Product Description

"Miss Spider can't understand why insects flee in panic at her approach. Being a florivore herself, she only wants to invite them over for cakes and tea. The ironic air wafting through Kirk's rhymed tale will not be lost on young readers, and the insects in the big, brightly colored illustrations beear comically apprehensive expressions as they hastily depart . . . At last, Miss Spider is able to convince a rain-soaked moth of her good intentions . . . A sweet tale" --School Library Journal

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24202 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
What's a sociable spider to do when no one will accept her invitations to tea? Seemingly unaware of her own predatory reputation, the eponymous arachnid is perplexed and saddened when a parade of potential guests scuttles, scampers and scurries away "in mortal dread." A timely rainstorm provides the perfect opportunity for Miss Spider to prove her good intentions, however, as she lovingly nurtures a rain-soaked moth with sweets and warm brew. Good news travels quickly, and before long her web is abuzz with a full-scale tea party. "Her friends were glad to watch her feast / Upon the floral centerpiece. / It was a great relief to see / She ate just flowers and drank just tea." First-time author Kirk's rhyming text, with its singsong rhythm and counting motif (two beetles are followed by three fireflies, then four bumblebees, etc.), is slack and predictable, but his illustrations are thoroughly original. The stylized paintings are flecked with a shimmery light that accentuates the bold, often garish, juxtaposition of colors and increases the whimsy of the appropriately bug-eyed cast. All ages.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3-Ingenuous Miss Spider can't understand why insects flee in panic at her approach. Being a florivore herself, she only wants to invite them over for cakes and tea. The ironic air wafting through Kirk's rhymed tale will not be lost on young readers, and the insects in the big, brightly colored illustrations bear comically apprehensive expressions as they hastily depart. Miss Spider is depicted as a freckled, green-eyed beauty with a bulbous black-and-gold body; she and her would-be guests are seen in a slightly softened focus that sometimes sharpens to a glossy solidity reminiscent of William Joyce's figures. At last, Miss Spider is able to convince a rain-soaked moth of her good intentions, and, "Before too long our hostess knew/Each bug who crawled or hopped or flew/And all their lovely children too." A sweet tale-pair it with Mary Ann Hoberman's Bugs (Viking, 1976; o.p.).
John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 4-8. Miss Spider eagerly waits for some guests to join her at tea, but because spiders are in the habit of eating their company, no one wants to join her. Espying her web, the fireflies hightail it, the ants ignore her, the beetles dash away. Nine moths, waiting out a thundershower, prefer to get wet. But one little moth is too soaked to take wing. A guest at last! Miss Spider wines him and dines him, and then, instead of dining on him, she sends him on his way, at the same time paving the way for lots of new friends to trust her hospitality. As far as the story goes, there's one fly in the ointment. If young kids don't know that spiders catch other insects in their web to eat them, they won't know why Miss Spider is shunned, especially since she seems so nice. It's easy to forgive flaws in the story (a prosaic rhyming text) because of the fabulous art. Featuring the clarity that comes with airbrushing, these in-your-face pictures are full of eye-popping colors and almost 3-D shapes. Kirk takes artistic license and introduces spiders that are yellow, bugs that are blue, and ants the color of maraschino cherries. This would be a fun one to read to groups. Ilene Cooper

Customer Reviews

Beautiful illustrations, concept and message!
This cleverly written concept (counting and poetry) book combined with the most beautiful illustrations makes this a must have for any home library. Before they can even read, children will enjoy have this story read to them while they look at the vivid pictures and try to count all the bugs to match the story. Opportunities to increase vocabulary are bountiful with the creative and broad use of vocabulary within the rhyming plot. The ending shows a great character building lesson to get to know someone before making a judgement. Just perfect!

Miss Spider's Tea Party
Very cute story. I bought my niece the Fisher-Price tea party set and bought this book to go with it. The story is short but the pictures are adorable and very colorful. I would recommend this book. My niece is 1 1/2, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone over 3.

Great for young ages!
We've been reading this to our little guy since he was three months old, if even that, and he was glued to it from the start, easily his favorite book, still, at nearly 13 months. Great color, great rhythm, and lots of fun bugs! :)