The Lady and the Spider - Hardcover

Kindergarten-Grade 3 Soft pastel drawings complement the simple text of this serene tale of a green spider who makes its home in a lettuce patch. The spider finds shelter and food when dew gathers in the concave curls of the lettuce leaves. Drama enters when the lady who owns the garden harvests the lettuce for lunch. She discovers the spider among the leaves in the kitchen sink and is about to discard it with the trash when she suddenly takes a good, long look and marvels at its perfection and will to live. The lady returns the spider to the garden and places it on a new plant to resume its useful, busy life. The descriptions of a spider's daily life are fascinating, and the quiet mood is perfectly conveyed by the delicate, yet true-to-life illustrations. The book's message, that all life has value, is powerful, all the more so for being understated. The tale of a spider's life has been done before (Margaret B. Graham's Be Nice to Spiders Harper, 1967 and Eric Carle's The Very Busy Spider Philomel, 1984) but neither are told so simply or so well. Karey Wehner, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The life of a spider, happily at home in a head of lettuce, is endangered when the gardener decides to have lettuce for lunch. A Reading Rainbow selection. Ages 6-9.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.