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    The Trumpet of the Swan
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    The Trumpet of the Swan
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    The Trumpet of the Swan
    Audiobook4 hours

    The Trumpet of the Swan

    Published by Penguin Random House Audio

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Louis is a Trumpeter Swan, but he has no voice. Though he is frightened when his father explains to him that he is different from the other cygnets, Louis is resourceful and determined. Leaving his wild and beautiful home, he finds a young human friend, Sam Beaver, who helps him learn to read and write. When he returns to his lake, Louis discovers his education isn't enough: The beautiful swan he loves, Serena, can't read his declarations of love--and he can't trumpet them. Louis's resolution to win the swan of his desire launches him on an adventure that will take him far from home and lead where fate--and love--have a few surprises in store.

    With humor and lyric beauty, E. B. White tells a timeless tale of love, courage, and freedom that will capture the imagination of every listener.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateDec 12, 2006
    ISBN9780739351574
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for The Trumpet of the Swan

    4/5

    958 ratings33 reviews

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    • 2/5
      This book lacked the poignancy and emotional appeal that made me fall in love with "Charlotte's Web". The plot was too unbelievable and many of the characters, both human and animal, annoyed me, especially Louis' father. A very disappointing read.
    • 3/5
      I gave it a rating of three but only becauset the kids always seem to really enjoy it. I find it a bit tedious and almost as if he retells part of the story toward the end. It just seems to go on and on and on for me.
    • 4/5
      Louis the swan learns to fly, read, gets several jobs, earns a medal of honor and woos his lady love. E.B. White is at his best in this book, with good-natured humor spilling out of every page.
    • 4/5
      "Dad, do you know what a male swan is called? I'm quizzing you." We'd been listening to The Trumpet of the Swan during lunch while Dad was at work. On a family car ride, our six-year-old decided to test his father's knowledge of waterfowl."I don't know," said Dad. "A drake?""No!" said our son triumphantly. "A cob!"It's always a pleasure to read this quirky little book about love, persistence, responsibility, and making your voice heard despite the obstacles. Hearing it in White's own voice on the audiobook and sharing the experience with my children (again) was particularly wonderful. I anticipate some requests to camp in Canada or visit Montana this summer. I'd be up for it.
    • 3/5
      E.B. White makes you feel for the animal characters. In the trumpet of the swans, E.B. White makes you actually think about a swan, to understand how complicated a swan is. This story is about a mute swan named Luis. He went to school to learn how to read and write. After he came back from school he found out that no other swan could read or write. Then his father went to steal a trumpet to give Luis a voice. The whole book is about how Luis repays hi fathers debts. I think everyone young and old would enjoy this book because it is emotional and cute at times.
    • 3/5
      I read this to my six and four-year-old son and daughter over the course of two weeks. My daughter was fairly attentive, but now and then broke off to a "let me know when there are pictures." My son at six was interested the whole way through.I gave this a a three star because it kept their interest...but I'd probably have gone 2 1/2 on my own. It seemed boring to me and the characters somehow didn't seem interesting and the overall story was just too unbelievable without going into the total fantastical - which might have made it work better.Still, it's a good story for young kids without too much to distress them and a happy ending of course.
    • 5/5
      Love the story line, and loved listening to the trumpet during the story. My kids were eager every day to listen.
    • 4/5
      I first learnt the name E.B. White in relation to his Elements of Style; this book is a test of those elements, and passes with flying colours. A Trumpeter Swan is born without a voice, and must learn to communicate by other means. A great children's story, written in a clear authorial voice that never patronises the audience; the stakes are low but there are hints of real-world danger scattered among the nice moments. A great read, and one I shall be handing over to my daughter forthwith.
    • 4/5
      I read this book purely because my friend told me he had read it in school and that it was good, so I thought why not. While the book was very long and just over use of words at many times it did end up being a book I liked a lot. The idea of a swan being able to do all the things the Louis accomplishes in the story such as, learning to write, and play the trumpet, and communicating with people to earn a job, are all just entertaining in itself. You can tell it was written a while ago because of the language E.B White uses makes it more difficult to read than most children's books today. It had a good message of overcoming the difficulties we face in life. The swans were always trying to do what is best and right their wrongs. Although there were limited pictures the author uses descriptions that helped the reader see everything well.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely one of my favorites from reading as a child! We just read this to our 7 year-old & he really enjoyed it as well. A story of a young swan who doesn't have a voice, but is given a trumpet. The young swan, Louis, grows up to be a star at a local camp & eventually a zoo. He even captures the heart of Serena, the female swan he has adored since being a little cygnet. I would be curious to check out this full-color release. the one we have at home is in black & white.
    • 4/5
      I liked this chapter book. I really liked the plot of the story because it shows how much trouble Louis had to overcome in order to get the attention of the swan he was attracted to. I also liked the illustrations even though they were in black and white because they helped add to the story by having a visual. The big idea is that you can do anything you set your mind to.
    • 5/5
      When I was a little girl, my Daddy read this to me. Honestly, I don't remember a whole lot of the story, but I remember sitting on my bed with my Dad and listening to him read it. And for that, I love this book.
    • 4/5
      One of my favorites as a child, holds up well to a reread. Not sure if an adult, reading it for the first time, would be able to suspend disbelief about the swans' lives in the midst ofa mostly realistic, even educational story. But White does write beautifully, of course, and there are some lovely ideas and passages here.

      And some humor. Louis's father is a good cob, but rather vain and given to fancy language. At one point he speaks of 'Here I glide, swanlike...'" and his wife reproaches him, because how *else* would a swan glide? "He decided he'd better do more gliding and less talking."

      If you're a fan of Charlotte's Web or Stuart Little (the book), give this a go."
    • 4/5
      E.B. White writes an children's novel that here has no human characters but is so easy for children to relate to. My son loved it so much that he cried when it was done because he was sad to have it over. We had to re-read it immediately.
    • 2/5
      Maybe it's because I didn't read it as a child ... but I really didn't enjoy this book. I found it to be kind of a slog. And I found the part where the swan has his webbed foot cut so that he can play his trumpet uncomfortable and disturbing to read. I loved Charlotte's Web, always will, but White's two other books just have nothing for me.
    • 3/5
      Disclaimer: I review books on how they stand alone without regards to anyone’s personal views about the author. I review based upon readability and how the book affects my life for good, and less upon literary style.This is a good book.
    • 2/5
      (Full disclosure: I am an adult who usually reads middle-grade to teen fiction, most of which I thoroughly enjoy. I probably would have enjoyed this book MUCH more when I was 8 or 10 years old, but its story doesn't hold up well for an adult reader.)Louis is a baby trumpeter swan who has no voice. Fortunately, he is fluent in the English language, learns to write, using a small slate and piece of chalk, and to play the trumpet beautifully, which gives him a voice. He gets jobs, for which he is paid, and he negotiates things with people. In the end, he convinces the love of his life to love him back and he lives happily ever after.E. B. White wrote three well known children's books. "Charlotte's Web" of course, is brilliant. One of the keys to making that book work so well, is that although the humans talked to each other, and the animals talked to each other, there was no communication between humans and animals other than Charlotte's writing on the web. Somehow, that worked beautifully, making one of the all time classic children's novels. Then there was "Stuart Little" which was absolutely abysmal. I can't imagine why anyone considers it a classic, other than by association with "Charlotte's Web." This book hung in between those other two. It's nowhere near as good as "Charlotte's Web," but it also doesn't make you want to shred it and throw it in the fireplace the way "Stuart Little" did (for me anyway).
    • 5/5
      A wonderful story that teaches kids about individuality. The message that comes through says even though no one is perfect, they can find their own voice in the world. This is a story of courage, honesty, redemption, and most of all, love. I was touched by Louis' determination to repay his father's debt and impressed with his strength and character. Kids and adults will love this classic by E.B White and it makes a great addition to your collection. "The Trumpet of the Swan" has my highest recommendation because it teaches as it entertains.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Good because so well written. The quick changes from high-flown to common language are enjoyable. E. B. White seems to have a low opinion of Philadelphia. Strange that he has a higher opinion of New York.
    • 4/5
      Think of your most vital sense (sight, hearing, talking, taste and touch), imagine it gone, what would you do? The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White is a book that you’d definitely read. This is a story with lots of good moral values, inspiring and the noblest of adventure and desire that would surely uplift one’s spirit.The Trumpet of the Swan is a story about Louis, a Trumpeter Swan and his adventure to find his own voice and pursue his dreams. He was born without a voice, unable to make the honking cry that marks his species. He ventured on to overcome his defect by learning to play a trumpet, and try to impress a beautiful swan named Serena.In Canada, on the first day of spring, the cob (adult male swan) and the pen (adult female swan), members of sub-species Trumpeter Swan built their nest on a small island in a pond. Sam Beaver, an 11-year-old boy on a camping trip, observed and saved the female from being attacked by a fox. When the eggs hatched, all of the cygnets (baby swans), chirped at Sam in greeting, except for the youngest, who can make no sound and pulled his shoelace instead, the youngest who was named, Louis.At the end of summer, the swan family migrated to Red Rock Lakes in Montana. Louis decided he should learn to read and write in order to communicate, so Sam took Louis to school and bought him a slate and chalk to write. This was a help, but when he greet his family using it, they didn’t understand because they didn’t know how to read. Most of all, it did not aid Louis in winning the heart of the beautiful swan he had fallen in love. He had written the words “I love you” in the slate, and Serena just stared at it and swam away. He was the best swimmer and the handsomest among the swans, but without a voice to profess his love, Serena didn’t notice him at all.In a dramatic scene of broken glass and a fainting salesgirl, Louis's father did a difficult thing - he put honor aside and stole a trumpet so his son would be able to woo his love. Louis feels guilty about his father's theft, but accepts the instrument. Serena has migrated north, so Louis returns to Sam's ranch. Sam suggests that Louis get a job so he can pay the store for the trumpet and the damaged window. Louis's determination to become a trumpeter to get the attention of his one true love and pay off his father's debt takes him far from the wilderness he loves. And a series of adventure and music wound its way into Louis’ life.Although I can’t tell you how the story ends, I’ll give you the descriptions of the characters. Louis’ father was the running gag in the story, with his tremendous and flowery speeches; he captured the reader’s attention. The speeches were poetic and often carried a sense of humor and behind the words, lay a deep meaning of life’s reality. He was full of himself, and forever will be proud of his family, especially Louis. He loves to hear praises from his wife and children, and is a loving father. And of course his wife, who is the sensible of the two, that keeps reminding his husband of the mistakes of his words. She was a depiction of a good-natured mother, always protecting for her children and caring for her husband. Meanwhile, Serena was the beautiful, sophisticated swan Louis had fallen in love.Sam, the only human to whom the story revolves, is always at bay, always helping Louis in his obstacles. He had desires and fondness towards animals and carried with him a diary that he likes to write at night. As the story progresses, we were also aware of Sam’s growth from an eleven-year-old boy into a full-grown man.My favorite character is Louis. He had always been the gentleman with wild dreams and the courage to prove himself worthy of respect from the other trumpeter swans, inspite of his disability. He had continued to be kind and hopeful and still believe in his dreams, that there’s nothing so big, a swan cannot do. He is smart, loving, family-centered and cared for dignity and guilt and he is thankful for whatever that happens to him.It is unusual to have a trumpet-playing swan in a story. But the way E. B. White writes about how the swans think is excellent. Louis’s thoughts and his emotions are both like that of a true person. There are many vivid descriptions in the book that make you reluctant to put the book down. Also, how E. B. White made the swans think and talk is amazing.The largest swans on Earth, with a wingspan reaching eight feet, all white but its beak and feet, so graceful, so strong, so scorning of human attention, the trumpeters occupy a universe that brushes only briefly against our own. E.B. White's wonderful story of Louis's struggle to express the music in his heart is a tribute to courage, to freedom, to love - and to swans everywhere.Is a musical instrument the key to winning Louis his love and his dreams? Could it be the one to bring his father’s honor back and win the acceptance of his fellow trumpeters? If you love animals, especially birds and wants something to inspire you on your journey, struggle or pursuit, then you should read The Trumpet of the Swan and find out for yourself.
    • 5/5
      I remember my second grade teacher reading me this book. I loved it then and haven't read it since, so I was excited to revisit it. There are things about it that I still love, but there was also some of it that irked me a little. Some of that could just be that it is a book from it's time (1970), but there are some aspects that don't hold well over time, especially the author's characterization of the female characters in the book. And also the way it talked about Louis "donating" his own children to the zoo. That seemed a little heartless. I know I'm being overly critical of such a sweet, heartwarming, story, but those were some of the things that stood out to me.
    • 5/5
      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 by Edward Frascino 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.
    • 3/5
      This is a tale of a young Trumpeter swan who does not have a voice. He makes friends with a young boy named, Sam, who helps him go to school so he can read and write. Louis, the swan, is satisfied with this for a short while until he cannot court a lovely female because he has no voice. Louis's father flies to a music store and steals a trumpet. Louis learns to play the trumpet and has many adventures playing it and earning money to pay for it. He finally does and his father is able to take the money back to the music store. Louis wins the heart of the lovely swan and they live happily ever after.Younger students would like this tale of abnormal behavior from the swans. They could also learn the correct terminology of the different kinds of swans.
    • 2/5
      I know it's a classic but I didn't love it.
    • 5/5
      This is the classic story of the trumpet of the swan... Louis was born with no voice and for him to have a voice his father "the old cob" fly to a near by town and stole a trumpet so his son could speak. Louis went to school to learn to read and write and used a slate and chalk pencil. Louis work jobs one summer to make the money back to pay the store owner back and his father took a slate that said what the money was for to the store owner and paid it back ........ was a very good story.
    • 5/5
      This is a very good book if you like kind of sad book.In some places it leaves you in suspens.
    • 4/5
      It was really good and definitely a classic.
    • 4/5
      I listened to the audio version (from Audible), read by E.B. White himself. I'm certain the audio version is better than reading the book, it's oral story telling at its best. White's soothing trombone voice, the trumpet sound effects, song renditions, characterizations, and his emphasis on the storyline converge into a wonderful heartwarming work of art.
    • 5/5
      This is my favorite of E.B. White's three children's books, probably because I grew up in love with the natural world and a child of the mountain states. This book holds its worth even for adult readers.
    • 4/5
      I like this one better than Stuart Little, really, but not as much as Charlotte's Web.