Dear Reader:
I receive many letters from children and can't answer them all. That is why I am sending you this printed reply. I'll try to answer some common questions.
Where did I get the idea for Stuart Little and for Charlotte's Web? Many years ago, I dreamed about a tiny boy who acted like a mouse. That's how Stuart Little began.
As for Charlotte's Web, I like animals and my barn is a pleasant place. One day, feeling sorry for a pig doomed to die, I thought of ways to save it. I had been watching a clever spider weaving. Gradually, I wove her into a story of friendship and salvation on a farm. It took three years to write.
I started writing as soon as I could spell. I can't remember a time I wasn't writing. I think children find pleasure in setting thoughts on paper. I was no good at drawing, so I used words. Later, writing became a way to earn a living.
I cannot visit schools or send books, pictures, or autographs. Books are made by publishers; writers must buy their own copies. I live in the country in New England, near my son and three grandchildren.
Are my stories true? No, they are imaginary tales. In real life, a child doesn't look like a mouse, a spider doesn't spin words, and a swan doesn't blow a trumpet. But real life is only one kind of life—there is also the life of the imagination. And though my stories are imaginary, I believe they contain truth about how people and animals feel, think, and act.
Yours sincerely,
E.B. White