The Trumpet of the Swan
Trumpet of the Swan Review May 12, 2010
You might wonder why I'm reviewing a book that's forty years old. Mostly it's because, (for some reason probably the rather ho hum cover,) the Trumpet of the Swan has never received the recognition it deserved.
Sam Beaver discovers a swan's nest and has the opportunity to protect it from predators. The swans trust him, and he gets to see the eggs hatching. The last cygnet, Louie is born without a voice. This lack is sorely felt by his parents, but he goes to school with Sam to learn how to read and write. This seems to work very well until Louie realizes it hasn't worked at all because unfortunately all the other swans don't know how to read and write...
The swamplands are well gorgeous, the school scenes are just delightful and so are the characters. The book, with its sense of wilderness and wonder is a must for any child who loves nature, or any child you want to cultivate a love of nature in. And as with, "Charlotte's Web" and "Stewart Little," E.B. White's almost laconic style is a pleasure to read aloud.
I would mention some of the delightful touches of humour, but I wouldn't do them justice. It's just brilliant. My children and I believe this to be his best children's book, saving his best for last. So all you E.B. White fans out there, now that you know this book exists it's time to make your collection complete.
Review by Alicia Ponder
About the Author:
E. B. White, the author of twenty books of prose and poetry, was awarded the 1970 Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal for his children's books, Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web. This award is given every five years "to an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have, over a period of years, made a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children." The year 1970 also marked the publication of Mr  White's third books for children, The Trumpet of the Swan, honoured by the International Board on Books for international importance. In 1973, it received the Sequoyah Award (Oklahoma) and the William Allen White Award (Kansas), voted by the school children of those states as their "favorite book" of the year.
Born in Mount Vernon, New York, Mr. White attended public schools there. He was graduated from Cornell University in 1921, worked in New York for a year, then travelled about. After five or six years of trying many sorts of jobs, he joined the staff of The New Yorker, then in its infancy. The connection proved a happy one and resulted in a steady output of satirical sketches, poems, essays and editorials. His essays have also appeared in Harper's Magazine, and his books include One Man's Meat, The Second Tree From the Corner, Letters of E. B. White, The Essays of E. B. White and Poems and Sketches of E. B. White.
In 1938, Mr White moved to the country. On his farm in Maine he kept animals, and some of these creatures got into his stories and books. Mr White said he found writing difficult and bad for one's disposition, but he kept at it. He began Stuart Little in the hope of am  using a six-year old niece of his, but before he finished it, she had grown up.
For his total contribution to American letters, Mr White was awarded the 1971 National Medal for Literature. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy named Mr White as one of thirty-one Americans to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Mr White also received the National Institute of Arts and Letters' Gold Medal for Essays and Criticism, and in 1973 the members of the Institute elected him to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a society of fifty members. He also received honorary degrees from seven colleges and universities. Mr White, who died on October 1, 1985, is survived by his son and his grandchildren.
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NZ $18.00
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