Charlotte's Web
Recommended. Age: 8+. A Catholic review of this book for parents.
Our review
A little pig named Wilbur is going to be killed for food. A spider named Charlotte becomes his friend and saves him by writing words in her web. Charlotte gives everything for her friend, and that is beautiful. She dies at the end, and it is very sad. This book is good for the whole family. This is one of the best-written children's books in English, and its heart is a friend who lays down her life. The one gap is that death comes with no word of heaven or God. You supply that, and the book becomes a fine door into the conversation.
For parents
Read aloud from five or six. Independent reading from seven or eight, which matches Common Sense Media and Kolbe's grade 2 to 4 placement. Expect tears at Charlotte's death, so read that chapter together. The book offers no hope beyond Charlotte's children living on. Tell your child what the Church teaches: death is not the end, and Christ has opened heaven (CCC 1010, 1020). Ask: how is Charlotte like the friend in John 15:13? What did Wilbur do to deserve her help? Nothing, and that is what grace looks like.