Customer Reviews

Little Miss Spider

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

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!

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!

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!

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!

I just saw this in the bookstore and I read it right there. Oh, how delightful and heartwarming. This is a great adoption story. I was adopted and I know who loves me best. I am also expecting for the first time and I want to get this book for my children so they can understand. I highly recommend this book.

My 5 year old niece loves all the Miss Spider books, and so does her grandmother. This would be a lovely book for children in difficult circumstances like foster care, or for adopted children who need reassurance that they're just as loved as can be.

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.

I work with children in foster and adoptive care and have found this book to be extraordinary during therapy sessions in helping children open up about feelings related to not being with birth parents. Many of the children relate well to being happy with an "everyday Mommy" who loves them best, even though they didn't start life in her tummy. I recommend the book to others who work with children and parents alike.

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.

"For finding your mother, there's one certain test. You must look for the creature who loves you the best."

I fail to see an unpleasant message there. A mother (a father, too) is the person who loves, nurtures, protects, educates and encourages their child as no one else does. Sometimes this is the biological mother....and sometimes it isn't. The relationship between a mother and child goes WAY beyond biology.

My 3 year old LOVES this book and was reciting the last page within 2 days. In fact, she insists SHE be able to "read" the last page when we're reading the book to her. After we read it, we asked her, "Who loves you the best?" She replied, "My mommy and my daddy."

Maybe I didn't give birth to her, but that doesn't mean I'm not her mother. This book reinforces the fact that genes alone are not the be all and end all of the mother/child relationship.

I'd recommend this book to any adoptive parent for their young children. It's wonderful.