Get Charlotte’s Web Fern costume ideas that are easy for women and teachers to DIY on Halloween, World Book Day, Book Character Day, Book Week, and beyond. In fact, you can either pull these pieces from your closet and/or shop them quickly and easily on Amazon to dress up in this charming book character’s costume that kids will love.
This Fern Arable costume is inspired by the little girl on the cover art of the classic children’s book about the friendship between a pig and a barn spider, Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. Charlotte’s Web is a Newberry Honor Award Winner and one of America’s top 100 most-loved novels, selected by PBS’s The Great American Read.
In Charlotte’s Web, Wilbur, a runt piglet, is spared from slaughter by a kind young girl named Fern Arable. He is then sold to her uncle, Homer Zuckerman.
As Wilbur grows, he becomes distraught at the thought he will eventually face slaughter, but he finds solace in his friendship with Charlotte, a wise barn spider who also plans to save his life.
She begins to weave words into her miraculous webs, such as “Some Pig,” “Terrific,” and “Radiant,” which successfully make Wilbur appear extraordinary to the Zuckermans and the community at large. He gains such widespread attention that he appears at the state fair, sparing his life.
Charlotte’s Web memorably explores themes of friendship, life, and death and has been beloved by generations of children since its original publication in 1952.
(Notably for me as a Gilmore Girls fan, Charlotte’s Web was referenced in several episodes, including season 7, episode 3, in which Rory calls it one of her favorite books, and Lorelai responds, “Spiders talking to pigs. What could be better?”)
This Fern Charlotte’s Web costume makes it easy to dress as the young girl who first spared Wilbur’s life, while also paying homage to both Wilbur and Charlotte, who were true friends until the end.
Charlotte’s Web Fern Costume
To dress like Fern from Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, recreate the look she famously wears on the cover art, including a red collared dress and pigtails with red bows. Carry a plush pink pig that serves as “Wilbur.”
While these Charlotte’s Web costume ideas form the basics of the Fern Arable costume from the famous book cover, I’ll share additional optional costume accessories for you to incorporate below, including a PDF of a spiderweb that says “Some Pig,” which I personally created for you to print out and use.
(Of note, you can also opt instead to wear some basic “farmer girl” clothes that Fern wears within the book, including things like rolled up jeans, a gingham shirt, and black sneakers.)
Red Collared Dress
Since I am recreating the cover art for this Charlotte’s Web Fern costume, I deem the most essential piece to be a red collared dress, and this one is absolutely perfect since it also bears a white collar like Fern’s.
Denim Vest
I’ve seen some iterations where Fern wears a button-up denim vest over her dress and I do think this gives the Fern Arable costume a more farm-inspired look. That being said, I don’t think it’s essential since it’s not featured on the cover art, so opt in or out of this particular item.
Brown Mary Janes and Socks
Like many classic literary characters, Fern wears flat brown Mary Janes with ruffled cuff socks. You can also wear brown loafers or ballet flats.
Plush Pig
Just like the cover art featuring animal characters including Fern’s beloved Wilbur, you should carry a plush piggie to confirm you are dressing as Fern Arable. Another cute option would be to have your child dress as a pig!
Pigtail Holders
While note absolutely essential, Fern does wear red pigtail holders on her pigtails on the cover art, so you should consider doing the same. Even if you don’t wear the hair ties, I do still recommend you at least wear pigtails, since it is such a quintessentially Fern hairstyle.
Charlotte’s Web Book
As a book blogger, I ALWAYS recommend you carry the actual book alongside your costume. One cute option here would be to carry a little basket with your Wilbur toy AND a copy of Charlotte’s Web.
“Some Pig” PDF
Lastly, I wanted to incorporate Charlotte and her miraculous spider web into this Charlotte’s Web Fern costume, but if I’m being honest, spiders really freak me out and I didn’t want to search for them on Amazon! I contemplated things like a little black plastic spider ring like those commonly given out on Halloween, another plush toy, or even a spider costume for your child.
But, alas, I decided instead to create a PDF of Charlotte’s miraculous web for you to download and use as you wish. Some ideas for what you can do with it include placing it in a little basket with your Wilbur toy or affixing a stick and carrying it.
Download and print your “Some Pig” spider web for your Fern Charlotte’s Web costume below:
Conclusion
This Charlotte’s Web Fern costume for women celebrates the timeless tale of friendship, compassion, and the magic of life’s simple moments. Step into the world of Zuckerman’s farm with grace and relive the heartfelt story that has touched generations of readers.
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