Book cover of A Boy, a Mouse, and a Spider: The Story of E. B. White

Book description

A lyrical biography of E. B. White, beloved author of Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, written by Barbara Herkert and illustrated by Caldecott honoree Lauren Castillo.

When young Elwyn White lay in bed as a sickly child, a bold house mouse befriended him. When the time came for kindergarten, an…

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Why read it?

1 author picked A Boy, a Mouse, and a Spider as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

With charming illustrations, this picture book biography tells the story of E.B. White with exquisite language.

I love how Barbara Herkert provides details about his interest in animals from a young age, such as how he collected pigeons, snakes, polliwogs, caterpillars, chameleons, and more.

In a fitting ending, the book shows how E.B. White gets the idea for one of my favorite books, Charlotte’s Web. I love these lines from A Boy, a Mouse, and a Spider: “One cold October evening, Andy watched a spider spin. He climbed a ladder for a closer look. He’d found the hero…

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Book cover of Lake Song: A Novel in Stories

Lake Song by Lesley Pratt Bannatyne,

Selected by Deesha Philyaw as winner of the AWP Grace Paley Prize in Short Fiction, Lake Song is set in the fictional town of Kinder Falls in New York’s Finger Lakes region. This novel in stories spans decades to plumb the complexities, violence, and compassion of small-town life as the…

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