 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Miss Spider's Wedding
- By David Kirk
- Genre: Picture Book
Common Sense Media says
Beautiful art shines over sometimes dark read-aloud.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the language may leave little ones wondering over words like "milksop" and even the clever "co-webitate." But Kirk's vibrant, nearly 3-D oil paintings are sure to transport them, especially the golden picture of Miss Spider walking
down the aisle in her spider web veil. There are some scary images, especially a dark picture of Spiderus looming over Holley, threatening to eat him -- and there is the part about a spider who has "drunk so much petunia wine/ He's hardly fit to crawl." But in the end, the book imparts a sweet message about finding true love.
What's the story?
Miss Spider has found the man of her dreams -- a wise, kind, and polite young spider named Holley -- but a meddling friend thinks he's not good enough for her. So she arranges for scheming Spiderus Reeves to press his affections on Miss Spider. When Miss Spider spurns his honey-tongued advances, he is enraged. "You cannot mean," Spiderus howled, / That you're rejecting me! / Tell me this loathsome rival's name; / I'll squash him like a flea!" When Spiderus catches up with Holley, set to administer the fatal bite, Miss Spider sweeps down from the heavens to crown him with a blow from a rolling pin. Soon, wedding bells chime for Holley and Miss Spider.
Is it any good?
A lot of this story will play better for adults than kids: The author uses words like "co-webitate" -- and a lovesick Holley daydreams of Miss Spider, "Envisioning her fine assets, / Her gentle curves, her spinnerets." But read aloud, kids will be lulled by the rhyming poetry, even when they don't understand exactly what's going on -- and they will certainly be captivated by Kirk's nearly 3-D artwork, which transports them into Miss Spider's surreal world.
Once the menacing Spiderus Reeves is out of the picture, the story brightens considerably, and kids will likely prefer this part of the book: There are fun details about the spider wedding ("June beetles spin in pirouettes,/and clickbugs clack like castanets"), a lovely picture of a golden Miss Spider in in her spider web veil, and a certain sweetness as Miss Spider cherishes finding "the place where love abides."
Kirk's vibrant oil paintings create a glowing surreal world. His art is truly transporting, especially the golden picture of Miss Spider walking down the aisle in her spider web veil.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the art. How does Kirk make his images so vibrant? How does he use color to create a mood?
Was the story scary?
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AGE
I read this book when i was five
There's no content in here.
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AGE
What is your prob kids
How can a kiddie book be scary
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AGE
Not the usual Kirk
I am a huge fan of Kirk's work, but this book is a disaster. It's scary and completely inappropriate for small children. I consider myself to be fairly open-minded, but this is not acceptable for children.
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AGE
Very inappropriate. Horrible language and refrences.
I was reading this book to my five year old boys, and I came across the word "pantywaste". Immediately, I put it down. I read it later myself, and there were many more inappropriate words and phrases. One of the illistrations shows the bad spider smoking a cigarette. I absolutely DO NOT recommend this book for children. I actually believe it should be pulled off of the shelves.
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AGE
What's the problem?
Anyone who has a problem with this clearly has not read it or is overly sensitive. This was one of my favorite books when I was younger, and I still read it for the nostalgia. No problems in it whatsoever.
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| Author: | David Kirk |
| Illustrator: | David Kirk |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Picture Book |
| Publisher: | Scholastic Inc. |
| Publication date: | January 1, 1995 |
| Number of pages: | 40 |
| Hardcover price: | $16.95 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 4 - 7 |
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