Diary of a Spider

From Barnes & Noble

If you enjoyed Diary of a Worm, this book by the same creative team will give you shivers of joy. The diminutive, eight-legged protagonist is incapable of scaring anybody; he's too busy spinning sticky webs, scaling walls, and taking wind-catching lessons. But this itsy-bitsy spider has a very big heart: He's even befriended a neighborhood fly! A hilarious, charming story by a perfectly matched team.

Publishers Weekly

Cronin and Bliss repeat the comic ingredients that made Diary of a Worm so successful in this rib-tickling sequel. This time the diary is written by Worm's friend Spider and filled with similar verbal high jinks, deadpan humor and visual jokes that offer readers a whimsical glimpse of the world from a small creature's point of view. Endpapers feature photos of Spider's family as well as his favorite book (Charlotte's Web), his discovery of a "neat sculpture!" (a toilet bowl) and a playbill from his school's production of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" (a review blurb by Worm says, "You'll dig this play"). Children will relate to the book's droll humor, as when Spider goes to the park with his sister ("We tried the seesaw. It didn't work") or when he takes his molted skin for show-and-tell. A slight story line about the tension between Spider's friendship with Fly and his Grampa's prejudice against all six-legged bugs threads together the amusing vignettes. (When Grampa says, "Without spiders, insects could take over the world," Bliss features a menacing alien bug as President of the United States.) This endearing book delivers a gentle message that comes through when Spider muses, "I wish that people wouldn't judge all spiders based on the few spiders that bite. I know if we took the time to get to know each other, we would get along just fine. Just like me and Fly." Ages 4-8. (Aug.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

This clever story turns creepy crawlies that most children are afraid of into creatures with a life of their own. Using a diary format, the reader follows a young spider as he moves through a world that is very similar to that of a young child. Beginning on March 1, we follow the spider to school on Grandparents' Day where grandpa instructs young spiders, as well as the reader, on some facts about being a spider. The diary continues through June 1 as the young spider moves through the world of humans but through the perspective of a tiny spider. This amusing take on the spider's world will both entertain and educate young readers with its perfect illustrations and witty text. The photo album adds additional pleasure to this creative story. A perfect inspiration for young writers to create their own insect or animal diary. 2005, HarperCollins Publishers, Ages 4 to 8.
—Meredith Kiger, Ph.D.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3-Told in the first person (or is that "first spider?), this is a clever peek into the life of an adolescent spider. Doreen Cronin's book (HarperCollins, 2005) offers an engaging protagonist who just happens to have eight legs. Through his diary we learn about spider school, molting, friendship travails, and important life lessons. There's a generous helping of wit here, and a lot of kid appeal. Harry Bliss not only created the hilarious watercolor illustrations, but also provides the narration for this production. He reads everything, including the back cover and the end papers, with tongue-in-cheek humor and excellent pacing. Occasional sound effects and music enhance the text. This is a delightful book that will charm listeners in this auditory format.-Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

The wriggly narrator of Diary of a Worm (2003) puts in occasional appearances, but it's his arachnid buddy who takes center stage here, with terse, tongue-in-cheek comments on his likes (his close friend Fly, Charlotte's Web), his dislikes (vacuums, people with big feet), nervous encounters with a huge Daddy Longlegs, his extended family-which includes a Grandpa more than willing to share hard-won wisdom (The secret to a long, happy life: "Never fall asleep in a shoe.")-and mishaps both at spider school and on the human playground. Bliss endows his garden-dwellers with faces and the odd hat or other accessory, and creates cozy webs or burrows colorfully decorated with corks, scraps, plastic toys and other human detritus. Spider closes with the notion that we could all get along, "just like me and Fly," if we but got to know one another. Once again, brilliantly hilarious. (Picture book. 6-8)