From Publishers Weekly
Even arachnids get in the holiday spirit in Bodkin's (The Crane Wife) warm tale of a kindness repaid. All seems hopeless after a humble cobbler loses his workshop and home to fire just before the holiday and must sell his cherished heirloom Christmas ornaments. But when the cobbler and his family take shelter in a nearby shack and are careful not to disturb the cobwebs ("spiders' homes"), the grateful spiders spin lacy "ornaments" for all to enjoy. Widener (The Babe and I) trains his contemporary style on the old-fashioned proceedings with sturdy, flattened compositions. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
reS-Gr 1-When a fire destroys a cobbler's house, he is able to save his family and a box of Christmas ornaments that came from their German homeland. He moves his wife and children to an old shack and must sell the keepsakes in order to replace his tools. On Christmas Eve, while the family sleeps, spiders come down from the rafters and fashion delicate cobweb ornaments for their bare Christmas tree. Although the messages (home is where the heart is, and don't forget to be nice to spiders) are fine ones, the story never really comes alive, a flaw that isn't alleviated by the glowing but rather flat acrylic illustrations. Pleasant but not a first purchase.-E. M.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
