Miss Spider's Abc Book (Hardcover)

~ (Illustrator) "Ants await..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

David Kirk's in-your-face, electrically charged illustrations will excite any young reader grappling with the challenges of the alphabet. From ants to the zebra butterfly, Miss Spider's friends prepare for her giant surprise birthday party: "Bumblebees blow balloons.... Earthworms entertain.... Fireflies fandango.... Moths mingle.... Owlflies ogle." This visually arresting alphabet throws open the doors of imagination, inviting children to learn their letters, insects, and colors in one fabulous package. It's hard to believe an alphabet book could actually tell a story, but this one succeeds, splendidly. Emotions play on the faces of Miss Spider and her friends, telling of anticipation, excitement, and joy. Fans of Kirk's other bestselling Miss Spider books (Miss Spider's Tea Party, Miss Spider's Wedding, and Miss Spider's New Car) will gleefully welcome Miss Spider's ABC. (Click to see a sample spread. Copyright © 1998 by Callaway & Kirk Company LLC. Permission by Scholastic Press.) (Ages 4 and older) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

Celebration is de rigueur among Miss Spider's friends, and this ebullient primer shows party preparations in progress from A to Z: "Bumblebees blow balloons./ Caterpillars circle/ dragonfly decorations." All sorts of insects assist, from moths whose white- and black-spotted wings resemble velvety floor-length capes to termites who tote colorful wrapped presents in their mandibles. At the end of the sequence, Miss Spider floats in on the back of a striped Zebra butterfly and receives a welcoming shout of "Happy Birthday!" from the buggy assembly. Kirk (Miss Spider's New Car) sets the activity in a flowery garden and a hornets' nest; he substitutes gently waving antennae for paper streamers in the closing scene. His dew-bright oil paintings glow with the fluorescent yellow-green of fandango-ing fireflies, shades of backlit midnight-blue and lush lavender-rose hues. Each oversize letter of the alphabet appears near the text, so that readers have an easy reference point as they scan the vivid artwork. Devotees will detect their returning favorites: Holley hides among the "smiling spiders" taking shelter beneath the red roses, and May and Ike greet the termites beside the "very vivid violets." Kirk's witty rhymes and the ever polite Miss Spider's hostessing talents are absent this time around, but the juiced-up, color-saturated illustrations are thrilling all the same. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Baby-Preschool
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1st edition (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590282794
• ISBN-13: 978-0590282796
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #180,940 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book is wonderful!, December 7, 1999

By	Harlan Onofre (USA) - See all my reviews

This book has the best colors that I have ever seen. My Daughter loves it. I will get the rest of David Kirks books for her!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent alphabet and birthday story, March 9, 1999

By A Customer

we gave miss spiders abc to our daughter for her first birthday. the paintings are so bright and active...unlike those in any other book, that she loves them. she's also started to learn her abc's, and the words happy birthday.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, but..., May 11, 2003

By	Virginia Lore "rumtussle" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Miss Spider's ABC (Board Book) (Board book)

This is a wonderful ABC. David Kirk's illustrations are vivid and consume the whole page with color. His text is poetic (eg, termites tunnel underneath very vivid violets). I have only two small criticisms:

1. The alphabet letters are highly stylized. Very young children may have difficulty recognizing them because of the extra curlicues and whatnot.

2. My copy of this book had two W and X pages, but no Y and Z page. Obviously I'd like my children to learn the last two letters of the alphabet as well as the first 24.

Because of David Kirk's beautiful style, however, I still read this to my children several times a day. They love Miss Spider and the world of tiny bugs she inhabits.