Charlotte's Web is one of those seminal books of childhood: sweet, funny and utterly heartbreaking. If you get to the end and you're not bawling like an infant, you might well be incapable of experiencing human emotion. Michael Sims' new book, The Making of Charlotte's Web, is an exhaustively researched (nearly 40 pages of citations) tale of how E.B. White came to write his beloved classic, and how the book in turn represents a reflection of White himself and the animal-rich childhood he knew growing up. The book's anecdotes add to the appreciation of Charlotte's Web without detracting from the experience of the original. Look for our interview with Sims at the Indy's Artery blog. —Zack Smith