Charlotte's Web

184 pp. Charlotte's Web is a children's book by acclaimed American author E. B. White. First published in 1952, it tells the story of a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte. The book was illustrated by Garth Williams. Publishers Weekly listed the book as the best-selling children's paperback of all time as of 2000. Written in White's dry, low-key manner, Charlotte's Web is considered a classic of children's literature, enjoyable to adults as well as children. The description of the experience of swinging on a rope swing at the farm is an often cited example of rhythm in writing, as the pace of the sentences reflects the motion of the swing.