Charlotte's Web is a children's book by acclaimed American author E. B. White. It tells the story of a spider named Charlotte and her friendship with a pig named Wilbur. Wilbur was originally the piglet pet of a young girl named Fern Arable, who was forced to take him to the Zuckerman farm after he grew into an adult pig.

Charlotte lives in the space above Wilbur's sty in the Zuckermans' barn; she befriends Wilbur and decides to help prevent him from being eaten. With the help of the other barn animals, including a rat named Templeton, she convinces the Zuckerman family that Wilbur is special by spelling out such things as "Some Pig" in her web above his sty.

Written in White's dry, low-key manner, Charlotte's Web is considered a classic of children's literature, enjoyable to adults as well as children.

Film adaptations

Charlotte's Web was adapted into an animated feature by Hanna-Barbera Productions and Sagittarius Productions in 1973. The film, distributed to theatres by Paramount Pictures on February 22, 1973, is one of only two Hanna-Barbera features not based upon one of their famous television cartoons--Heidi's Song (1982) being the other--and was a moderate critical and commercial success.

Paramount released a direct-to-video sequel, Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure, in 2003, and has scheduled a live-action remake of the original film, to star Dakota Fanning as Fern, for 2006, in association with Nickelodeon Movies.

Voice Cast of 1973 film

• Debbie Reynolds as Charlotte A. Cavatica
• Paul Lynde as Templeton
• Henry Gibson as Wilbur
• Rex Allen as Narrator
• Danny Bonaduce as Avery Arable
• Pamelyn Ferdin as Fern Arable
• Joan Gerber as Mrs. Zuckerman and Mrs. Fussy
• Bob Holt as Homer Zuckerman
• Dave Madden as Ram and others
• Don Messick as Jeffrey
• Agnes Moorehead as The Goose
• Charles Nelson Reilly
• Martha Scott as Mrs. Arable
• John Stephenson as Arable
• Herb Vigran as Lurvy
• William B. White as Henry Fussy

Printed editions and ISBN numbers

• ISBN 0060263857 (hardcover, 1952)
• ISBN 0060263865 (library binding, 1952)
• ISBN 0064400557 (paperback, 1974)
• ISBN 0606026282 (prebound, 1980)
• ISBN 0871292432 (paperback, 1983)
• ISBN 0061070106 (paperback, 1990)
• ISBN 1561376302 (hardcover, 1998)
• ISBN 1561370266 (hardcover, 1999)
• ISBN 1581180500 (library binding, 1999, Large Type Edition)
• ISBN 0064410935 (paperback, 2001)
• ISBN 0758701780 (hardcover, 2002)
• ISBN 0060006986 (hardcover, 2002, Anniversary Edition)
• ISBN 0807283053 (paperback)

External links

• Charlotte's Web (2006) at the Internet Movie Database