Today is the 60th Anniversary of the publication of Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White. 60 years old! This is one of those children's classics that never seems to get "old". The characters are so real, and so believable that we worry right along with Wilbur, we put up with Templeton even when he doesn't deserve it, and we cheer Charlotte on right to the end, when our hearts break...
Maybe it's that heartbreak that has made this book such a classic--a tale so beautifully told, that carefully reveals some of the great questions of life, death, and the way the two interlace. Sometimes I think that we don't give children credit for being able to explore these questions--but the long-standing love that children have for this book might suggest that not only can they handle it, but maybe they're even thirsty for it..
And even though both of you are no longer living---Thank-you, E.B. White, for giving us this absolute gem of a story--and thank you Garth Williams for the images that have stayed with me since I read, and loved, this book as a child. Like Charlotte's children, the story and the illustrations have gone on to have lives of their own, enriching ours in the process.
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