Spider Books

No, it's not the UK basketball team, it's a collection of giant wildmen, under the control of a vicious master criminal, bent on -- Well, it's never exactly clear what they're bent on, but clear plots have never been part of THE SPIDER, nor are they that important. The important thing, as always, is slam-bang action. This has somew of the most intense action of any SPIDER story. Particularly impressive are Richard Wentworth's run through the mountains to spread the news about the wild-men, and his hand to hand battle at the farmhouse.

A page has anywhere from two to four questions with the answers provided below and illustrations to enhance the readers' knowledge on that specific insect. The book is broken into a few sections, first Insect Ways, Growing Up and Insects you might meet. The very first question is How Do Flies Walk Upside Down? with the answer that they use their claws to grip rough spots. They explain that there is some sticky stuff covering their feet that makes it similar to walking with gum on your shoe sole.

The illustrations showcase all the insects with their names beside them as well as documenting the four stages of metamorphosis. This is when certain insects change. Some insects do not pass through the four stages while others might grow wings. The insects you might meet would be butterflies, moths, ants and mosquitoes as well as flies. A butterfly will hold its wings straight up while a moth spreads its wings out flat.

There are many questions inside How Do Flies Walk Upside Down? with interesting answers sure to amaze and interest any child with a curious mind. These books usually open up the discussion for more questions with more books to search for. This sparks the imagination and opens up the world of science and nature to my six-year old. He has become a walking encyclopedia on many animals and when we go outside he gets to see many of the same insects profiled inside the book. The illustrations show the insects up close and in their natural environment. There is one of a mosquito on skin as well as bees making honey. The colors are vivid and full of life showing all parts of the insects.

Brimner's book is pure fun and will have kids counting by ones and tens in no time at all. On our school district's list of recommended "100s" books, kids in my classroom cluster together like ants to count the little critters on each page. We've had so much fun with this title that I don't understand the Horn Book comments above, although it may be that they have never been a classroom teacher or simply lack a fundamental understanding of children.

In this book, How Spider Saved Santa Bug, shows caring for other's well being. Santa Bug letters to all the bugs in Bug Country. Because of this, Spider and his friends go to the north pole to find out why. He is missing!

From the first time I read this to my 2 1/2 year old daughter, it has become one of her bedtime favorites. We read it at least 4 times most every evening. It is a must have for any toddler who has a thing for bugs. She especially likes the ladybug character and she loves the end when all the bugs find out why the lazy caterpillars have been sleeping so much. It's her favorite in the "How Spider Saved..." series.

Most likely the best guide of its type available. It is written by the man who has been considered as one of the most knowledgeable, if not the most knowledgeable, individual concerning beetles since I was in graduate school studying insects. That was some time ago. Although I won't say how long, it was before the PC. Take advantage of his lifetime of knowledge and experience and learn about the largest, and one of the most fascinating, order of insects.

This book is directed at the home gardener or orchardist who is interested in learning about managing native bees on a larger scale, and covers pretty much all the aspects of their cultivation, from tube selection to predators. In between it covers multiple other issues, such as how temperature will affect the maturation predictably, and could be used quite effectively as a "how-to" book for an orchard manager. Although brief and a fairly quick read, it is surprisingly comprehensive, with information into web resources as well.

If you're not sure you even want to start rearing native bees, I'd suggest reading Brian Griffin's book on The Orchard Mason Bee (if you can find a copy), which I think is a much better introduction to the topic. But if you've been "bitten by the bug" already, this book is an excellent manual on the management of a small population of bees into a sustainable larger population for the purposes of pollination on a widely local scale.

"Hug a Bug" is one of the most fun books our family reads on a nightly basis. Our children know the words by heart, and even our 18 month old says, "Bug!, Bug!," when it's time to read. There is a music CD that accompanies this book and "Never Eat Cabbage on Thursday." Jim Salestrom sets these catchy words to music. "Welcome to Garden Street" is is a great compliment to all the books from Nancy Libbey Mills. The illustrations are marvelous. You'll want to keep this for your children's children and give one to your friends' children.

Tobin Fraley's book " A Humbug Christmas" is so adorable!! the illustrations are wonderful!! The writing is also really good and will appeal to children because of its fantastic rhymes!! i strongly recommend this book to everyone. it is also a great gift!!

"Humbug!" is a book released based on the "Miss Spider" television story by the same name. In "Humbug!," the Sunny Patch characters all celebrate their version of Christmas. Their tradition is the dream bug. The dream bug is a benevolent bug who, like Santa Claus, knows when people have been naughty or nice.

Fortunately for the kids of Sunny Patch, they've all been very good and can expect to have good dreams on the way. Well, all except Bounce. It's not that he's been a bad bug or anything; he's just worried that maybe he hasn't been good enough. He worries that maybe the dream bug won't come to him. He decides that he needs to a good deed in order to make sure that he has sweet dreams. It turns out that Eunice Earwig has sprained a pincher, so he agrees to help her out by making a delivery.

On his way, Bounce comes upon Spiderus. Spiderus, as Miss Spider fans will know, definitely *hasn't* been good all year. And when he sees Bounce, he threatens to eat him. Bounce, however, tells Spiderus about the dream fairy and manages to get off-the-hook. Spiderus agrees to complete the delivery for Bounce. But will he really be good?


"Humbug!" is a story perfect for the winter holidays with the same charm, coziness and delight found in other "Miss Spider" stories. This book features full-page illustrations on every other page and a text that's excellent for read-aloud. Spiderus may be a bit scary for younger readers, but he's really not so bad. The only thing that would enhance this book would be a read-aloud version featuring the late, great, Tony Jay, but unfortunately that won't be possible. Rest in peace, Tony Jay.