Trumpet of the Swan: Amazon.ca: E B White: Books

Product Description

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Although he lacks a voice in the traditional "Ko-hoh!" sense, trumpeter swan Louis learns to speak to the world with a trumpet stolen from a music store by his father. With the support of an unusual boy named Sam, who helps Louis learn how to read and write, the swan has some rather unswanlike adventures and ultimately wins the love--and the freedom--of a beautiful swan named Serena.

For over 30 years, E.B. White's masterpiece has captured the fancy of countless readers. Now, with stunning new art by award-winning illustrator Fred Marcellino, the beloved story can be experienced anew. The sepia-colored drawings lend an old-fashioned charm to the story--it's almost as if, with their complementary dry wit and uniquely creative talents, White and Marcellino originally worked together. Marcellino received the Caldecott Honor for his illustrations in Charles Perrault's Puss in Boots. (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"...Humor abounds and beauty of nature, of relationships, of time passing shines through... will captivate children of all ages." -- School Library Journal --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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First Sentence
Walking back to camp through the swamp, Sam wondered whether to tell his father what he had seen. Read the first page

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Concordance

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

36 Reviews

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.7 out of 5 stars (36 customer reviews)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Original Illustrations! Classic Book!, Mar 11 2011

By

Nicola Manning (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME) (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Trumpet of the Swan (Paperback)

Acquired: Purchased a used copy at a book/garage sale or thrift shop.

Reason for Reading: I've picked a bookshelf to randomly read my own books from this year and this is my first read from that shelf. This is a perennial favourite of mine.

I've read this several times now. Originally as a child, then as an adult, again as a read aloud to my eldest son, and now once more and the book still has not lost its charm for me. This is going to make a nice bedtime read for dh and ds and I'll be putting it in their pile. Trumpet is my favourite of White's three children's novels. Louis is an unassuming hero, with a sense of right and wrong, dignity and someone who works hard to get what he wants out of life. Born without a voice, he gets by until he is old enough for mating season. Then, of course, he can't attract the female he is in love with so his father heads to the city and steals a trumpet for him. Louis is so thankful, he learns to play, but first he must earn money to pay back his father's debt both for the trumpet and the damage he did to the store and thus follows the story of Louis' adventures as he earns a living at various venues first playing as a bugler and then after a slight operation to one foot learning the full use of the trumpet. He becomes famous in the towns and cities he plays in but his heart is always set on earning the money, so he can get back to his family and his lady love. He also repeatedly is assisted and visited by Sam Beaver, a boy he met when he was just a newly hatched gosling.

It is a simple story, possibly considered slow to some compared to more modern fare but it tells a good tale. It's a story of good people, animals mostly with good human qualities and both Sam and Louis are good role models, they type of person we all want to be like someday. Though written in the seventies, there isn't really much to place the story in time. There are a few instances when this is brought to the reader's attention; I remember the word "hippie" but otherwise the book is quaint and could be taking place in any time period of the more mannered, politer past. A lovely story, sure to be enjoyed by animal lovers.

One of my goals in reading books from this random shelf is to move books out of the house that are not going to be part of my permanent collection, but this one is a keeper. I had wanted to get the hardcover, collector's edition to match Charlotte's Web & Stuart Little that I have, which have both been respectfully colourized. But when I saw the hardcover version of this I also saw that the illustrations had been completely redone by a new illustrator so I took a pass on getting that version. In fact, the paperback versions include the new illustrations as well. The original illustrations don't seem to be available in any currently available new editions. So I'm keeping this edition, which is the exact same one that I had as a kid.

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3.0 out of 5 stars A good book, Mar 26 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Trumpet Of The Swan (Paperback)

The book is good for learning about how to take care of a handcape. Another thing is I like it because Louis's dad wants to pay back his dept. Its a great book to read if you like good books and if you like animals.

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5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book Ever!, Mar 26 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Trumpet Of The Swan (Paperback)

The Trumpet of the Swan is an exciting adveture! First, Louis is a defective young swan that can play the tumpet, write, and also read. Second, he falls in love with another swan who pays no attention to him. Third, Louis becomes famous and tries to pay his fathers debts. Just read it and guess what? You will love it!

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Trumpet of the Swan
This book is about a young Trumpeter Swan named Louis who was born with a speech defect problem. He learns to play the trumpet and travels all over America. Read more

Published on May 6 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars It was a great book
It was a great book. I think it was a book that would calm people down. It could be something you can read in your spartime.

Published on Mar 26 2004