Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic Story
Review: "Little Miss Spider" by David Kirk is often requested when I volunteer to read with the children at my local library. They love the storyline and that the simple lines rhyme and are easy to recite.I've read other reviewers saying that they were uncomfortable with the aspect of the book that Little Miss Spider does not end up finding her birth mother by the end of the book. In the many times that I've read this book to groups of children, they always feel the story has a happy ending. Little Miss Spider loves Betty the Beetle and Betty loves Miss Spider. They have found each other and have become family. This story helps children who are adopted feel accepted. It may also be some children's first introduction to the idea of adoption and can give them an understanding of some of their friends' families. It's just an all around heart warming story. I highly recommend this wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: A comforting and educational book...
Review: After "Little Miss Spider" hatches she can't find her mother, and soon she goes searching for her along with a beetle named "Betty." Eventually she is adopted by "Betty Beetle" who offers to be her mother instead. The artwork and words of this book are very attractive. It's obviously a good book for adopted children. It also provides a good educational opportunity to teach kids about spiders and how they're born, how they survive, and to not hate what you fear. Don't knock the cobweb down and kill the spider...observe it! Little Miss Spider would be very grateful.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful message for children and adults
Review: As a mother of 6 children, 4 biological and 2 adopted as toddlers, I feel this book presents a powerful message about seeking and finding love and acceptance in non-conventional places. I have been searching for books for our 5 year old adopted daughter that reinforce the fact that her adoptive Mommy and Daddy truly love her and will care for her even though she "grew in her other Mommy's tummy". Because my daughter is Hispanic and my husband and I are not, the subtle issue of the differences between the beetle and the spider were not lost on her. The first time we finished reading "Little Miss Spider" together, she threw her arms around my neck and with tears brimming in her eyes declared, "You're my favorite Mommy forever and ever!" What more could any parent ask for? My biological 11 year old daughter says to tell you that she loves "Little Miss Spider", too!
Rating:
Summary: WE LOVE THIS BOOK
Review: First the good, Little Miss Spider is a colorful and attractive books for that toddler set, and it takes "icky" animals and does not demonize them. OK, that being said, Little Miss Spider has a message that was altogether unpleasant for my wife and me. It seems to speak to the children of the world that have been abandoned by their mothers and should seek for love where ever they find it. When I finished reading it, I just added a little side note for my daughter that she need not look other places for love, because she has it here in this family. I don't think that this is what Kirk was shooting for, but it certainly seemed off a little bit to me (and I'm generally pretty open about children books).
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Book About Adoption!
Review: I am shocked at the first "review" of this book from Sept 1999! This book is not disturbing in any way (except for maybe the big spider eating another bug for dinner). The message of the book is that our mothers "are the creatures who love us the best" whether those mothers look like us or not. I have two children, they both joined our family through adoption. Our youngest was adopted internationally. This book sends the wonderful message that my daughter does not have to look like me to be loved by and welcomed into our family. Children whom joined their families through birth can gain great insight from this book, it is not disturbing at all. Your are reading too much into this book if you believe our children will think they can be cared for by a beatle if they "tire" of us. This book is not about Little Miss Spider choosing other parents, it is about a mother who had love to give and a daughter who needed a mother. For the record, Little Miss Spider DOES find her mother. Just because her mother turned out NOT to be a spider does not mean she did not find her mother. There needs to be more education about adoption with all children (adopted and biological) and this book is a great tool to do so. It is especially helpful and educational if you are looking for a good book addressing international adoption! Enjoy this special book!
Rating:
Summary: A cute book
Review: I checked this book out from the public library for my 18 mo. old son. We read together all the time, and one of his favorite stories/rhymes is "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", so of course when I saw this book, I just had to get. This is the first book we have read by this author and we loved it! My son made me read it twice the first night. He usually rushes me through stories, but sat patiently through this one. It is short and sweet to keep a little one's attention and the pictures are great! The pages are also sturdy enough to withstand the not-so-gentle page turning of toddlers. I will definitely be purchasing this book and other "Miss Spider" books.
Rating:
Summary: A Love of David Kirk
Review: I have been turned on to David Kirk since the birth of my youngest son who is now 2. Jake was given "Miss Spiders Tea Party" for his second birhday and we have both fallen madly in love with Miss Spider and David Kirk's exquisite illustrations. Little Miss Spider was a book I purchased just to complete Jake's set of books by this author and I do believe I love it the best. Little Miss Spider touches the emotions of any mother,adoptive mother, grandmother, aunt etc.. It shows the real meaning in being a mother and what makes you a mother. The first time I sat and read it with my husband I cried. It is the sweetest story of finding your mother I have ever read. The illustrations are fabulous as usual for David Kirk. I truely loved the feeling I got from reading it. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: The best book!
Review: I picked up this book because of the beautiful pictures...I was delighted when my two month old loved it too! She sits on my lap and giggles and grabs for the pages as I read the wonderful and rythmic story. She does not do this for ANY other book (including the "classic" baby books)...it even makes her smile during those fussy periods. Its just the right length too! The other LITTLE MISS SPIDER (not to be confused with Miss Spider) are equally as charming and fun.
Rating: 
Summary: How Good Little Miss Spider Is For Small Children
Review: Little Miss Spider is very colorful, which small children usually prefer, the storyline is simple and easy to understand.
The characters are great and there is nothing complex about anything. this book is an awsome childrens book especially for little girls with all the cute little spiders, Little Miss Spider being a girl, and she being a baby.
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Summary: I love this book!!
Review: My daughter and I both love all of the Miss Spider books that we had owned before. The pictures are wonderful, as are the messages. Since my daughter was adopted from China, I was very eager to get this book, since it deals with two topics that are very real to us - adoption and the fact that we don't "look alike". When I went to order the book, I read all the customer reviews with great interest. The reviews can clearly be divided into two camps, those who are dealing with adoption issues, and those who aren't. This book is a great addition to the library of an adoptive family. However, I can also see how this book might make people who have formed their families through birth a little uncomfortable, since Miss Spider in the end does not find her birth mother. However, this is reality for a lot of children, and maybe the inclusion of this book in a childs library will help them to understand that families are formed in different ways, and your mommy and daddy really are the ones who love you the best, whether by birth or by adoption. Hooray for Miss Spider that she found her forever family!
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