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A review by katykelly
The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White
5.0
I only just heard about this for the first time, having grown up with White's Charlotte's Web and more lately Stuart Little. This is a little gem, really, a wonderful story about a swan that's unlike his peers, that has a rather unusual adventure.
Thicker than White's others, it's no harder a read though, the length needn't put young readers off. It may be one I read with my son (4) when he's a little older.
On a Canadian lake during a holiday, Sam Beaver discovers and watches a pair of Trumpeter swans as they hatch their eggs... He befriends the pair and meets their brood - including Louis, the cygnet who finds he is mute. As he grows up, his parents realise that this will prevent him from finding a mate, and his father vows to help him find his voice.
I couldn't see exactly where this would take the characters, so it was an enchanting journey with Louis as he finds an artificial trumpeting sound, and tries to pay back the debt he owes for his voice.
Louis's interaction with humans may be unusual for an animal story (he learns to read and write and interacts with a fair feel for normality), but White has done something similar before - Fern can understand Wilbur and Charlotte, Stuart Little can talk to his human family. It's fantasy but in an everyday setting.
Louis makes a very appealing hero. I loved his verbose father and the David Attenborough-like Sam, their human friend. The story shows a fondness for tranquil natural settings and the quaint feel of big cities of the period.
Now, why not make this into a film, as Hollywood has done with both of its predecessors? It would make a very sweet cartoon, and the book would get a much-deserved boost as well.
Just as charming, in its own way, as Charlotte and Stuart.
For read-alone, one for ages 8 and above. For shared bedtime reading, age 6-9 would be about right.
Thicker than White's others, it's no harder a read though, the length needn't put young readers off. It may be one I read with my son (4) when he's a little older.
On a Canadian lake during a holiday, Sam Beaver discovers and watches a pair of Trumpeter swans as they hatch their eggs... He befriends the pair and meets their brood - including Louis, the cygnet who finds he is mute. As he grows up, his parents realise that this will prevent him from finding a mate, and his father vows to help him find his voice.
I couldn't see exactly where this would take the characters, so it was an enchanting journey with Louis as he finds an artificial trumpeting sound, and tries to pay back the debt he owes for his voice.
Louis's interaction with humans may be unusual for an animal story (he learns to read and write and interacts with a fair feel for normality), but White has done something similar before - Fern can understand Wilbur and Charlotte, Stuart Little can talk to his human family. It's fantasy but in an everyday setting.
Louis makes a very appealing hero. I loved his verbose father and the David Attenborough-like Sam, their human friend. The story shows a fondness for tranquil natural settings and the quaint feel of big cities of the period.
Now, why not make this into a film, as Hollywood has done with both of its predecessors? It would make a very sweet cartoon, and the book would get a much-deserved boost as well.
Just as charming, in its own way, as Charlotte and Stuart.
For read-alone, one for ages 8 and above. For shared bedtime reading, age 6-9 would be about right.