Author Appreciation Week 2010: EB White

I began reading at a very young age. I was probably around the age of four or five. I was reading the first chapter books just before first grade began. One of my favorite books, and probably my most favorite still today is Charlotte’s Web. The story itself is simple you get us get a pagan or spider and arrived together and they all come together for this one goal save Wilbur. At the time I read it, I wasn’t old enough to understand the rest of the story. All I knew was that I really wanted it to continue.

White’s story was not the only one I read back then however he is the one that got me started. I began to read other books by Mr. White. Stuart Little, and Trumpet of the Swan. He is the reason I kept reading. Through him I discovered a whole new world to exist inside my own. Animals could talk. And spiders could be friends with tapes. For a long time I read the same books over and over again.

I didn’t know back then, but Charlotte’s Web was going to give me the key to one of the best things about the imagination. People see things in different ways. No two people are ever going to think about the same thing the same way. So what if he thought that spiders and pigs get along. As long as it made him happy that’s all that would matter.

Later on my beloved book became a movie . Of course when the movie came out, I was still a child. So I didn’t have any concept of whether the movie was good actor to the book as they do today. All that mattered was that the story will of Wilbur, Charlotte, Templeton,and the Goose were being brought to life making the characters even more real estate than they were before. This movie also included music. Many of the songs from the movie I still remember to this day. Most importantly the movie help me understand concepts that I was too young to in the context of the book. Concepts like growing up and change. The story was handled beautifully by Hanna-Barbera.

Of course it was only inevitable that live action movie was made. As much as  I love the story, I was never quite eager to see this movie. (And this is including the fact that Dakota Fanning was apart of it.) I later heard that the movie itself got pretty rotten reviews. I still haven’t seen this movie even though I have seen the previews.

But now I’ve gotten off topic. To sum everything up, Mr. EB White gave me the first key to one of imagination. I have never looked back since. If I ever had a chance to meet him which I’m certain I won’t, I would just love to tell him thank you for making reading the exciting part of my life.

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