I have a profound admiration for the way E.B. White approaches animals. He not only takes them seriously but also creates fictional children who do the same. Instead of bothering to explain why the animals can talk, he ingeniously constructs a story centered around the mysterious bond that develops between children and the animals they cherish. In this particular tale, Sam Beaver safeguards a lifelong secret from his father. It all begins when, as a boy, he has an encounter with a little Trumpeter Swan that unties his shoelace, and from that moment, a lasting friendship blossoms. Sam brings Louis the Swan to school for education, takes him to camp where he gets his first job as a trumpeter, and even negotiates a peace treaty between Louis and the zookeeper who wishes to pen him in. My kids adored this story just as much the second time they listened to it, and it had us all in stitches. It simply couldn't be any better.
My kids were completely engrossed in this book! Initially, I was somewhat skeptical of a plot that revolved around a swan who is a jazz artist. However, I have full trust in EB White's ability to succeed in whatever he undertakes. And my trust was well-founded. We all loved how Louis the swan accumulated skills, experiences, and equipment, until finally, fate presented him with the very opportunity he had been preparing for all along. We especially loved and will incorporate into our family vocabulary the line where Louis describes himself as "beginning to look like a hippy" once he is burdened with a few too many possessions around his swan neck. We also took some time to "research" swan attacks, which was great fun for the whole family! It's truly a gem that I deeply regret not reading sooner.