The Storybarn Selects… From The Reader Bookshelf

The Reader Bookshelf 2024 is here. A carefully curated collection of literature for adults and children, exploring a different theme each year, this year’s theme ‘Wonder’ is about being bold, being curious and being open. Staff and volunteers around the country have selected 12 titles for children which explore what 'Wonder' means to them.

This month, Storybarn Manager, Laura, shares her thoughts on E. B. White's Charlotte's Web.

A girl. A Pig and a Spider.

An intriguing trio. A mismatch of animals. An unrecognizable version of an Old Macdonald singalong.

But this is more than just the title of a new BBC sit-com, it’s the premise of an incredibly powerful book all about the strength of friendship and three unlikely heroes who are brought together by perseverance, selflessness and love.

When piglet Wilbur is born smaller than all the other pigs, a little girl called Fern does everything she can to stop Wilbur being sent to slaughter by her father the farmer. Saved from death and under the watchful eye of Fern, Wilbur grows up and is observed from high in the ceiling by a spider. Charlotte the spider talks to Wilbur, forming a bond with him and eventually devises a plan to once again save his life.

One morning, Fern wakes to beautiful messages weaved into a spider's web above Wilbur’s pen. They read “Some Pig,” “Terrific,” “Radiant” and “Humble”. Suddenly, people from far and wide want to see this special pig and awe at the wonder of the web. It’s the thoughtful design of the plan which is most striking.

The book ends with Wilbur guarding Charlotte’s sack of eggs and him delighting at three of her offspring who decide to stay with him for the next part of the journey.

A classic story for all ages, ‘Charlotte’s Web’ tells us of the beauty in nature, giving a voice to the helpless. It invites readers to reflect upon the value of all lives. If a tiny spider with 8 legs can prevent suffering, why can’t we?