This was the first real chapter book I've read to my son, and it was quite neat to hear him ask to read more so we could find out what happens next. The only trouble we had was that - unrelated to the book - my son had something of an existential crisis as he suddenly understood the permanency of death. Since the book brings up Wilbur's fate as a side of bacon quite a bit, we had to stop reading for a few weeks until the crisis was over. 
 For reading out loud, I really enjoyed how distinctive each character felt. All of Templeton's lines felt like Templeton, and all of Charlotte's lines felt like Charlotte. It made it very easy for me both to know instantly who was talking, and to come up with unique voices to fit each character. It made the book very performable. 
 When we were done, I asked my son what his favourite part was. He said that it was at the beginning of the book where Fern is caring for Wilbur like a baby (feeding him from a bottle and pushing him around in a pram). He didn't like that Charlotte died, but thought it was good that Wilbur had her daughters and granddaughters as friends.