Spider Books

I love the Bang on the Door animal series. They are intelligent and clever. The rhymes are anything but contrived. Both my kids love all the books. I only wish this company could provide more of the same. Their newer stuff is not up to par.

This is a very cute story about a slug who eats everything that's green. It's the kind of children's book that grown-ups like too. It's clever, and funny. My daughter and I both enjoy it.

It took DC and Marvel seemingly forever to put their two most iconic superheroes in the same story. But, at last, the year 1976 saw the first ever teaming up of DC's Superman and Marvel Comics' Spider-Man in Superman Vs. The Amazing Spider-Man, in which the Man of Steel and ol' Webhead go up against Lex Luthor and Dr. Octopus. The one I have is jumbo-sized. Then came this one in 1981 in pocketbook form, titled SUPERMAN AND SPIDER-MAN, sub-titled "The Heroes and the Holocaust!" 160 pages of crossover heroics, and in color.

In my boyhood, these two collaborations were stuff to be read and savored on many a weekend afternoon and then carefully stowed away again somewhere safe. They were all the more cherished because, back then in the '80s, any further dealings between the two comic book companies seemed unlikely as they had become embroiled in a grim, nasty corporate feud. All this is old news now, of course, as DC and Marvel have kissed and made up, having since then produced a healthy mess of collaborative efforts. Nowadays, an announcement of a DC/Marvel product is greeted in a more cavalier fashion by the fans. But back to SUPERMAN AND SPIDER-MAN.

Jim Shooter, back in the days, was one of the most prolific writers in the comic book biz. He takes up the writing duties here and comes up with an intricately plotted story which pits our heroes against Dr. Doom and the Parasite and Doom's latest diabolical, world-conquering scheme, Project Omega. The plot involves Peter Parker getting a temp gig at the Planet and hitting on (and getting shot down by) Lana Lang, while Clark Kent runs circles around the ever pushy J. Jonah Jameson. Along the way, we have a brief but monumental face-off between Supes and the Hulk and, later, a game of keep away between Spidey and Wonder Woman.

Shooter does justice to both Supes and Spidey and their respective mythos, nicely working out what would've been their relationship if they'd been all along in the same continuity. Basically, Spidey looks up to the Kryptonian and is properly awed. Meanwhile, Superman gives him props as a fellow crimefighter. It's just funny to me that Superman continues to be respected everywhere he ventures, whereas Spidey just keeps getting shot at by the cops, even in squeaky clean Metropolis. I'm a real big fan of the wisecracking Spidey, so I really enjoyed Shooter's touches with regards to the webhead. As usual, sad sack Peter has been having a depressing rash of bad luck, to the point where even his superhero alter ego has begun to doubt himself, especially in the overwhelming presence of Superman. There was actually a point in the story where Spidey was about to chuck it all and let Superman save the day by himself. But, when the chips are down, Spidey yet again demonstrates why he's everyone's favorite underdog hero. Superman, he's a little bit too self-assured and all-powerful for my taste.

It's a treat to see how Spidey's supporting cast interacts and reacts to Clark Kent and Supes. And, vice versa, with Supes' supporting cast to Peter Parker/Spidey. I really enjoy how Lois sums up the wallcrawler's character. Too, this is one of the best depictions of Dr. Doom I've ever read, even if his master plan does hinge on typical, indecipherable comic book super science. Shooter infuses good old Victor von Doom's persona with the usual dosage of megalomania and bombast, but with a touch of the melancholy.

The art is as good as I remembered. Artists John Buscema and Joe Sinnott have been doing this for years and years, and they come thru again with some nice pencils and inks. With my tattered pocketbook barely held together by 26-year-old binding glue and childhood dreams, I was on the verge of ordering me up another, fresher copy. Until I glimpsed The Marvel/DC Collection - Crossover Classics, Vol. 1 on the site. This one contains both Superman/Spider-Man crossovers, as well as the awesome get-together by the X-Men and Teen Titans. So I got that one instead. It's not rocket science.

This is actually a paperback book that is a reprint of marvel treasury #28 but it does well in this size format because most panels are large and fill up entire pages. The book is 160 pages long. When Doctor Doom and the Parasite join forces Superman and Spiderman must team up. Because Peter is a photographer and Clark is a journalist they sort of switch places for this crossover. To give you a taste of how dated this book/trade is, when Peter (Spiderman's alter ego for the comic book impaired out there) meets Lana Lang his thoughts read, "Holy Toledo! She's gorgeous! Suddenly my fillings ache!" Statements like that make for some good laughs. By Jim Shooter, John Buscema and Joe Sinnot -- watch for an early appearance by none other than everyone's favorite: The Hulk.

What can you do with a 9 year old who loves to grow butterflies and catch moths? Buy him or her "Take a Walk With Butterflies and Dragonflies". The author is Jane Kirkalnd. She is our neighbor and a friend who knows alot about Monarch Caterpillars , Swallowtails, Silver-spotted Skippers and which ones like to munch on legumes and which prefer nettles or sassafras.
And you can "Take a City Nature Walk" with Jane Kirkland too. Learn how pigeons find their way home and which arthropod spins a web. Look at a puudle after the rain - maybe a butterfly or a little bird is a having a bath. My son loves Jane and her wonderful books. You will too. You will enjoy her other books "Take a Tree Walk" and "Take a Backyard Bird Walk" they are very interesting and educational.

The third book in the outstanding Stillwater Enterprises "Take A Walk Books" series, Take A Walk With Butterflies And Dragonflies by Jane Kirkland is an ideal reference guide for children ages 8 and above to finding, observing, identifying, and understanding butterflies and dragonflies. Enhanced with beautiful color photography, Take A Walk With Butterflies And Dragonflies will enlighten young readers where to look for eggs and chrysalises and turn an outdoor excursion into an exciting, "low impact", do-it-yourself adventure! Also very highly recommended are the two other titles in this unique series: Take A Backyard Bird Walk (09709-75406, $9.95) and Take A Tree Walk (0970975414, $9.95).

Your child will enjoy this book.
If you are looking to stimulate your child's mind while providing quality entertainment this book is a MUST

Tales Of Glarney is a heartwarming and original novel by Julie Liddel for young adults about Simon, a young boy whose hobby of collecting insects leads him to discover a new world filled with life and wonder. An element of the fantastic which is somewhat reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland as it is deftly woven by the author through narrative telling of this "kid friendly" story of adventure and growth. Tales Of Glarney is very highly recommended for readers of all ages.

Good book for this kids. They will want you to read it again and again.

A beautiful book detailing our unique winged friends. I enjoyed learning along with my boys! The illustrations are precious with great attention to detail. I liked that they are shown in various stages of development and in their natural habitat. A must have for all nature enthusiasts~ Thanks for the journey Katrina!

Toestomper And The Bad Butterflies by author/illustrator Sharleen Collicott is a charming child's picture book and the sequel to Toestomper and the Caterpillars. In Toestomper And The Bad Butterflies, the caterpillar caretaker Toestomper is in for a surprise when his caterpillars become flying butterflies with rebellious attitudes who zip and zoom wherever they please! Gentle color illustrations enhance this thoroughly enjoyable read-aloud story.

This sequel to Toestomper and the Caterpillars is just as hilarious! My students just loved how the character Toestomper changed in the first book . . . and even more when the caterpillars turned into "bad" butterflies in the sequel. The illustrations add so much to the telling of the story. It's another book added to our "Favorite Books" collection and asked to be read again and again.

I bought this book for my husband who is in his first year of dental school. He has had quite a bit of knowledge about the history of dentristry and no time to read it, so I have been doing it for him. I have found this book to be very informative and fun. It has been a good source of conversation for us and will be a useful tool when we have children to teach them something about what their daddy does.

I wish this author had written this book when I was a child. She makes history fun! It's a fabulous book filled with historical detail any historian, child, or adult will love.

My son got this book as a gift for his first birthday. He just turned four and it has been a regular in our nightly rotation of books to read at bedtime since we received it. He has been able to participate in reading the book for quite a while. We have really cherished this little book. The story is so sweet and I love the illustrations.

Mother of four yr old boy and 16 mos old daughter from New Jersey

This summer I am working at the university daycare and I am in charge of working with the younger children ages three and four. We pick names for our groups and this year we are the Fireflies. I picked up this book because I thought that the children would enjoy a story about fireflies. I never imagined it would become their favorite. In the first four days of school I read it four times. They love to tell me why they think the firefly will not twinkle and the answers are as varied as the children. They LOVED this book and I know it'll become one of their favorites as well as mine.

The pop-ups are first rate and they illustrate the different kinds of insects in a very meaningful way. Wish teh book was still in print I would buy it for friends and local schools so more children and adults could have the expeerience.

Pamina moths, katydids, fireflies and treehoppers are just a few of the insects that appear in this tour de force of paper engineering. Each of the five splashy spreads is organized around a single insect-behavior theme, and features at least one (but more often two, or even three) gratifyingly complex, large-scale pop-up constructions. Snappy synopses of each topic are presented on large, brightly colored flaps which lift to reveal more specialized information, illustrations and a few bonus pop-ups. Numerous brief and snappily written entries detailing fascinating facts about flying, crawling, burrowing and creeping creatures pepper the pages. As if all this weren't enough, readers can, among other things, activate a sound chip to hear a cricket's chirp and reach inside a termite's nest for a closer look at the termite queen and her eggs. A rotating paper wheel cleverly conveys the flashing of a firefly's blinking abdomen, and a scratch and sniff panel provides an appropriately malodorous rendition of the stink bug's stink. The abundance of interactive gizmos, elaborate paper constructions and many engaging snippets of information make this a book to be pored over again and again. All ages

The story of ugliness has been told in so many ways. This I think uses good graphical illustration for humor and the kids loved it. I read it at my child's preschool and the whole class loved it.

My son borrowed this book from his school library and was so sad when he had to return it. He was absolutely delighted to get it for Christmas. Now, he says, "It's mine forever?" and I'm happy to say "Yes!"