Diary of a Spider

( 10 )

Overview

This is the diary . . . of a spider.

Actually, he's a lot like you. He goes to gym class and has Grandparents Day at school. But he also spins sticky webs, scales walls, and takes wind-catching lessons. Lucky for him, his best friend is a fly!

Doreen Cronin and Harry Bliss, the team behind the #1 New York Times bestselling Diary of a Worm and Diary of a Fly, spin a hilarious tale about the upside-down web ...

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More About This Book

Overview

This is the diary . . . of a spider.

Actually, he's a lot like you. He goes to gym class and has Grandparents Day at school. But he also spins sticky webs, scales walls, and takes wind-catching lessons. Lucky for him, his best friend is a fly!

Doreen Cronin and Harry Bliss, the team behind the #1 New York Times bestselling Diary of a Worm and Diary of a Fly, spin a hilarious tale about the upside-down web world of an eight-legged charmer and his unlikely friend, Fly.

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Editorial Reviews

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)
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780062233004
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Publication date: 1/8/2013
  • Pages: 40
  • Sales rank: 86,824
  • Age range: 4 - 8 Years
  • Product dimensions: 7.50 (w) x 10.10 (h) x 0.50 (d)

Meet the Author

Doreen Cronin
Doreen Cronin

Doreen Cronin is the author of many bestselling picture books, including Thump, Quack, Moo: A Whacky Adventure; Bounce; Wiggle; Duck for President; Giggle, Giggle, Quack; Dooby Dooby Moo; and the Caldecott Honor Book Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. Visit Doreen online at doreencronin.com

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 3.5
( 10 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(4)

4 Star

(2)

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2 Star

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1 Star

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Sort by: Showing all of 10 Customer Reviews

  • Posted August 10, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    I Also Recommend:

    Diary of a Worm
    Diary of a Fly

    Very Funny

    The students in my class absolutely love these Worm, Spider, and Fly books--I hope more will come! I have read each of them at least twice last year. The funny thing is that there are a few jokes the kids might not get but the adults definitely will. Once I explain them to my students they all burst into laughter once they finally get it. Every elementary classroom or home should have these fabulous books!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted May 26, 2009

    I Also Recommend:

    Diary of a Fly
    Diary of a Worm

    Diary of a Spider

    Diary of a Spider is just as delightful as Doreen Cronin's other books, Diary of a Worm and Diary of a Fly. Small children love the book for the illustrations and characters, older children and adults love the book for its humor and grasp of melding the joys and challenges of childhood, friendship, and family, with the lives and biolgy of spiders (and worms and flies).
    I own several copies of her books for emergency gifts. They haven't let me down so far.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 13, 2006

    ONLY OKAY...NOT AS GOOD AS WORM

    I quickly purchased this follow-up book to 'Diary of the Worm' and to my dismay, it was all too similar to the first book. Nothing really fresh or witty like 'worm.' Also, some of the wit was repetitive throughout the book which made it even more boring. The author is still great, I just feel she tried too hard to follow the same guidelines as the first book and it wasn't refreshing or humerous. On the same note, my 3 year old daughter still loves it and I suppose that's all that matters!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted June 19, 2005

    Better than Worm!

    A brilliant follow-up to Cronin's first book with Bliss,'Diary of a Worm.' Here is another perfect blend of words and pictures -- hilarious and profound. This author/artist team continues to raise the bar in picture books.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 10, 2005

    Eiary of a Spider not up to par.

    Spider's best friend is Fly instead of Worm and there are too many details for a child and not enough wit for an adult. Not nearly as clever as Diary of a Worm and a disapointment.

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted July 6, 2005

    Another adorable winner!

    If you love DIARY OF A WORM (and who doesn't?), you must check out this latest offering. As with WORM, it's funny and has terrific illustrations. There's also an underlying theme about intolerance, beautifully worked into the story. Truly excellent!

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 16, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

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    Posted January 17, 2009

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 26, 2008

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 17, 2009

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