Stuart Little 75th Anniversary Edition

So, as a child, I was once with some Club Scouts having a sleep over at the YMCA and we watched Rabbit Hill. No, don’t worry, we’ll get to the Stuart Little book. You see, I wanted to find the Rabbit Hill movie and found it on a DVD which also happened to have the 1968 TV version of Stuart Little read by Johnny Carson. Well, of course I got it and watched both movies. The DVD ended up with my brother’s family as a Christmas gift one year. But I realized last year I had never read the book. So I got my own copy and finally got to read it this week. You could easily read it in one day. But I split it up a tad. It is a series of adventures, from sailing a model sail ship, to driving a car, to exploring the great big world. Funny enough the TV version followed it pretty well so the ending, in which he just kind of drives off towards the north and it just ends, wasn’t a surprise. After all the story was about friendship and being yourself. There wasn’t really a plot. So I give it five out of five stars. For children of all ages. But I do feel it was for the kids at the start but more for the adults in its ending.

Great classic book for young readers!

Excelente libro , muy útil para el aprendizaje de niños de tercer grado escolar

I loved this story when I was in elementary school and could read it by myself. So I wanted to give it to our first grade granddaughter, even after I heard she had already encountered the book in Kindergarten, where her teacher read it to the class. You can't help loving Stuart, whose adventurous spirit gets him into deep trouble, but whose optimism and warm heart win him friends. I did like the supporting cast of characters, the parents, the brother, the cat, the bird, and even the small girl who catches Stuart's eye and prompts him to imagine a wildly successful canoeing date with her. All are deftly drawn with recognizable feelings. That this can be done in the context of a totally unbelievable premise, is a tribute to E.B. White's mastery of language and human interactions. Sadly, the story doesn't end satisfactorily. Unlike Charlotte's web, where the heroine is summed up as both a good friend and a good writer, the reader is left to imagine and hope that Stuart will eventually find his best friend.

I remember, very long ago, my Third Grade Class was tasked with reading this book. Although at that time, I was never all that interested in reading. So I very reluctantly turned to the first page, wishing that I never had to. When I finished the first page, I suddenly became interested in what happened in the next. I was very surprised to have learned that Stuart's Mother had lost her Ring in the sink, and Stuart volunteered to throw himself down into the drain. I continued reading, with a new profound feeling that I had to read what happened next. And so I did. One page became two, two became three, three became four, and so on and so on until I reached the end. When I finished, I became deeply unsatisfied that the book had to end. For the first time in my life, I was disappointed that a bool had to end. It felt weird to me, but I almost felt that it was enjoyable. I then searched for another, and then another, and even yet another. How exquisite this feeling! A number of books and a number of years later, I find myself rereading this marvellous work, and reading many other great works. No matter how old I may get, I will always remember the book that ignited my passion for reading.

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E.B. White was a very unique, perceptive and extremely talented writer. He is best known for his books, Charlotte's Web, The Trumpet of the Swan and Stuart Little. This is a must have addition to any home library.

I bought 6 copies of this book to read with students. The books held up with daily use over about a month-long period. Some students really pushed the boundaries with folding over pages, the cover, etc. Highlighter and other markers will soak through the pages slightly, depending on the pressure of the tip on the page. As far as this story from 1945 goes, it is NOT the same as the 1999 movie. I feel like this e.b.white story is beautifully done with the original illustrations. There's a couple with one son that decides to have a second child as a sibling for the son. Somehow, a talking mouse becomes the sibling. Which, they just try to get everyone else to accept. Use your imagination. Family is love and you can use this story to teach about differences and acceptance. It was fun to talk about some of the "old-fashioned" vocabulary used in the book and explain it or compare lifestyles to current vocabulary and lifestyles, too.