Locus Focus is a meme hosted every Saturday by Enbrethiliel at Shredded Cheddar. "We all know of books that make their settings come alive, and this meme is a chance to write about them and share them with others." Visit her blog and link up!
My Locus Focus today is the Zuckermans' Farm from Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. (again doing this from memory)Zuckermans' Farm is a normal farm when you first look at it, but once you walk inside the barn you meet lots of interesting and cool animals and you understand why Zuckermans' Farm is special.
There's Wilbur ofcourse, the pig who befriends a spider and is saved by this friendship.
And the spider - Charlotte - ofcourse. A very intelligent and kind creature (most of the times, I don't think flies will agree).
And then there's Templeton. This rat may seem self centered, but without him all Charlotte's attempts to save Wilbur would have failed.
But there's so many more cool animals:
The sheep, geese and other animals all add their own voice to that special kind of magical place that is Zuckermans' Farm, although in the end it's ofcourse White's writing and Garth Williams' wonderful illustrations that make the place come alive and make this book and setting so wonderful that I keep rereading this classic.
5 comments:
+JMJ+
Oh, I loved this book when I was a child! I even wrote a book report on it! And today, when I reread excerpts, I am amazed at the lovely quality of the prose; it is something both simple and sophisticated readers can enjoy. It is E.B. White's language, more than anything, that makes the Zuckerman farm stand out from all the other farms of Children's Literature.
Great pick this week, Sully! =)
I think Garth William's illustrations are very special. He also illustrated the line of Little House on the Prairie books.
I love the ducklings...wait, isn't it the ducklings that are born and Wilbur wants to take care of them? It's been a long time. I may need to read this again.
Thanks!
+JMJ+
I don't recall the ducklings at all! (I see I'm up for a rereading even more than Birdie is!) I do remember that the farm is a wonderful place to be whether one is a child or an animal--and what more can be said to prove it is a great setting? =)
I must confess I hate spiders, but the way White writes Charlotte I adore her.
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