PICTURE BOOK - A Boy, a Mouse, and a Spider: The Story of E. B. White by Barbara Herkert

Illustrated by Lauren Castillo

2017 Henry Holt & Co. 

HC $18.99

40pgs.

Goodreads rating:  4.29 - 318 ratings

My rating: 4.5

Endpapers" Bright lime green

1^st line/s:  
"When young Elwyn White
lay sick in bed,
a bold house mouse
befriended. him.
Elwyn made a home
for his companion.
If his mother knew,
she would not approve."

My comments:  This is a lovely, gentle picture book, as I picture E. B. White to be lovely and gentle. The three page author's note at the end are the perfect short biography for me.  What a great read-aloud picture book for kids to go along with the reading of Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web , or The Trumpet of the Swan.  I'm SO glad that kids are still reading these books today...published in 1945, 1952, and 1968 respectively! 

Goodreads:  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 anxious Elwyn longed for the farm, where animal friends awaited him at the end of each day. Propelled by his fascination with the outside world, he began to jot down his reflections in a journal. Writing filled him with joy, and words became his world.
          Today, Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web are beloved classics of children’s literature, and E. B. White is recognized as one of the finest American writers of all time.
          A Christy Ottaviano Book