I Worked Hard on That!

by Robyn Wall, A N Kang (Illustrator)

Overview

A spider sets out to make the most perfect, awe-inspiring web only to have her artistic efforts destroyed again and again in this delightful picture book about the creative process and perseverance.

As a spider, Kiara has always made webs to catch food, but one day, she discovers a web so beautiful that she’s inspired to spin a masterpiece of her own.

So, Kiara starts creating, but even though she works hard on her webs, they are carelessly destroyed by others. How frustrating!

It’s not until Kiara meets Orb, a spider who eats every web he weaves, that she gains a fresh perspective: the artistic process isn’t about the destination but the journey and the friends you make along the way.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781665938730
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	10/08/2024
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
File size:	142 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Robyn Wall lives in Nashville with her husband and two daughters. She is the author of the My Cool Family board book series and the picture book I Worked Hard on That!. Learn more about her work at RobynJWall.com.

A. N. Kang started her career designing giftware, greeting cards, and holiday installations all over New York City. In 2016, She debuted as an author and illustrator with the picture book The Very Fluffy Kitty, Papillon. Since then, she has been working as a children’s book author and illustrator. Her books include My Big Bad Monster, Celebrate You! by Sherry Duskey Rinker, Squirrel’s Family Tree by Beth Ferry, and I Worked Hard on That! by Robyn Wall. You can see more of her work online at AnnaKangDesign.com.

Editorial Reviews

"A spider comes to embrace the iterative nature of making in this tightly written story by Wall...Leaning on dusty sages and candy reds, Kang’s digital artwork has paperlike textures, giving scenes an appealing dimensionality as this picture of creaturely creativity delivers winning insight about process."

Publishers Weekly

"Creating something worthwhile takes time, effort, and patience. . . expressive Kiara is portrayed determinedly pursuing her passion; she’s also an exemplar of self-confident persistence. The colorful digital illustrations are by turns delicate and lively and incorporate examples of creative typesetting; those intricate webs are spectacular."

Kirkus Reviews

2024-07-19
Creating something worthwhile takes time, effort, and patience.

Since childhood, Kiara the spider has spun webs to catch food. Then she sees a web so beautiful that it inspires her to create something similar. Her initial efforts fail, and each time she achieves a breakthrough, another animal accidentally destroys the web. “Hey, I worked hard on that!” she protests. Discouraged, Kiara abandons artistry, then notices that the inspirational web’s gone. Orb, its weaver, suggests that the two collaborate, and the results are lovely. Next morning, hungry Orb breaks the web while grabbing a morsel from it; Kiara refuses to work with Orb again. When Kiara accidentally destroys Paws the squirrel’s “sculpture,” all’s forgiven because, as Paws explains, “I learned a thing or two for my next piece.” Kiara’s never thought about art like that, and she, Paws, and Orb join artistic forces. This thought-provoking story about the nature of creativity is geared more to adult sensibilities; young children are generally more interested in the funprocess of making art than in perfecting their craft, as Kiara does. Terms such asdimension andscale and phrases such as “on the cusp of something” won’t be meaningful to youngsters. It’s commendable, however, that expressive Kiara is portrayed determinedly pursuing her passion; she’s also an exemplar of self-confident persistence. The colorful digital illustrations are by turns delicate and lively and incorporate examples of creative typesetting; those intricate webs are spectacular.

Wall weaves a tale that may be too complex for its target audience; still, many youngsters will get caught up in this web.(Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews