E.B. White

American essayist and novelist E.B. White (1899-1985) made his children's book debut in 1945 with Stuart Little , the picaresque, very funny adventure story of a two-inch-creature who, in White's words, "looks very much like a mouse," but who "obviously is not a mouse [but a second son]." After the story passed the test of his nieces and nephews, Stuart Little made it onto the desk of Harper's distinguished editor Ursula Nordstrom who, in a stroke of genius, matched White's work up with the whimsical art of illustrator Garth Williams. White and Williams's second novel, Charlotte's Web , stars a young girl Fern who saves the life of the runty 13th pig in a litter. Lyrical and profound, it's one of the few books for children that tackles death head-on--while celebrating friendship, affection, and the ordinary passing of time. White's last book for children, The Trumpet of the Swan , illustrated by Edward Francino, was published almost 20 years after Charlotte's Web , and is the unlikely tale of Louis, a mute trumpeter swan named for Louis Armstrong. He compensates for his muteness--and tries to gain the affection of the beautiful swan Serena--by becoming a virtuoso player of a real trumpet. Here, paperback editions of White's three beloved classics are packaged in one boxed set--a time-tested trio guaranteed to win the hearts of children. (Ages 9 and older)