The Trumpet of the Swan — E.B. White

Louis is a trumpeter swan. He is born one summer on a little pond in Canada, along with four brothers and sisters. But Louis has a terrible problem. Unlike the rest of his joyfully noisy family, Louis can't make a single sound. And without a trumpet sound, his true love -- the beautiful swan Serena -- just ignores him. Louis's father promises to help. So does Sam Beaver, a boy who loves all wild animals. First Louis goes to school with Sam and learns to read and write. But swans can't read, so Louis still can't make himself understood. That's when Louis's father puts his honor aside and steals a brass trumpet to give his son a voice. Louis's determination to pay off his father's debt and to woo his own true love takes him far from the wilderness he loves. But his faith and his joy in life are always with him.