The Trumpet of the Swan

The Trumpet of the Swan

Hardcover - USA - 1st edition.

Author E. B. White Published 1970-??-?? Type Fiction Genre Adventure Themes Adventure, Animals Age Group Children

The Trumpet of the Swan is a children's novel written by E. B. White and published in 1970. The original had illustrations by Edward Francino, and the book was reissued in 2000 with new illustrations by Fred Marcellino.

The book is about a boy named Sam who befriends a young trumpeter swan named Louis who was born without the ability to vocalize. Fearing he will never be able to win a mate without being able to trumpet in the way of his kind, Louis and his family work to find ways for him to overcome his disability.

Personal

Own?	No.
Read?	Paperback, USA, 2000 - Fred Marcellino illustrations.
Finished	2024-02-05.

When I was around 10-years-old, my mother bought the family the three-book "E. B. White Treasury" which included Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web, and The Trumpet of the Swan. A teacher had read Stuart Little to the class in school (I think in fourth grade), and I had already seen the 1973 cartoon of Charlotte's Web, so the only story that was new to me was The Trumpet of the Swan, which made it pique my interest most. However, at the time, I didn't have the patience to read even the shorter two books on my own, so I made no attempt to read The Trumpet of the Swan which was the thickest. I looked through the pictures of each book (my version had illustrations by Edward Francino), and I think my older brother read through the first couple chapters on his own. I think I may have had my mother read me Stuart Little at some point, but the books otherwise sat on our shelves. In my teens, I prevented my mother from discarding most of our children's books by hording them in my room, and, when I moved out, I took them all with me. In my 20s, I began reading through all of the children's books that I kept, including Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web. I had intended to read The Trumpet of the Swan as well, but I had lost it. Knowing that there was a book from a collection that I was unable to read bugged me for years, and I always intended to get a copy and read it, but it always slipped my mind when I was in book stores. In my 40s, my friend Cristeen mentioned that she had recently read the book, and I told her about how I had always intended to read it, but never did, so she lent her copy to me and I finally got to read it.

Review

Overall:

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

• I like the many and varied descriptions of nature in which White defines the terms he uses. This is both interesting and educational.
• I appreciated White's comment that being alone in the wilds of nature is to some people what being in church is to others.
• It felt strange reading an E. B. White book and not seeing the illustrations of Garth Williams, but the drawings of Edward Francino and the later Fred Marcellino, still do it credit.
• The cob's self-aggrandizing attitude seems to fit with how people perceive swans as regal birds.
• I like that the author describes pinioning birds in such an awful manner since it's a terrible thing to do to birds.
• I doubt this was intentional, but there is a young boy in the book named Al Gore, which I found hilarious!

Bad

• Louis and Sam preach about the importance of having their freedom, but Sam suggests Louis surrender one of his children each year to become imprisoned at the zoo, and Louis agrees. Sam also takes a job working at the zoo where they imprison the birds. While this doesn't seem much different than giving away puppies from a litter, since swans are anthropomorphized, it reads more like Louis is selling his children into captivity.

Ugly

• Serena appearing out of the blue in Philadelphia where Louis was staying wasn't just unbelievable, but it also eliminated the possibility of Louis having an adventure while looking for her. And, since she doesn't have a personality of her own, and Louis only likes her because she's beautiful, Serena is little more than a trophy wife.
• There isn't any real conflict in the story. It is hinted at several times that the cygnets might get eaten, or Louis might be robbed, or that the cob might get arrested or killed, but nothing bad ever happens to anyone. Instead, everything just sort of falls into place without much effort. This results in a rather dull story.

Media

Covers

• 

  Hardcover - USA - HarperTrophy - 1970 - 1st Edition. From an illustration in the book. A bit sloppy for a cover, and doesn't really fit.

• 

  Hardcover - USA - HarperCollins - 2000. A nice painting of a swan with a trumpet. Very fitting.

• 

  Paperback - USA - Puffin - 2007. I like the effect the artist was going for, but at no point to Louis give his trumpet to Sam.

• 

  Paperback - USA - Puffin - 2013. It's just a swan's head with lettering to match Charlotte's Web, which doesn't make sense.

Representation

Strong female character?	Pass	The mother swan is kind of strong as she keeps her husband grounded and cares for her family.
Bechdel test?	Fail	No women ever speak to each other at length.
Strong person of color character?	Unknown	Sam Beaver is frequently likened to an Indian, and his last name might be an Indian name, but the author is never explicit. Everyone else in the book is white.
Queer character?	Fail	There are no queer characters.

Also, the cob risks his life to provide for his disabled son, and Louis works hard to overcome his disability, this makes the book a useful tool for normalizing disabilities and raising the self-esteem of disabled children.

Quotes

— This section contains spoilers! —

• Sam always felt happy when he was in a wild place among wild creatures. Sitting on his log, watching the swans, he had the same good feeling some people get when they are sitting in church.
• Safety is all well and good: I prefer freedom.
• The world is full of talkers, but it is rare to find anyone who listens. And I assure you that you can pick up more information when you are listening than when you are talking.
• "I shall begin a search for such a device, and if I have to go to the ends of the earth to find a trumpet for our young son, I shall find it at last and bring it home to Louis." "Well, if I may make a suggestion," said his wife, "don't go to the ends of the earth, go to Billings, Montana. It's nearer."
• Louis is a musician. Like most musicians, he is in need of money.

Adaptations

The book has been adapted to an animated film, a orchestral piece, and a novel symphony. An audiobook was published from an earlier recording read by the author.

Links