As the culminating activity four our study of E.B. White we made boxes featuring the themes of Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little and Trumpet of the Swan. Inspirations for these included works by Joseph Cornell, Carin Berger, and Melissa Sweet. The materials were mostly old F&Gs, picture book galleys Ms. Edinger had saved. We hope you enjoy our boxes!
Introducing Charlotte Little!
“Lilacs bloom and make the air sweet, than fade. Apples blossoms come with the lilacs and the bees visit around among the apple trees.” Charlotte’s Web, page 42
“Stuart closed his eyes and lay there in the dark, but he couldn’t seem to go sleep. He tossed and turned and the bedclothes got all rumpled up. He kept thinking about Margalo downstairs in the Boston fern and the way Snowbell’s eyes gleamed.” Stuart Little, page 53-54
My box’s theme is about nature and friendship. My books were Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web. I included Stuart from Stuart Little, and Wilbur and Charlotte from Charlotte’s Web. Even though the other theme is nature, I am more focused on friendship. An example of this is Stuart riding Wilbur. I think that is an example of friendship because a person (or in this case, mouse) riding anything is an example of good friendship. Also, I think that Stuart and Wilbur would become instant friends because they were both born small. So, in conclusion, Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little were awesome books, and I think I choose great themes to get of of it.
Friendship in E.B. White
“Wilbur liked Charlotte better and better each day.” Charlotte’s Web page 48.
“Stuart felt his heart leap for gladness. It seemed to him that he had never seen any creature more beautiful as this tiny bird, and he already loved her.” Stuart Little page 52.
I like the friendship in all of E.B White’s books because he makes it sound like it is really happening right in front of me and that’s why I made my E.B. White Box about friendship. Friendship and love are important in both Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little. For example, Wilbur and Charlotte from Charlotte’s Web are friends as are Fern and Henry Fussy. So are Margalo and Stuart from Stuart Little! I hope that you enjoy my box!
Theme of Nature in E.B. White books
“Lilacs bloom and make the air sweet, and then fade. Apple blossoms come with the lilacs, and the bees visit around the apple trees. Charlotte’sWeb page 42.
“‘Swamps where cedars grow and turtles wait on logs but not for anything in particular; fields bordered by crooked fences broken by years of standing still; orchards so old the have forgotten where the farmhouse is.” StuartLittle page 129.
My box’s theme is nature. It has trees, animals, flowers, and clouds with raindrops forming a rainbow. The pig and the spider in my box represent Charlotte, and Wilbur, and the mouse and bird represent Stuart and Margalo. The sun on the top right side of the box lights up the scene, the other side with Charlotte’s web gets darker, and darker because of the shadow. On the darker side of the box, the clouds are actually raining water. All of these features of my box show and represent the theme of nature, which is a major theme in the books Stuart Little and Charlotte’sWeb by E.B. White.
My Friendship Box
“Underneath her rather bold and cruel exterior, she had a kind heart and was to prove loyal and true to the very end.” Charlotte’s Web, page 41
“It seemed to him that he had never seen any creature so beautiful as this tiny bird, and he already loved her.” Stuart Little, page 52
I find that why I love E. B. White’s books so much, are because of the friendship and the love and that is why I chose friendship as my theme for this assignment. Charlotte, from Charlotte’s Web is a loyal, clever and sweet spider and Wilbur is a sweet and sensitive pig who is destined to be killed at Christmas time. E. B. White is foreshadowing in that line and is speaking about their friendship. In the second quote from E. B. White is in another one of his books, Stuart Little and he is explaining Stuart’s (a human born mouse) feelings for a small bird named Margalo who he is obsessed with and loves with all of his heart. As you can see, my evidence shows a lot of friendship that happens in these two books. And as I said before, I love E. B. White’s writing because of the friendship and love.
Friendships in Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little
“Fern loved Wilbur more than anything.” Charlotte’s Web Pg.8
“I’ve never been so glad to see anybody in all my life,” Stuart Little Pg.62
The right side of the box is Charlotte’s Web and the left is Stuart Little. On the Charlotte’s Web side, Wilbur is just meeting Charlotte for the first time and Charlotte is says “salutations!” Wilbur is happy because he has found a new friend and he is bouncing on his tail. On the Stuart Little side Margalo is saving Stuart. Stuart is grateful that Margalo was flying to safety and is tipping his hat to her. These are some true friendships of the E.B.White books.
Life and Death Collage
“One evening, just before Christmas, snow began falling…Wilbur had never seen snow before.” Charlotte’s Web Page 173.
“Beware of a strange cat who will come by night.” Stuart Little Page 71
My box is about how much E.B White uses life and death. In the front, you see a small collage of words that that have to do with life and death. In the back you see Wilbur with snow falling. That is to represent the fact that Wilbur isn’t killed and he gets to see the snow. I also have Margalo in the top. That is because Snowbell’s friend wants to eat Margalo. I chose life and death because E.B White uses it to make books really intriguing.
Amazing E.B. White Nature Box
“When the first light comes into the sky and the sparrows stir and the cows rattle their chains, when the rooster crows and the stars fade, when when early crs whisper along the highway” Charlotte’s Web, page 143
“…the elm trees were green and higher than the houses…where the streets sloped down to the stream and the stream flowed quietly under the bridge….” Stuart Little, page 100
I read Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little and I thought a big theme of both books is nature. That is why I made my box’s theme nature. In my box for Charlotte’s Web I put Wilbur, a barn, a spider’s web, and the words that were in the web. For Stuart Little I put a bird in the sky that was supposed to represent Margalo. Even though nature was a theme in both books from my perspective nature was more in Charlotte’s Web than in Stuart Little because a lot of Stuart Little was in New York. That is why I focused on Charlotte’s Web more than Stuart Little. Personally I think E.B. White did a great job of describing nature in both of his books.
How E.B. White Focuses on Friendship
“He would have felt lonely and homesick, had Charlotte not been with him.” page 141 of Charlotte’s Web
“And he threw a kiss to Margalo.” page 56 in Stuart Little
The characters that I focus on in my box are Charlotte and Wilbur in Charlotte’s Web and Stuart and Margalo from Stuart Little. My box shows how much Charlotte cares about Wilbur by using a lot of her time just to make a web to save her friend’s life and I think that is friendship. And in Stuart Little when Margalo swoops in and saves Stuart’s life I think that is also friendship. I think E.B. White is a great author and I love all of his books and if you haven’t read his books I highly recommend you read E.B. White’s books.
Victory and Love of the Northern Cross
“‘Lurvy!” he called. ‘There is to be no more cow manure thrown down into that pigpen. I have a terrific pig.’” Charlotte’s Web, page 96
“Looking at Serena, Louis thought to himself, ‘ I think love is like the rapture of the deep. I feel so good I want to stay right where I am. I’m experiencing rapture of the deep even though I’m right on top of the water. I have never felt so good, so peaceful, so excited, so happy, so ambitious, so desirous”. Trumpet of the Swan, page 197
During the first quarter of the school year I read two E.B. White books. both of the White books I read had similar themes, one of which I displayed in an “E.B. White box”. Right now I am describing to you my box of which I worked extremely hard on. There are a lot of “bonds” that connect Louis and Serena and also Charlotte and Wilbur that are expressed in this masterpiece thus the theme of it is love. The materials are quite basic and are probably easy to find in a household. belief was a big path to victory while making my E.B. White box. I think Charlotte’s web of words was a creative idea . The reason I chose this specific title for my box was that the constellation the Northern Cross otherwise known as Cygnus represents a swan or cob and its victory. And I hope you like my box to describe it!
Some Friends
“It is not often that someone who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.” Charlotte’s Web page 184
“Whenever Louis was in trouble, his thoughts turned to Sam Beaver. Sam had helped him before; perhaps he could help him again.” The Trumpet Of The Swan page 86
I have read two books by E.B White. Charlotte’s Web and The Trumpet Of The Swan. While I was reading them I realized that friendship was such a big part of both books, so I decided to do it as my theme. The friendship in Charlotte’s Web is between Fern and Wilbur, or Wilbur and Charlotte. The friendship in The Trumpet Of The Swan is between Louis and Sam. In my box I have all of the main characters in the book displayed. Charlotte is hanging from a web labeled “Some Pig”. She is dangling from a string by a window where Fern’s head is sticking out. She is surprised and happy to have Sam and Louis over at the barn and petting Wilbur. I tried to display all of the main characters in both books, all making friends with each other. My favorite part of my E.B White box is Charlotte’s web hanging over the doorway of the barn.
Changes in the Stories of E.B. White Children’s Books
“The autumn days grew shorter, Lurvy brought the squashes and pumpkins and piled them on the barn floor where they wouldn’t get nipped on frosty nights.” Charlotte’s Web, page 173
“The sun shone down, strong and steady. Ice was melting; patches of open water appeared on the pond.” Trumpet of the Swan, page 244
“Before daybreak next morning he got out his biggest handkerchief and in it he placed his toothbrush, his money, his soap, his comb and brush, a clean suit of underwear, and his pocket compass.” Stuart Little, page 73
My E.B White box is about changes. Stuart goes from the city to the countryside, Louis goes from the pond to roaming looking for work, and finally Wilbur goes from being a runty pig to an award winning one. I have four sections in my box that represent Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall. Books need to have changes in their plots to make them interesting. I wouldn’t want to read Trumpet of the Swan if Louis didn’t have a voice the whole story and never left the pond. That would be boring. I think everybody should read E.B. White’s books because they have great changes in them to keep them interesting and they are really funny.
A World of Pure Nature
“Lilacs bloom and make the air sweet, then fade. Apple blossoms come with lilacs, and the bees visits around the apple trees.” Charlotte’s Web, page 113
“The day would break clear. Already the birds were beginning to stir and making sounds overhead.”Stuart Little, page 125
I read two books by E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little. I think that both of these books both have a lot of nature in them so I chose to do that theme in my box. My box shows pictures of lots of plants, flowers, blue skies and lakes. The two characters I used from the book are Wilbur and Margelo. I think that nature is a very important thing in the world and I think that E.B. White thought that too.
Friendship in E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little.
“Who’s going to save me?” “I am,” said Charlotte. Charlotte’s Web, page 51.
Snowbell crept softly toward the bookshelf and climbed noiselessly up into the chair within easy reach of the Boston fern where Margalo was asleep. Stuart stepped out from behind the candlestick, knelt down, bent his bow, and took careful aim at Snowbell’s left ear-which was the nearest to him. Stuart Little, page 55.
The characters I focus on are Wilbur and Charlotte for Charlotte’s Web and Stuart and Margalo for Stuart Little. I chose Charlotte and Wilbur because Charlotte helps Wilbur when there is no real benefit for her so it is a completely selfless act. I chose Stuart and Margalo because Margalo saves Stuart from being killed and when Margolo leaves Stuart runs away from his home just to find Margalo! In my box there are two scenes that don’t happen in the book but make sense. The scene to the left is my Stuart Little scene where Stuart and Margalo are travelling through the city and the scene to the right is my Charlotte’s Web scene where Wilbur is underneath the web that says terrific. In my my opinion Wilbur and Charlotte and Stuart and Margalo are the two most significant friendships in the two books.
Changes In Both The Trumpet Of The Swan and Charlotte’s Web
“It is my egg sac, my magnum opus.” Charlotte’s Web, page 144.
“Eggs, of course can’t wiggle, so the swan decided she must have something under her that wasn’t an egg” The Trumpet OfThe Swan, page 29.
The theme of my box is change. The way I show change in my box is I made a web and put an egg sac in it with Charlotte on it. For The Trumpet of the Swan I drew a swan on a nest with eggs inside. This is how I showed change in both books. The characters I focus on are Charlotte and her eggs from the egg sac, from Charlotte’s Web and the swan mother and cygnets from the eggs, from The Trumpet Of The Swan. The Trumpet Of The Swan and Charlotte’s Web are AMAZING books!
Friendship
‘’Wilburt liked Charlotte better and better each day.’’Charlotte’s Webpage 48.
‘’She and Stuart became fast friends, and as the days passed it seemed to Stuart that she grew more and more beautiful.” Stuart Little page 48.
I read Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little and I thought that they both had a lot of friendship and love, I thought that it was a big theme of Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little. For example, in Charlotte’s Web at first Wilbur was a little freaked out because Charlotte (a spider) sucked bug’s blood, but as he got to know her more they became best friends. Charlotte was like Wilburt mother because she cared so much about him she cared more about Wilbur then she did about herself. For a final example, in Stuart Little when Stuart first met Margalo he cared so much about her and he was so worried about Margalo he risk his life when he was still sick to make sure Snowbell did not do anything to her. I thought that Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little have a lot of friendship and love and I think that E.B White did a really good job showing that.
Nature & E.B .White
“Lilacs bloom and make the air sweet, and then fade.Apple blossoms comes with lilacs,and the bees visit around among the the apple trees.” Charlotte’s Web, page 42
“Warm air, soft and kind, blew through the trees. All the creatures that lived in the pond and the woods were glad to feel the warmth. They heard and felt the the breath of spring new life stirred with hope.” Trumpet of the Swan, page 9
In Charlotte’s Web and Trumpet of the Swan E.B. White uses a lot of nature which is shown in my box. I focused on Charlotte from Charlotte’s Web and the swans from Trumpet of the Swan. Nature has habitats and animals. In my box I showed plants, flowers, trees, and a pond. I also have animals like a bird and spiders which could be Charlotte and her children. E.B. White really liked the outdoors and animals so he wrote many books about them for children since children love to play outdoors and they love animals too.
My E.B White Box
“The early summer days on a farm are the happiest and fairest days of the year. Lilacs bloom and make the air sweet then fade. Apple blossoms come with the lilacs and the bees visit around among the apple trees.” Charlotte’s Web page 42
“My business has taken me into spruce woods on winter nights where the snow lay deep and soft, a perfect place for a carnival of rabbits. I know fresh lakes in the north undisturbed by fish and hawk…”Stuart Little, page 131
I annotated Charlotte’s Web and read Stuart Little and then came up with a theme that they both have in common. Both Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little have nature. In my box on the left side there is winter and on the the right side there is spring. I tried to make the winter side look cold and snowy. On the spring side I tried to make it look sunny. Even though Stuartlives in the city he goes to Central Park rides a boat on the pond. In the box I focused on Charlotte’s Web more than Stuart Little because Stuart Little is based more in the city and Charlotte’s Web is based mostly on a farm. For Charlotte’s Web I put a pond with fish on the spring side because during the summer it said that Avery likes to fish in the pond. I think that E.B White did a great job describing nature in both Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web.
E.B. White Friendship Theme
“The early summer days on a farm are the happiest and fairest days of the year.” Page 42 in Charlotte’s Web.
“With a flutter of her wings, Margalo rose into the sky, carrying Stuart along, and together they flew out over the ocean and headed toward home.” Page 63 of Stuart Little.
The the theme of my box is friendship because Stuart is flying with Margalo together and they are friends. And for Wilbur he is happy in the barn. E.B. White writes good books and more people should read them. Also making the boxes was fun.
Friendship & Life/Death From E.B. White
“Fern loved Wilbur more than anything.” Charlotte’s Web, page 8
“With a flutter of wings Marglo rose high in to the sky, carrying Stuart along, and together they flew out over the ocean and headed toward home.” Stuart Little, page 63
Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web are shown in my box. The main characters in these books are Wilbur and Charlotte and Stuart Little and Marglo. My box is showing friendship. I have Stuart getting saved by Marglo which shows friendship because if Margol did not save Stuart he would have died in the ocean. I have Wilbur talking to Charlotte because they are good friends since Charlotte saved Wilbur’s life by writing the words in her web throughout the story. Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web are good books written by E.B. White because he includes a lot of themes in them that make them more exciting to read!
