Amazon.com Review 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 Product Description Notable Children’s Books of 1970 (ALA)”Best of the Best” Children’s Books 1966-1978 (SLJ)Outstanding Children’s Books of 1970 (NYT)Children’s Books of 1970 (Library of Congress)1973 William Allen White Children’s Book Award1973 Sequoyah Children’s Book Award (Oklahoma) From the Back Cover Swan SongLike the rest of his family, Louis is a trumpeter swan. But unlike his four brothers and sisters, Louis can’t trumpet joyfully. In fact, he can’t even make a sound. And since he can’t trumpet his love, the beautiful swan Serena pays absolutely no attention to him.Louis tries everything he can think of to win Serena’s affection–he even goes to school to learn to read and write. But nothing seems to work. Then his father steals him a real brass trumpet. Is a musical instrument the key to winning Louis his love? From AudioFile In his New England drawl, E.B. White captures our imagination with his splendid reading of his classic children’s tale. In listening to this unabridged story, one is absolutely taken with the story of Louis, the young cygnet swan who overcomes the handicap of having no voice. If you purchase only a few tapes, this should be part of your collection. The audio production is particularly good, and the sound effects and trumpet playing add a wonderful dimension. Authors are sometimes not the best people to read their own work, but the late E.B. White on tape is an exception. Also available from Bantam is his charming reading of Charlotte’s Web. M.V. An AUDIOFILE Earphones Award winner (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine Review “…Humor abounds and beauty of nature, of relationships, of time passing shines through… will captivate children of all ages.” — School Library Journal About the Author E.B. White, the author of twenty books of prose and poetry, was awarded the 1970 Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal for his childrens books, Stuart Little and Charlottes Web. This award is now given every three years “to an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have, over a period of years, make a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.” The year 1970 also marked the publication of Mr. Whites third book for children, The Trumpet of the Swan, honored by The International Board on Books for Young People as an outstanding example of literature with international importance. In 1973, it received the Sequoyah Award (Oklahoma) and the William Allen White Award (Kansas), voted by the school children of those states as their “favorite book” of the year.Born in Mount Vernon, New York, Mr. White attended public schools there. He was graduated from Cornell University in 1921, worked in New York for a year, then traveled about. After five or six years of trying many sorts of jobs, he joined the staff of The New Yorker magazine, then in its infancy. The connection proved a happy one and resulted in a steady output of satirical sketches, poems, essays, and editorials. His essays have also appeared