As familiar as I am with the concept of the Trumpet of the Swan I never actually read it before May 2023. 

The Library of Congress summary: Louis, a voiceless trumpeter swan, finds himself far from his wilderness home when he determines to communicate by learning to play a stolen trumpet.

The book opens in western Canada, with a boy of eleven named Sam Beaver who happens upon the nest of a Trumpeter swan. He’s camping with his father, and they hail from a ranch in Montana. He doesn’t tell his dad about his discovery; this isn’t surprising as Sam is the type to keep things to himself.  But he does ask his dad to return to camp at an exact time, as Sam knows his birds, and the baby swans will emerge at that time.  

We also learn that Sam is a day book keeper, perhaps much like White himself.  I love how it’s made a point that Sam concludes every diary entry with a question to think about while falling asleep. If I wrote down all the questions I have, I wouldn’t ever sleep. It would just force me to write countless essays and become a fast-living insomniac. (As it is, I’m a slow-living insomniac.)

In chapter two, White introduces us to the setting of the hatching ground for our protagonist Louis. As is natural in his fiction, we soon are made to understand their conversations in plain English. Their nest building sounds more like house hunting. But it’s accurate to nature, which is the beauty of these White stories.

In chapter three, we see Sam’s discovery of the nest from the swan’s perspective. They are dumbfounded how he got there.

This is a peculiarly interesting passage: “Sam always felt happy when he was in a wild place among wild creatures. Sitting on his log, watching the swans, he has the same good feeling some people get when they are sitting in church.”

Nature is the best church, in my humble opinion. You learn more there. 

I love how educational this exile scene is, while still being a compelling story for short attention spanned youngsters. 

There’s finally some action. A red Fox comes into the area with murderous intent, but to the shock of the wild creatures, there is human intervention.  A stick hits the fox on the nose and he retreats. The swans are terribly pleased that this boy is their friend, serendipitously there to be their savior.

That night Sam writes in his notebook about how precious an egg is, because it contains life, and muses about what it will become soon enough. He also leaves himself with the question of how a bird knows how to build a nest if she was never taught? It’s a curious thing for sure, isn’t it? 

…

In chapter 4 when the swans are hatching, the daddy swan waxes poetic. Sam is there to witness their birth when the swans are more than happy to introduce themselves to him, since they know he’s safe. The first four cygnets beep happily, but the fifth can’t make a sound, and instead tugs at one of Sam’s shoelaces and unties it. Once Sam goes home he thinks that he’ll never forget that moment. Then he closes with, “I wonder what I’m going to be when I grow up?” Heck, I’m still not sure!

In chapter 5 we finally are introduced properly to Louis. We also learn that the parents’ swans themselves are actually from Montana. Louis learns the hard way from his father that he is dumb, but that it’s the second meaning, not the more common one. I love how White somehow teaches vocabulary through storytelling. At least, as his very proud talkative father relates, Louis will be a great listener. Another great irony is that Louis is actually the strongest and smartest of the five cygnets. Fortunately his dad is hatching a plan (pun intended) to steal a trumpet to help his son gain his voice.

In chapter 6, it’s the end of the summer and they are off to Montana for the fall. It turns out Louis is the best of the flyers too. Sam and his dad happen to be there to see the migration. His dad is surprised to hear they are trumpeter swans, who are protected in Montana. Sam writes in his diary that night, “How does a bird know how to get from where he is to where he wants to be?”

…

In chapter 7, Louis decides to learn how to read and write. I would be quite dazzled if this were truly possible. He gets the idea to track down Sam and try to go to school with him. Eventually he does find Sam on his ranch. Sam gets permission from his dad and even the game warden to see if Sam can help Louis. Upon going to school, Sam’s teacher is incredulous, but he talks her into letting him stay. It turns out, he can actually write by using a piece of chalk in his beak. He can even write catastrophe! In his own classroom, Sam expresses his own issues with arithmetic word problems, and it’s quite amusing. One thing I’ve always loved about EB white, the kids are smart in his books.

In chapter 8, Louis’ parents realize he’s missing and discuss where to go look for him. They decide to wait, and months pass. An entire year and a half passes before Louis finally appears. Around his neck hangs a small slate with a white chalk pencil. Of course the swans can’t read.

Fortunately a worker at the preserve, who is called the grain man, recognizes Louis’ odd learnings. After a brief conversation, the man keeps the incident to himself, out of fear people will call him crazy. In the same chapter we learn Louis is interested in a lovely swan named Serena. Of course she’s not interested in a mute male swan. Louis’ dad finally resolves to find his son an instrument. It’s amusing to me that his wife knows where Billings is.

Chapter 9 is about Louis’ dad’s quest for the trumpet. He finds a music store with a brass trumpet in the window and dive bombs for it. He gets hurt but succeeds. The store owner gets his shotgun but the cob is fortunately out of range by then. The cob regrets having to become a thief, but he will do anything for his son. After all, the police will have a mighty hard time arresting a bird. Soon enough it will all seem worth it as we’ll see Louis start standing out on the lake.

…

Chapter 10 is called money trouble, an awfully queer thing to consider when we are concerning swans. Anyway Louis fudges around a bit with the trumpet until he figures out a good method with which to play it. He figures Sam can help — he is the Mary Sue of this tale after all — and he explains his issue with his trumpet being stolen goods. Sam suggests Louis get a job, which I suppose is at least somewhat plausible given the tricks this mute swan can do. Camp bugler seems the most likely.   

In the next chapter we join Sam and the bugler Louis at Camp Kookooskoos. Turns out Louis is being paid as a counselor, 100 bucks for the season, good money back then, 1970. Louis is successful with the first night’s taps.  

The next chapter reveals Louis is excellent at volleyball. One morning they discover a skunk has gotten his head stuck in a can rummaging through the camp trash. The campers want to help but fear getting sprayed. Their solutions are all creative but highly impractical. Sam works out something that will work, using his fishing line to dangle a noose to catch the can. It works but the camp leader Mr. Brickle gets sprayed. Still he’s thrilled that it worked regardless.

Later in the chapter, a boy named Applegate gets teased by the other campers. Understandably he wanders off and takes a canoe out into the lake. No one notices. This is bad as Applegate couldn’t even swim. About a quarter mile out on the water a strong wind flips him over and he starts to drown. When he screams for help, the camp jumps to the rescue.

However things look grim. Applegate had dumbly let go of the cone and even the fastest rower, Sam of course, isn’t going to make it in time. Fortunately, Louis heard first. I didn’t realize that in the summer swans can’t fly, but he’s still the fastest swimmer among them all. He saves Applegate just in time. Not previously a fan of birds, this event obviously changes his mind about Louis, although not birds in general. In any case Louis gets a Lifesaving medal. He’s now quite famous, but Louis is beginning to feel overburdened with all these possessions.

In the next chapter we learn that while Louis can’t use the valves of the trumpet, for his purposes, he doesn’t need to as he can simply use it for bugle calls. But he realized that he may well be able to if he slits the webs in his feet. I’m not sure that’s actually a good idea… but for the purposes of this story… Sam suggests he go to Boston for the Swan Boat. Kinda hilarious actually. He has to wait three weeks after the end of camp for his flight feathers to grow in and take flight to Boston. He’s no longer traveling light, but he kind of needs everything he’s currently got.

…

I will pause briefly to mention that I should’ve known why the swan was named Louis; he’s named after Louis Armstrong!  Let’s just say he’s a hit and the swan boats of Boston have never been more popular. He does so well in fact that he gets to stay at the Ritz Carlton! When the summer is over he moves on to Philadelphia for a nightclub gig, with an agent who is clearly a shifty character. He makes a lot of money but rightly is nervous about the particulars. 

Louis is safe at the zoo — his wing won’t be clipped thanks to an arrangement with his agent. But of all birds that could get caught in a storm, it’s Louis‘s love Serena who happens to join him, a bit too convenient. Of course eventually the zoo keepers realize a new valuable bird has dropped into their… lake. Naturally they want to clip her and imprison her. Also obviously Louis won’t let that happen. He tries to reason with the head man. Since this is a work of children’s fiction he succeeds. Along with Sam they agree to donate one cygnet a season to the zoo for Serena’s release. Kind of a shit deal if you ask me but the idea is it would be a special needs cygnet, much like him. 

Sam helps seal the deal and decides he wants to be a zoo keeper when he grows up. He also writes a rather nice poem, and leaves it for the head man. Sadly, rather predictably, Louis’ dad is shot trying to pay the music store owner back. Various parties fight over the money. Fortunately a judge sets everything straight, and the gunshot wound is superficial. Recognizing that Justice is already served with the repayment, the store keeper only takes enough to cover the trumpet and repair bills. The rest, also predictably, is given to the Audubon society.

It does have a happy ending, as Louis and Serena become mates, Sam gets into zoo keeping in Philly, but still returns to the camp in Canada with his dad every so often. Louis keeps his promise, donating a cygnet every year to the zoo. He keeps his trumpet, but as he has no money, no longer uses his slate because he can’t buy chalk pencils, and no letters because he can’t buy postage stamps. It’s a silly story, but heartwarming nonetheless. It’s no Charlotte’s Web but even as an adult I appreciate it for what it is.