The Spider and the Fly

Rating:
Summary: Little fly, little fly, fly away home
Review: Some picture books instantly impress. They have that extra little spark or oomph that sets them apart from the rest. At first, the idea of a modern illustrator reworking a cautionary tale from 1829 sounds as if it's in danger of becoming dull, preachy, or didactic. Then you take a single glance at Tony DiTerlizzi's reworking of Mary Howitt's poem, "The Spider and the Fly", and you're blown away. Referencing the silent films of the 1920s and 30s, the book is meant to guide youngsters on the path of wisdom. Presumably by showing the stupidity of flies.

We all know the great opening lines of this tale. " `Will you walk into my parlor?' said the Spider to the Fly". Here we see our villain, the gorgeously outfitted spider, bowing deeply to a lovely lady fly that bears no little resemblance to Shelly Duvall. The spider himself is replete with walking cane, spats on each of his legs, slick dandified hair, a Rhett Butler moustache, and a long top hat. The fly's initial answer (a negative) shows her in her best flapper wear. She has the parasol, the delicately gloved arms, the handbag, bobbed antennae, and flapper hat. The spider is persistent, now donning a smoking jacket and fez as various buggy ghosts of his past victims attempt to warn the little fly away. Finally, after many attempts, the spider flatters the fly with tales of her beauty. She falls for it instantly and returns when the spider calls, "Your robes are green and purple - there's a crest upon your head; Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead". She comes, he pops her in his long hat, and the next thing we know she's tied up tight in a cocoon with the shadow of a spider (cook's hat on head, knife and fork in hand) laughingly approach her. The moral of the story is, as William Bennett once said, "Not everyone who talks sweetly offers sweets".

It's not every picture book that the villain not only wins but also gets his own especial afterword. NOT written by Mary Howitt, the spider has his say. He points out that all spiders are trappers, even the beloved Charlotte from E.B. White's classic book. As we read we see the now full spider, his spatted feet on the table, delicately wiping his mouth on his napkin. A little hat sits forlornly on the plate before him. Thus ends a truly delightful book. DiTerlizzi has taken the time to include a couple facts about the life of the author Howitt, which is great. As an illustrator, the black and white scheme used for these illustrations is marvelous. These pictures were rendered beautifully and each shot is cinematic. There is little doubt, certainly, that some children will be perturbed by the pretty little fly's untimely end. I might point out, however, that there are also some children out there that are perturbed by the death of Charlotte in the aforementioned, "Charlotte's Web". Most kids, I believe, will love this book. It's noteworthy to point out that the blurbs on the back of the book come from Henry Selick (director of the "Nightmare Before Christmas") and Lance Smith (of "The Stinky Cheese Man" fame). Both of these should give you a fair idea of the kind of book this is. It's dark without ever becoming gory. Intense without ever being graphic. And, most importantly of all, it's a joy to look at. Who knew 19th century poems could be so much fun?

Rating:
Summary: Little fly, little fly, fly away home
Review: Some picture books instantly impress. They have that extra little spark or oomph that sets them apart from the rest. At first, the idea of a modern illustrator reworking a cautionary tale from 1829 sounds as if it's in danger of becoming dull, preachy, or didactic. Then you take a single glance at Tony DiTerlizzi's reworking of Mary Howitt's poem, "The Spider and the Fly", and you're blown away. Referencing the silent films of the 1920s and 30s, the book is meant to guide youngsters on the path of wisdom. Presumably by showing the stupidity of flies.

We all know the great opening lines of this tale. " 'Will you walk into my parlor?' said the Spider to the Fly". Here we see our villain, the gorgeously outfitted spider, bowing deeply to a lovely lady fly that bears no little resemblance to Shelly Duvall. The spider himself is replete with walking cane, spats on each of his legs, slick dandified hair, a Rhett Butler moustache, and a long top hat. The fly's initial answer (a negative) shows her in her best flapper wear. She has the parasol, the delicately gloved arms, the handbag, bobbed antennae, and flapper hat. The spider is persistent, now donning a smoking jacket and fez as various buggy ghosts of his past victims attempt to warn the little fly away. Finally, after many attempts, the spider flatters the fly with tales of her beauty. She falls for it instantly and returns when the spider calls, "Your robes are green and purple - there's a crest upon your head; Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead". She comes, he pops her in his long hat, and the next thing we know she's tied up tight in a cocoon with the shadow of a spider (cook's hat on head, knife and fork in hand) laughingly approach her. The moral of the story is, as William Bennett once said, "Not everyone who talks sweetly offers sweets".

It's not every picture book that the villain not only wins but also gets his own especial afterword. NOT written by Mary Howitt, the spider has his say. He points out that all spiders are trappers, even the beloved Charlotte from E.B. White's classic book. As we read we see the now full spider, his spatted feet on the table, delicately wiping his mouth on his napkin. A little hat sits forlornly on the plate before him. Thus ends a truly delightful book. DiTerlizzi has taken the time to include a couple facts about the life of the author Howitt, which is great. As an illustrator, the black and white scheme used for these illustrations is marvelous. These pictures were rendered beautifully and each shot is cinematic. There is little doubt, certainly, that some children will be perturbed by the pretty little fly's untimely end. I might point out, however, that there are also some children out there that are perturbed by the death of Charlotte in the aforementioned, "Charlotte's Web". Most kids, I believe, will love this book. It's noteworthy to point out that the blurbs on the back of the book come from Henry Selick (director of the "Nightmare Before Christmas") and Lance Smith (of "The Stinky Cheese Man" fame). Both of these should give you a fair idea of the kind of book this is. It's dark without ever becoming gory. Intense without ever being graphic. And, most importantly of all, it's a joy to look at. Who knew 19th century poems could be so much fun?

Rating:
Summary: excellent book, but no happy ending
Review: The artwork is amazing, though dark in nature. The story is clever, enjoyable to read to my children...yet, my son is the sensative type and the ending made him sad. I am glad that I didn't read it to him when he was really young. (He is 7 now)
A great book to read near Halloween.
I have seen my son going through this book on his own, studying the detailed pictures...

Rating:
Summary: Many-faceted Book
Review: The cover of The Spider and the Fly caught my eye at a recent Scholastic Book Fair. Paging quickly through the book, I was captured by the illustrations by Tony DiTerlizzi and bought the book. It sat on my shelf for a long time. I felt uncomfortable reading the book with students because I worried it might scare. However, after a counselor shared good touches and bad touches, I bravely headed to the second grade classroom to share the book. The book was a wonderful up on the lesson of the counselor. The students quickly informed me they were studying insects and enjoyed the story even more. And the pictures! I had to leave the book in the classroom so they could study all of the intricate "bug" pictures. In our present society with all of the "spiders" who attract our "flies", I found this book to be exceptional in teaching the students the lesson about being careful about strangers.