Module 5: Diary of a Spider

Module 5: (September 20-26)

Cronin, D. (2005). Diary of a Spider. New York, NY: Joanna Cotler Books.

Summary: This picture book follows Spider as she goes about her days, from school and home, to hanging out with her best friend (Fly). We get a spider’s perspective on things, such as the danger of vacuums, and that you shouldn’t take a nap in a human’s shoe. Children can also learn how spiders eat, fly on the wind, and that “butterflies taste better with a little barbecue sauce.”

My Impressions: I had read Cronin’s Diary of a Fly before this book, and I loved them both! Personally, I was always terrified of bugs us a kid (and still am a bit today), but I feel like these books might have made them a little less scary and mysterious. These illustrations are adorable, and so funny, with multiple “levels” for kids and adults. I will definitely recommend this to parents looking for “funny” picture books, especially for boys.

Reviews: “Children who enjoyed Diary of a Worm (HarperCollins, 2003) will be enchanted by this artistic team's latest collaboration. This time, Spider is the star. Through his humorous diary entries, readers learn about typical events in the life of a young spider. When Spider's mom tells him he's getting too big for his skin, he molts. Fly's feelings are hurt by a thoughtless comment from Daddy Longlegs, and Spider tries to help. He is concerned that he will have to eat leaves and rotten tomatoes when he has a sleepover with Worm…The amusing pen-and-ink and watercolor cartoons, complete with funny asides in dialogue balloons, expand the sublime silliness of some of the scenarios.–Beverly Combs, Webb Middle School, Garland, TX. School Library Journal. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6435010.html

“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.” Kirkus Book Reviews. http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/childrens-books/doreen-cronin/diary-of-a-spider/

Library Use: This book would be great for so many things! You could use it for a story time about bugs, and could have the kids make their own spider during a craft. You could also have a program where kids write their own “diary” for a bug or other animal, encouraging them to learn about the creature by using library resources, practice writing, and use their imagination.

Image retrieved from: http://www.amazon.com/Diary-Spider-Doreen-Cronin/dp/0060001534/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290836664&sr=1-1