In the Lee of the Barn, 1971-1976 Summary and Analysis

After successful publication of "The Trumpet of the Swan," E.B. White adapts the story for a children's concert performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra May 13, 1972. Benjamin Lees writes the score, and the work includes a poem by White's friend Sam Beaver about the zoo.

In an April 1971 letter to his literary agent, J.G. Gude, White expresses reservations about the film treatment proposed for "Charlotte's Web" by a Czech producer who plans to make it a film for adults with a morality aspect and inserted music. Soon after White's letter, his publisher turns the project over to Hanna-Barbera Productions in Hollywood.

After spending two weeks carefully studying the screenplay for "Charlotte's Web," White makes extensive annotations and returns them to his agent. The animation studio, however, pays little heed...