. How can I learn to like her, even though she is pretty, and of course, clever?" (E.B. White):Wilbur was merely suffering the doubts and fears that often go with finding a new friend. In good time he was to discover that he was mistaken about Charlotte. Underneath her rather bold and cruel exterior, she had a kind heart, and she was to prove loyal and true to the very end."I also love the scene where Fern's mother goes to visit Dr. Dorian (which is not in the movie) to ask if it's strange that Fern thinks the animals in the barnyard talk.The doctor's reply: "It is quite possible that an animal has spoken civily to me and that I didn't catch the remark because I wasn't paying attention. Children pay better attention than grownups. If Fern says that the animals in Zuckerman's barn talk, I'm quite ready to believe her. Perhaps if people talked less, animals would talk more. People are incessant talkers - I can give you my word on that."So yeah, good stuff.
and 4 others
Comments
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quinn (Patrick Quinn) says…
I cry every time I read it. Never fails.
A masterpiece.
beatle919 (Marcy McGuffie) says…
I can't believe I have never read Charlotte's Web! I saw the movie dozens of time when I was a kid and would probably watch it again today.
Something to put on my reading list..
imarkley (anonymous) says…
I mean no disrespect to Beatle919, at all, but I am always distressed to hear someone say that they have never read the book, but have seen the movie. Especially when the book is a classic, such as Charlotte's Web, or Lord of the Rings. Even Harry Potter. I wish sometimes that the movie industry would leave these books alone. Kids should be reading these stories instead of seeing the movie. I told my 13 year old son, who can't wait to see the Narnia movies, that he has to read the books first. He has had the book set for 5 years now. He saw an earlier movie version of "Wardrobe" in school (SCHOOL!!) and since then has had no interest in the reading the book. Shame on that teacher.
Once in my Comp 2 class in college, taught by a Grad Assistant, someone made reference to Lord of the Flies. The teacher said "oh yeah, I loved that movie." I said "you mean book, right?" She replied "it came from a book?"
The next day, half the class dropped.
beatle919 (Marcy McGuffie) says…
I'm not offended at all. If I remember correctly - I first watched the movie at school...but we hadn't even read the book in class! By the time I did realize it was a book...I think I thought I was too good for it (R.L. Stine was more my thing at that age). But, as an adult I'm not quite so snobby with my reading choices and am definitely adding it to my list...
Sara (anonymous) says…
Charlotte's Web was the first chapter book I ever read. I had to get special permission to stay up late to read by the light in my parents' room, because I wanted to get to a stopping point before going to bed. It was a great book then, and more than 20 years later, it still holds up. Thanks for bringing back the fond memories, Liz.
SAHM2tylrnathan (anonymous) says…
I'm kind of the other way with reading. I never could wade through any of the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings as a teen or 20 even though I loved fantasy. I just got too lost in the details to enjoy the story. I got all fired up to read them after seeing the movies (note: that bizarre animated version of The Hobbit did nothing to stoke that fire, LOL!). My hubby bought me all four books for Christmas two years ago and I read them in a couple of months (a feat that can be appreciated by moms of 2 preschool kids). Even though the storyline is not identical, I had a much easier time following the multiple stories.
I'll probably take a chance and see Narnia with my son before we have a chance to read the book he will get for Christmas--after all, there are 6(?) more books to read before they get another movie out! He's great at noticing differences in things, so we will probably make a game out of seeing what is different between the movie and the book.
Jester (Nick Spacek) says…
I seem to be the only person who read the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe as a kid and was bored stupid by it. Lord of the Rings, Discworld, and the Prydain Chronicles were more my speed.
Dazie (Aileen Dingus) says…
I didn't read the Narnia books until I was older (I believe my early 30s) and I wasn't too entranced. Perhaps I missed something...
But I do love Charlotte's Web- I think I know what my daughter is getting in her stocking!
Has anyone ever heard of the "Finn Family Moomintroll" books? I read them all as a youngster, but I've never met anyone else who has to my knowledge.
lori (anonymous) says…
When oh when will they make a GOOD movie redition of the Prydain Chronicles?!
imarkley (anonymous) says…
My wife is a HUGE Moomintroll fan. We have several of the books, and even decorated our baby girls room in Moomin. That is a mean feat since the Moomin books and items are not sold in America. They are only available, for the most part, in Finnland. It is popular there like Winnie the Freaking Pooh is here. I think movies from the stories would be weird, honestly. :)
Dazie (Aileen Dingus) says…
Moomin movies would be nearly impossible to pull off. They'd end up being freaky "Teletubby" type things, but with big hippo noses. That'd be odd and just scare everyone instead of being nice.
Imarkley- if you have a photo of the baby's room, I'd love to see it.
ladylaw (Terry Bush) says…
Late to the discussion. Sorry. I agree with PK...it's a classic and it makes me cry anytime I read it. In addition to Charlotte's web, add "A Wrinkle in Time", "The Paper Bag Princess" and "The Velveteen Rabbit" to my personal list of favorite "children's" books.
I personally think all books are ALWAYS better then their counterpart movies. You can't put nearly as much detail into a movie. I can always invent/see more inside my own head. Take "Gone with the Wind". The movie left out a couple of extra kids and a bunch of sub-plots that made all the characters more interesting. So seeing the move AFTER I read the book made the movie a big yawn for me. I loved the movie "The Color Purple" but then read the book and loved it even more. So I recommend (for adults at least) always seeing a movie first, then reading the book. I can think of no exception where a movie was better than a book. The most we/you/I can hope for is that the movie is almost as good as the book.
That said, if a small child sees a movie first, they will probably be less inclined to enjoy the book, as they are already aware of how the story will end. That makes a child's short attention span wander to something else.
I wonder about all the video now watched by children. My darling granddaughter who is not yet a year and a half old already knows how to insert her own Baby Einstein CD's into the player. My parents never took us to the movies. I think I was 19 before I saw a movie, in a theater, with my whole family (it was "Blazing Saddles" and my mother the lady almost died of embarrassment at setting through the farting scene with her teenage children and all too earthy husband). But we read and were read to a lot. And we all, consequently, are now voracious readers. If I got a say so on it, I'd vote that all children should see less video/movie stories and get more time for reading and being read to more.