Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-From the first page, where humans appear to be hanging upside down and a spider takes center stage (the scene is seen from the spider's perspective, as she clings to the ceiling), it's obvious that this is no ordinary tale. Monks begins with a visual bang and an unusual premise: a spider wants to be this family's pet. However, each time the arachnid tries to entertain them, they toss her outside, screaming, "Aaaarrgghh! Spider!" Disappointed, she stalks off to live in the backyard. When the family members peek out the back door and see the trees festooned with glittering webs, they decide she'd make the perfect pet. Although the resolution is a bit simplistic, the story provides a nice showcase for the art. The acrylic cartoons ably capture the wide-eyed, fearful expressions of the parents, their two children, dog, and cat when confronted with their visitor. A variety of patterned fabrics provide visual interest throughout, but the pi?ce de r?sistance is the backyard bejeweled with webs that shine with actual glitter. The bright red cover with its dangling spider; black, hairy title letters; and sparkling silver webs will entice browsers. Readers attracted by the glitz of Marcus Pfister's "Rainbow Fish" books (North-South) are sure to give this one more than a glance.-Laurie Edwards, West Shore School District, Camp Hill, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A lonely arachnid wants the family of the house to see her as a pet, but her efforts to demonstrate how talented and low maintenance she is are met with screams of disgust. Spirited art illustrates the spider's improbably successful but humorous campaign, which culminates with her alarming her owners anew by introducing them to a living room full of her eight-legged friends. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The resident spider in a human family's home would much prefer to be a pet than a silent bystander, but when she tries to dance fetchingly by the couch or show how clean she is (by hanging out in the bathtub), the family screams "Aaaarrgghh! Spider!" In a somewhat baffling development, it's not until the blue-eyed, pink-lipped spider retreats to the backyard and starts to build sparkly webs (printed with actual silvery glitter) that the family decides the spider might make good pet material: "That spider is so clever!" "Maybe she'd make a good pet!" From then on, the spider goes shopping with mom, swings with the kids, and is walked on a leash like the pet of her dreams. When she gets comfortable enough to bring all her friends home, however, the story concludes with the family's scream, "Aaaarrgghh! Spiders!" Monks's cartoonish illustrations are lively and offer some genuinely funny moments, but they don't save what is essentially a very lightweight story about how spiders are people, too. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
