Charlotte’s Web, Finally
Why is Charlotte’s Web considered a must read for elementary and middle school students? Why is it considered one of the classics? I’ll give my opinion on this at the end.
In adulthood I have been trying to unlearn that I am “not a reader”. Despite having above average reading skills as a child, I never truly enjoyed reading. I was the type of kid that would skim read during discussions and get by. Cliffnotes was my best friend. I do not think I ever read assigned reading cover to cover. Not even in college. I know, pretty embarrassing. In 2024 I read 6 books cover to cover, In 2025 I read 5. Much better than never reading any books in the years prior. (I am almost done with book 7 of 2026 in July)
One of my five books this past year was “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” but in Spanish. I grew up bilingual and have been wanting to brush up on my Spanish speaking, reading, and writing skills. I purposely picked a YA novel in hopes it would make it easier to follow in Spanish. My kindle was my savor. When I was unable to understand a common phrase or reference, being able to search and translate them, without using my phone/distraction box, was clutch. It went pretty well overall. This led me to think about all the books I never read but should have while growing up. The books I want my children to read, therefore I should read first.
My list includes many from high school, Lord of the Flies, To Kill a Mockingbird and Catcher in the Rye. Then I saw a copy of E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web on my bookshelves. It always bugged me when I didn't get Charlotte’s Web references during Jeopardy, so I finally read it. My eldest son is almost 12 and according to google, may be aging out of it. However, here I am 35, and I absolutely loved it. I am eager for my son to read it so that we can have discussions. I have also developed a reader response journal to go along with it.
Lessons from childhood literature can always be revisited. As a homeschool mom, it’s fun to see what lessons from public school can be taught at home. During this season of homeschooling, I really need to focus on my eldest writing skills. So the reader response journal just felt like a logical way to weave writing into our workload. If you’d like to revisit this classic yourself or want to introduce it to your children, feel free to download the reader response journal for FREE here.
Now back to the questions at the start of this post. I think Charlotte’s Web is such a classic because it uses fantasy, animal fantasy to be exact, to teach us about empathy, the cycle of life, and how children can experience the world. We meet a nuclear farming family with a rugged older brother and an emotionally intelligent younger sister. Animals are personified and their relationships develop beautifully as they work together to reach a common goal. It was also really funny and entertaining overall. Farm animals are such a huge part of early childhood learning, now my farm animals will always include a spider.
That being said, it was written in 1952, so it is no surprise I do feel it could use a little bit of updating. Specifically when it comes to Fern when her mother and doctor discuss her eventually being more interested in a boy than the barn. Something about adults harping on children having crushes is strange to me. I feel like an updated version should focus on Fern having friendships in general, not a specific “girl likes boy" type of relationship. However, that being said, crushes are also a normal part of many children's childhood. This can be read and discussed appropriately, even today.
