Parents should help for the vocabulary, which is sometimes difficult and also dated. The themes, such as friendship and especially death should be discussed.
The vocabulary is very technical, with words like "Frigidaire," "phoebe" "interlude," "control," and "salutations," make it slow reading for a young child without help from a parent or teacher. The same is true for the concepts discussed,."..do you realize that if I didn't catch bugs and eat them, bugs would increase and multiply and get so numerous that they'd destroy the earth, wipe out everything..." and."..
It also is important to talk with the children about the sadness they feel when Charlotte dies. She has been a good friend to Wilbur and he, in return, takes care of her eggs who are a type of "rebirth" for Charlotte.
The best approach for younger children is to read the story to them and stop and explain any new words or concepts. Older children, in third and fourth grade, can read the book and discuss some of the more difficult themes. The idea is to incorporate the book into the world...
11) states: "When we take up literature in multiple ways, through who we are and how we think and communicate with others, we are engaging in literature. The words of the story lift off the page and enter into our social worlds. Rather than simply reading and comprehending text on a basic level, we are actively constructing meaning." The comments of the children can often move the discussion, "their social lives can come into full play in these conversations, and they can choose to express their interpretations through multiple modes, including talk, writing, art, and drama." was pleased to see the movie release this year. This is truly a special book, which has such positive and important messages for both children and adults. When Charlotte's Web was first published, Eudora Welty reviewed it for the New York Times Book Review and declared it "just about perfect."
White, E.B. (1952) Charlotte's Web. New York: Harper Collins.
Wolf, S.A (2004) Interpreting Literature with Children. Mahwah, NJ.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
