This is a story about a pig named Wilbur who is born on the Arable farm.
Mr. Arable wants to kill Wilbur when he’s born because Wilbur is a runt, but Fern, Mr.
Arable’s daughter, saves him.
Fern raises Wilbur until he is sold to Mr. Zuckerman, a farmer who lives nearby.
Fern visits Wilbur a lot as Wilbur gets accustomed to his new home.
However, Wilbur is lonely and none of the other animals want to play with him.
One day, Wilbur hears a voice that offers friendship and it’s source is from a spider
named Charlotte.
Charlotte and Wilbur become friends.
However, Wilbur learns that Mr. Zuckerman plans on killing him in the winter.
Charlotte vows to save Wilbur’s life by any means necessary.
Charlotte decides that to save Wilbur she must trick Mr. Zuckerman.
She begins writing words in her web so that everyone can read it.
She writes, “Some Pig”, “Terrific”, and “Radiant” over the course of weeks.
This brings hundreds of visitors to Mr. Zuckerman’s farm, which prompts him to enter Wilbur in
the county fair as a showpig.
Charlotte travels with Wilbur to the fair for one more miracle.
At the county fair, Charlotte grows weaker and only has the energy to write one more
message in her web.
She writes “Humble” which earns Wilbur a special bronze medal from the county fair
judges.
Also at the fair, Charlotte creates an egg sac that contains thousands of little eggs.
Because a spider’s life is so short, Charlotte tells Wilbur that she will die soon and not
be able to return to the farm.
Wilbur takes the egg sac back to the farm and Charlotte dies at the fair grounds alone.
Back at the farm, Wilbur watches the egg sac until one day, little spiderlings begin to
emerge.
Wilbur is overjoyed to see Charlotte’s children, but they soon start flying away with the wind.
However, three children stay behind and live in the doorframe that Charlotte once lived.
In the end, Wilbur watches over Charlotte’s children and grandchildren, but never forgets
the sacrifice Charlotte made for friendship.