(You can listen to this episode here.)
On this episode, Deborah and Mary Grace reread Stuart Little, E.B. White’s 1945 classic about the adventures of a New York boy who looks exactly like a mouse. They discuss their early memories of reading Stuart Little (or having it read to them), Garth Williams’ wonderful illustrations, and pioneering children’s librarian Annie Carroll Moore’s vehement opposition to the book.
Mentioned on this episode:
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White
“Death of a Pig,” essay by E.B. White, The Atlantic (paywall). (Mary Grace erroneously recalled that this essay was about the birth of a pig.)
“Celebrating Children’s Book Week–and a pioneering librarian,” Mary Grace’s post on her blog, mylife100yearsago.com, about Annie Carroll Moore
The Rabbits’ Wedding, the children’s book by Stuart Little editor Garth Williams that was banned from Alabama libraries because a black and a white rabbit get married
“The Lion and the Mouse: The Battle that Shaped Children’s Literature” by Jill Lapore, The New Yorker, July 14, 2008
Stuart Little, 1999 movie (trailer)
The podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout at rereadingourchildhood.buzzsprout.com and is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast platforms.
You can find Deborah’s author interviews on her blog, Books Q&A by Deborah Kalb, and Mary Grace’s adventures in the 1920s on her blog, My Life 100 Years Ago.
This episode was edited by Adam Linder of Bespoken Podcasting.
Rereading Our Childhood 