Charlotte’s Web and Me

My lifelong love affair with Charlotte’s Web began at a young age. I learned to read at a young age, and this was my first “chapter book.”

In the first grade, we took turns reading a story after lunch each day. After a couple of weeks of other children reading, I noticed that Ms. Robinson busied herself at her desk during this time and she rarely was paying attention to the story being read. So when it was finally my turn to read after lunch, I was careful to not let her see that I didn’t have a Golden Book or a Dr. Seuss classic. As the children gathered around on the floor, I gave a very dramatic rendition of the first chapter. Apparently, I was too animated because the teacher noticed me and came over to see what I was reading. She tsk-tsked me gently for bending the rules and reminded everyone that we could only bring a book that could be read in a single sitting. Surprisingly, the other children protested and insisted that they wanted to hear more about Wilbur and Templeton and Charlotte and Fern. She finally agreed, and I was allowed to read a chapter a day for 22 days. Sharing the story with my classmates was heaven to me. When I got toward the end (no spoilers!), there wasn’t a dry eye in the room, including Ms. Robinson’s.

I am something of a bibliophile and have always had a copy, or ten, of Charlotte’s Web in whatever home I lived in throughout my life.

After high school and college, I became a lawyer. My specialty was being a children’s advocate. I represented many children who had been harmed by bad people and it was common for the child to not want to talk about the bad experiences. I always had a copy of the book in my office, usually an illustrated one. If conversation was difficult for any child, I would try to break the ice by asking if they had read Charlotte’s Web, no matter their age. If they had, I would engage them about who their favorite character was, or whether they even liked Templeton, or where they think Charlotte’s children ended up. For the older children, I would ask about some of the themes in the book. It almost always worked. The story was an icebreaker that set the children at ease because I was an adult who loved the story as much as they did and could talk about it with them on their level.

If a child had not read the book, I always had an extra copy for them, usually an illustrated edition. I would give it to them and ask them to read it before we met again. I would not even attempt to talk about why they were in my office until I saw them again, at which time the book was the icebreaker. I’ve always been amazed at the universal love for that book.

Every one of my children had their own copy of the book, but only after I had finished reading it to each of them.

I spend more than my share of time in bookstores, especially ones with used and unusual books. While exploring the nooks and crannies of one of these stores one day, I was astonished to find a copy of Charlotte’s Web… in Latin! It had never dawned on me (naively) that it would be translated into different languages, especially a dead language. I bought it straightaway and for many years, it maintained a place of honor among all of my other books.

One day over a beer with a good friend, I learned that his wife taught Latin at a local Catholic high school. I thought that she might like to read Charlotte’s Web in Latin. So, I offered to loan it to him so his wife could experience the story in the language she taught. The next day, I brought it to work and gave it to him.

About a week later, I got a very nice handwritten card from his wife thanking me for such a lovely gift and expressing how thoughtful it was of me to think of her! I was aghast! I actually said out loud, with no one else around, “But it wasn’t a gift! It was just a loan!”

Over the next several days, I agonized over how I was going to ask her for my book back. In the end, I decided to not ask for it back. I realized that it gave her as much joy as it did me and knowing that Charlotte would’ve told me to let her have it because I could find another.

A couple of years later, I was having another beer with the same friend. I told him that I wanted to talk with him about something, but he had to promise to never tell his wife. He was appropriately hesitant to do so, but he eventually agreed. I told him the story I just recounted and how the book was on loan, not a gift. He was supremely apologetic and wanted to tell his wife so she could return it, but I was having no part of that. I told him I was going to hold him to his commitment not to tell her about the conversation. After he thought for a minute about it, he let out a hearty laugh. We then laughed for quite a while.

Every now and then, I ask him if she is taking good care of my book.

On another trip into a beloved bookstore, I stumbled upon Michael Sims’ The Story of Charlotte's Web: E. B. White's Eccentric Life in Nature and the Birth of an American Classic Paperback. I loved reading the backstory not only of the book, but of the author whom I knew so little about. It occurred to me while reading about White’s fascination with spiders that my love for Charlotte was a huge paradox in my life! I have spent most of my adult life hiking and camping all over America. I am not afraid of bears (except for grizzlies!) or snakes or anything else in the woods… except spiders! They give me the creeps and are the ultimate source of nightmares for me. That is, all of them except Charlotte.

On a Friday night in January of 2020, my wife and I ventured to a town near where we lived because we had heard there was a restaurant in that town that made a great burger. It turned out to be a pretty amazing BBQ place. After ordering, and while waiting for our food, she asked what I wanted to do on the weekend. I had no idea, so I asked what she wanted to do. Having no possibilities to consider, she spotted one of those local newspapers that has the local arts scene events in it. She grabbed it and started looking for options. She called out a couple of possibilities, none of which sounded appealing to either of us.

Then she stopped reading, smiled big and looked up at me and said, “I know what you’re doing this weekend.”

Among the things my wife knew about me at that time were two that are relevant to this story. First, she knows about my love of Charlotte’s Web. I still tell people it’s my all-time favorite book. Second, she knew that I had expressed some interest in being on stage in a community theater production. I had worked backstage at some theatrical productions in my life, but had never been on stage. There’s an old saying that every trial lawyer is a frustrated actor. Whether that is true or not, I had left the practice of law and really was interested in seeing if I could act.

She turned the paper around so I could read it and pointed to one of the entries. It was a casting call for auditions for a regional theater’s production of Charlotte’s Web. The auditions were the next day! It was one of those moments in my life where it was hard to argue against Divine Intervention.

The next day, I arrived and was asked what role I wanted to read for. I said, “I don’t care.” The woman I was speaking to rolled her eyes. So, I told her how much I loved the story and I just wanted to be a part of it. She suggested I try out for the announcer at the county fair and Homer Zuckerman. I readily agreed.

I was lucky to get cast as Homer Zuckerman. Over the next several weeks, I was able to immerse myself not only in the production aspects of the play, but in the story I loved so much. More importantly, I was witness to the children’s innocent and unwavering love for the characters and story that has meant so much to me in my life. Charlotte’s selflessness and bravery are models for any child to emulate.

We were only able to do three nights of the show before the world changed in February 2020. While momentarily sad about the cancellation of the remainder of the run, I came to realize that just being a part of those three shows, and all that led up to them, were enough for me.

Just this year, our fourth grandchild was born, and I was overjoyed when my son and his wife decided to name her… Charlotte.