Read Aloud Thursday // The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White

We fiiiiiiiiiiiiinally finished our current lunchtime/afternoon read-aloud this week! The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White was a perfect spring choice for us. It had been years since I had read this and I enjoyed reacquainting myself with Louis the Swan as well as introducing him to my girls.

As a refresher, or to those that haven’t read the book, the story centers around a young trumpeter swan named Louis who is born unable to “ko-hoh!” … or trumpet. His father is most concerned about how his young cygnet is going to manage without a voice and goes to great lengths to procure an actual trumpet for his son so that he can make some sort of noise. Louis manages to learn how to play a trumpet (and play it well), and if that wasn’t an impressive enough accomplishment, he also learns how to read and write!

I loved sharing this story with my girls for several reasons:

1. It’s just good. : ) E.B. White is a wonderful storyteller as anyone who has read Charlotte's Web knows! The Trumpet of the Swan, also set around animals that talk, is just as good. (He also wrote another talking animal story, Stuart Little , but that’s one I have never read).

2. There is a quite a bit of science to be found in these pages. We have been on-again / off-again with our bird studies this year, and this was a good way to plug in a little bit more bird talk before we wrap up this school year. The book is very descriptive as it describes the swans in flight and as they set up their little nest and prepare to lay eggs and raise a family.

3. The young boy in the picture above is Sam Beaver. He discovers the swans’ nest at the beginning of the story, and begins a friendship with Louis that lasts through the book. He loves to be in the outdoors and see what wild animals he can spot, and he keeps a journal of what he sees. As a mama that is always looking for more time in our week to get us outside and observing nature, I loved the example that Sam sets for us.

If I had a rating system for the books that we read and blog about (which I should do at some point!), this one would get five out of five stars easily. A classic that deserves to be checked out of the library, if not purchased and placed on your own shelf to read and reread.

For more Read Aloud Thursday goodness, visit Amy at Hope is the Word.