Customer Reviews

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

THE ITSY BITSY SPIDER deserves 5 stars just for the illustrations alone; it has all the colors in the rainbow plus a glossy sheen to highlight/accent them! Also the story is so cute and fun to read! I find no flaws whatsoever in this book--period. 10 STAR BOOK!

I really enjoy singing the song to the story (but it is like a poem, so it isn't necessary if you don't like to sing. If you need it, the music notes are on the last page of the book. You sing the same tune to all the verses of Iza's story.)

I ALWAYS sing the story as my daughter and I are reading it together all the way through. Then when I try to put the book down, she refuses and has to look through it again--the illustrations are that good! The second time I use it as a training tool to teach her the names of objects illustrated. I'll say "where's the spider?" (house, flower, butterfly, turtle, fruit, fan, yellow bucket, mouse, boots, green chair, boots, orange cat, tree, squirrel, rabbit, frog--you get the idea!)

THE ITSY BITSY SPIDER is a book for ALL AGES and guaranteed to induce smiles and giggles. You won't find a better childrens' book anywhere--believe me! (We own probably 50+ childrens' books!) Anything Iza does is top knotch but if you can only buy one of hers, this one's it! (But I highly recommend you get "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" also. "I'm a Little Teapot" is on its way...ok, I'm hooked but you will be too!) You won't be disappointed with Iza, trust me!

Thanks Iza!

This book is a wonderful addition to any home library, if you can get it onto a bookshelf that is. I am the mother of three girls, a 5 year old and 3 year old twins. My girls love all of Iza's books, but this has remained a "the faviorite" by them all. They sleep with her books, we have two copies of Itsy Bitsy Spider, one being the paperback now covered in packing tape to help preserve it and the new edition the board book in hopes of a lasting bedtime cuddle mate. If you can get your hands on the author reading her books on audio I suggest it greatly. No matter how well you read the audio cassette is still better. Good Luck getting your child to put this one down! (not that we would want that.)

The Good:
It's fun to see the story continue. The pictures are warm and pleasant to look at.

The Bad:
To me, none of the verses flow as well as the original.
The storyline is also a bit awkward since none of the verses connect storywise with each other. For instance, it would have made more sense to me if one verse picked up where the other left off. However, after climbing up the wall at the end of one verse, the spider is climbing up a bucket on the floor of the house in the next. Then in the next verse he has been mysteriously transported outside to the porch to climb up a rocking chair.

I've read a few versions of this classic rhyme and like this adapatation the best.

First, I like it because the spider is prominent in the storyline and never becomes overwhelmed by other elements. I know this may sound hard to believe, but in another version I picked up, the illustrator was so enamoured with the other animals that the spider was pretty much a second thought. Also, in other versions, they make the spider too small. I know some folks may not like spiders and think the smaller the better, but hey, he's the star of the story!

But the thing that most sets this version off from the rest is its inclusion of additional verses. This version goes on to tell you what happens after the water spout. The extra verses all work together and make the storyline complete. So, if you are like me and find yourself singing this song a lot, you will appreciate the new verses to shake up your routine.

Finally, I appreciate the quality of the illustrations. Nothing too radical, just a cute little spider and lots of colorful and cheerful surroundings. The illustrator doesn't get too cutesy like they sometimes do, and the illustrations fit with my preconceived ideas about what the things in this rhyme "should" look like.

My girlfriend's daughter received this book as a Christmas gift and when she showed it to me I knew my 19 month old daughter would love it. I am always singing itsy bitsy spider to her and the idea of more verses thrilled me as well. She loved it the moment we sat down with it and now can't wait to show me where the spider is. Everytime we sing or read the story she wants "More!".

My daughter loves this book. She is 2 1/2 and we read it every night. She can now recite the entire book for me. The pictures are beautiful and I love the way the author has created a new adventure for the spider. I just ordered 5 more books from this author because of the creative ways she expands on a simple nursery rhyme or favorite childhood song.

This book was a gift to my son, now 2 1/2. When I first saw it, I thought--how simple, a book about the song we've all grown up singing. How wrong I was! The author very creatively took the one verse I knew as a child and wrapped a new story around it. My son LOVES this board book--he asks me to "read" it (sing it) nightly, and thinks it's funny when Mommy forgets the words to some of Iza Trapani's new verses, and has to look them up in the book. We've even made up our own hand gestures to the modernized verses. A great find!

Iza Trapani did it again! My kids and I love this book! When we get to the part with "the rocking chair" we pack out laughing and have to hold our tummies! Fantastic rhyme and the pictures are loads of fun.

This is the only book my 1 1/2 year old will sit quietly the whole way through. Because of this and other Iza Trapani books we've created some great memories. The artwork is incredible and the stories go beyond what I knew them to be as a child. It's a great book to read to toddlers who may not have the patience for other books.

This is my daughter's favorite song and just when I thought I couldn't sing it one more time, Iza Trapani gave me 5 new verses! The words are so cute and the pictures so pleasant, I could sing it all day long now! We have three of Trapani's books and this is our very favorite.