Some Pig!: A Charlotte's Web Picture Book [Hardcover]

E. B. White (Author), Maggie Kneen (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2006 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Fern loved Wilbur more than anything, and Wilbur loved her too. . . .

Some Pig! introduces a new generation to Wilbur, the most lovable pig in children's literature. E. B. White's masterful text from the classic Charlotte's Web, combined with artist Maggie Kneen's finely detailed work, brings to life the enchanting friendship between Fern and Wilbur. This charming picture-book edition will capture the imagination and win the hearts of young readers everywhere.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Essayist and early New Yorker writer E. B. White (1899–1985) also wrote the children's classics Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web, and The Trumpet of the Swan, and updated The Elements of Style. He was awarded the Gold Medal for Essays and Criticism of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, the National Medal for Literature, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and (in 1973) was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He lived in Maine and New York City.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060781610
• ISBN-13: 978-0060781613
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #605,545 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

E.B. White, the author of twenty books of prose and poetry, was awarded the 1970 Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal for his children's books, Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web. This award is now given every three years "to an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have, over a period of years, make a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children." The year 1970 also marked the publication of Mr. White's third book for children, The Trumpet of the Swan, honored by The International Board on Books for Young People as an outstanding example of literature with international importance. In 1973, it received the Sequoyah Award (Oklahoma) and the William Allen White Award (Kansas), voted by the school children of those states as their "favorite book" of the year.

Born in Mount Vernon, New York, Mr. White attended public schools there. He was graduated from Cornell University in 1921, worked in New York for a year, then traveled about. After five or six years of trying many sorts of jobs, he joined the staff of The New Yorker magazine, then in its infancy. The connection proved a happy one and resulted in a steady output of satirical sketches, poems, essays, and editorials. His essays have also appeared in Harper's Magazine, and his books include One Man's Meat, The Second Tree from the Corner, Letters of E.B. White, The Essays of E.B. White and Poems and Sketches of E.B. White. In 1938 Mr. White moved to the country. On his farm in Maine he kept animals, and some of these creatures got into his stories and books. Mr. White said he found writing difficult and bad for one's disposition, but he kept at it. He began Stuart Little in the hope of amusing a six-year-old niece of his, but before he finished it, she had grown up.

For his total contribution to American letters, Mr. White was awarded the 1971 National Medal for Literature. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy named Mr. White as one of thirty-one Americans to receive the Presidential Medal for Freedom. Mr. White also received the National Institute of Arts and Letters' Gold Medal for Essays and Criticism, and in 1973 the members of the Institute elected him to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a society of fifty members. He also received honorary degrees from seven colleges and universities. Mr. White died on October 1, 1985.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great start, excellent illustrations, but ends abruptly!, December 30, 2006

By 

Patrick D. Goonan "see profile for URL" (Livermore, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Some Pig!: A Charlotte's Web Picture Book (Hardcover)

This is a good book with a strong start and good illustrations. Certainly, the author is extremely credible and this book charms from the beginning. However, I found that it ended abruptly and I was disappointed with the ending. It seems like it was incomplete and something that a child would find a bit disturbing rather than having real finality that satisifies.

The story basically involves a girls relationship with a pig as a pet. It is very charming and there is an obvious bond between the two that is built up over the course of the story. The pig basically lives a life similar to a dog or cat with respect to its place in the family. However, at the end it is suddenly sold and there is a page that says it is now living in the manure pile of a neighbor. Huh?!

From a child's perspective, this seems like almost a tragic ending. It also comes suddenly and doesn't seem to have that happy close that is so typical of good children's literature. I guess it how it lands emotionally with a child depends upon how the parents frame the ending. However, I think this is really the job of the writer and not the parent.

I think this could have been a little better, but it is still worth buying because the rest of the text is good. The interplay of the text and illustrations really generates good emotions and a sense of story. That is partly why I was so disturbed by the abrupt ending. I'm not sure it will make sense to a child or that they will view it as necessarily happy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great but it covers 1/3 of the story..., February 4, 2007

By 

TF "TF" (Allentown, PA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Some Pig!: A Charlotte's Web Picture Book (Hardcover)

This is a great picture book of Charlotte's Web.

- It ends when Wilbur is sold (lots more story to tell...)

- The drawings are different than the 1973 movie (still great)

I would increase my rating if it was clearer that this picture book contains about 1/3 of the entire story. I hope the author releases more additions that continue to cover the original book in its entirety.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awww., June 8, 2011

By 

M. Heiss (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Some Pig!: A Charlotte's Web Picture Book (Hardcover)

Baby Wilbur is so darling.

This book illustrates a full chapter of E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web" and keeps Garth Williams' classic illustration style. Maggie Kneen does an excellent job with the illustrations, adding more story to the story with her excellent visuals.