''The Spider and the Fly'' is a

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...

published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on October 1, 2002. The author and illustrator,

Tony DiTerlizzi Tony M. DiTerlizzi (born September 6, 1969) is an American fantasy artist, children's book creator, and motion picture producer. In the gaming industry, he is best known for his work in the collectible card game ''Magic: The Gathering'' and on ...

, based this book on a

poem Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...

Mary Howitt Mary Howitt (12 March 1799-30 January 1888) was an English poet, the author of the famous poem '' The Spider and the Fly''. She translated several tales by Hans Christian Andersen. Some of her works were written in conjunction with her husband, ...

originally written in 1829. ''The Spider and the Fly'' became a

Caldecott Honor The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...

book in 2003.

Description

''The Spider and the Fly'' presents the 1829 poem of the same name, composed by

, as a picture book, illustrated by

. The book was published in 2002 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. The book contains 40 pages and is intended for children ages 5 and up. The plot is conveyed by a series of monochrome drawings, which set the events around the eponymous spider's home.

Plot summary

The poem describes a

spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

's ultimately successful attempts to entice a

fly Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...

into her home, apparently with iniquitous motive. The Fly is constantly warned by spirits of the Spider's previous victims, but she does not listen. The Fly, initially hesitant, is eventually won over by flattery; "'Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead!'", and is eaten by the Spider.

Characters and themes

As the title suggests, the main characters are a Spider and a Fly. The illustrator also incorporates as images ghosts of the Spider's past victims. The book retains the original poem's function as a

cautionary tale A cautionary tale is a tale told in folklore to warn its listener of a danger. There are three essential parts to a cautionary tale, though they can be introduced in a large variety of ways. First, a taboo or prohibition is stated: some act, lo ...

, warning the reader against vanity as a quality readily manipulable by others for nefarious purposes.

Critical reception

''The Spider and the Fly'' met with critical acclaim. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' praised it as a "a visual treat", and for its appeal to "young sophisticates and kids alike". ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' also approved, believing it able to "explicate the metaphor", yet not "diminish oung readers'pleasure in the grisly doings one bit."

Awards

*2003

Book

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spider and the Fly, The 2002 children's books American picture books Caldecott Honor-winning works Children's books about insects Children's books about spiders