Charlotte's Web is a children's book by American writer Alvin Brooks White, first published in 1952. The hero of the book is a pig named Wilbur, who is saved from death by a girl named Fern. The piglet ends up in a barnyard, where other animals make it clear to him that he will not live long. However, Charlotte the Spider weaves words into her web that should convince the farmer that the pig deserves to live. "Charlotte's Web" was well received by critics. In particular, Eudora Welty, reviewing the book in the New York Times, noted: “This thing is almost perfectly crafted, and it was done in an almost magical way.”