The Spider and the Fly

Taking the famous English children's poem, "The Spider and the Fly," as his text, talented American artist Tony DiTerlizzi creates an immensely engaging picture-book, one which was chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book in 2003. The poem itself tells the tale of a cunning spider who manages to eventually capture his prey, using a judicious mixture of flattery and tempting offers of refreshment and rest. The artwork, created using gouache and pencil and reproduced in silver and black duotone, with graphite ghosts superimposed upon the paintings later, captures the creepy thrills of the story unfolding in the text...

Originally published in 1829, Mary Howitt's poem was penned as a fabular warning to her children, regarding the dangers they might show more encounter from those who speak sweet words, but have ill intentions. I appreciated the fact that the full poem is reproduced here, with no changes, save for Americanized spelling. I was expecting more of an adaptation, textually speaking, since the title page says this is "based on the poem by Mary Howitt," but having done a line by line comparison with the original, the only changes I could see were to the aforementioned spelling. Leaving that aside, the artwork here is just gorgeous, and well worthy of the Caldecott nod it received. Apparently inspired by the Hollywood horror films of the 1920s and 30s, it captures all the creepiness of the spider/fly exchanges, and creates a Gothic mansion backdrop for the spider's machinations. Recommended to anyone looking for spookier picture-books for children, with the proviso that they be aware that this one is a cautionary tale, and doesn't have a happy ending! show less

The cover art was what drew me to this book, when I first picked it up I didn't know it was a poetry book. I don't always go towards poetry books because sometimes they're harder to understand but I enjoyed this one. I loved the illustrations; I liked how they had a dark, scary look to them. The pictures make the reader question the spider's overall character. I liked the message this book had. You can't trust everyone, especially if you have your doubts about them, trust your gut. Throughout the book, the spider tried to convince the fly to come into his house and eat the dinner he prepared for them, but she refused and said that she'd heard stories about him eating other insects like flies. He laughs and continues to compliment her. show more She loves the compliments and gets caught up mentally and caught up in his web physically where he then eats her! I like how the spider also acknowledges the reader at the end and tells us about how not to get "trapped in some schemer's web." show less

Twisting this cautionary, morality poem into a nonfiction tale about how spiders catch their prey was a stroke of genius. Winner of a Caldecott Honor, DiTerlizzi's illustrations are wonderful and full of detail. The lines are lyrical, and the nonfiction connections elegant. In fact, the only reason I hesitate to give this book five stars is simply my concern about the message it sends when the creepy, scary male character successfully lures the glamorous, "silly" female character to her destruction with words of flattery. Even at the end, the moral of the story is that the fly deserved what came to her because she was foolish.
By itself, this book can stand as a cute tale about spiders and flies, and how one traps the other. However, show more one should watch the discussions generated by students, and the general content of similar themes present in the library as a whole, to avoid feeding into the "victim-blaming" trap. Essentially, this book attempts to prevent the tragedies described from happening to others by cautioning future victims rather than addressing future bullies.
These objections are not reason to remove access to the book, but are more things to keep in mind while teaching, and possibly to address in future lessons. Ex: "In the book, the spider eats the fly because that what spiders do. In our schools, is it ok to bully simply because that's what bullies do, or do we have to take responsibility for our bad choices? What's the difference between a spider bullying a fly and a kid bullying another kid?" show less

4yo took one look at the cover and said "too scary." And indeed, that is the point! Black-and-white illustrations in a noir style (inspired by Hollywood noir, Edward Gorey, Chaz Addams, and Tim Burton), along with the inevitable yet gruesome end of the poem, work perfectly together. A good read for Halloween time or for kids who love to feel the shivers.

This is based on a poem by Mary Howitt. Born in the year 1799, in Gloucestershire. England, she and her husband William Howitt authored 180 books. Mary was more well-known than her husband and Charles Dickens was a fan.

The incredible black and white illustrations of Tony DiTerlizzi give this book a spooky feeling. The poem tells the story of the fly who visits the spider. Known for his ability to talk others into visiting him at his abode where he plies the visitor with many comforts such as a soft bed to read the flies lovely little head, Then, he offers a tasty morsel from his pantry -- this is a huge bug on a large platter.

Next up is a beautiful long mirror from his parlor where she can gave upon her beauty. None of the offerings show more suited her, until flattery wove a magic web. Soon, the vain fly came flitting by. She gave in to his poetry of love. And, as the spider notes:

"And now, dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, flattering words I pray you ne'er give heed.

This Caldectott Honor award-winning book will remain in my library with other lovely illustrated books. show less

Tony DiTerlizzi's beautiful black and white pictures, inspired by the B-movie horror aesthetics of the 1950s, with both the spider and fly drawn to resemble prominent silver screen actors, use the original text of Mary Howitt's poem and add another timeless dimension to the story. The book was a Caldecott Honor book, and the enduring pages show that honor. The illustrator's epilogue from the perspective of the spider adds depth to the antagonist with a moral warning to readers that neither talks down to them or detracts for the message of the tale. The poem's structure and scheme remain intact by their placement on the page.

This is not only a lovely book, it's also incredibly wicked and funny. This is what every goth should read to their kid (or spouse) at night in bed.