Today is the 60th birthday of “Charlotte’s Web.” Definitely a day to celebrate, but how? First, I think I’ll leave all the spider webs in my house undisturbed, even if they don’t have important messages woven in.
I heard that E.B. White himself considered the book to be about the barn, the atmosphere he described with rich sensory detail–the smells, the warmth, the sounds. But I think most readers would think of the friendships as the book’s central theme. Tonight I’m having dinner with friends, so I will certainly have a chance to celebrate that.
For writers, of course, the book has a special message–the power of a well-placed word. Oh to write such a life-changing single word!
And who among us wouldn’t be satisfied to be remembered as Charlotte was: “It’s not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and also a good writer.”