#365PictureBooks 25. Aaaarrgghh, Spider! by Lydia Monks

Monks, L. (2013). Aaaarrgghh, Spider! London, UK: Egmont.

ISBN: 9781405210447
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 4 stars

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Poor Spider just wants to belong to a family.  The only problem is that she scares everyone so much that they just want to get rid of her.  What can she do to get a family of her own and be their pet?

Lydia Monks is the illustrator of Julia Donaldson's What the Ladybird Heard. 

Monk's has written and illustrated a most gorgeous story about belonging and finding a home of your own.  The story is told in short simple sentences that younger children will be able to understand.  There are two different fonts and sizes to differentiate between the spider talking and the people talking, and their tone of voice.  It is quite an effective way for children to start understanding how to follow a story and that different people can have a 'voice' in it.  

The illustrations are really bright.  They are a mix of full page images and pages with sequential  images (almost like a graphic novel).  This is a great way of getting the point across about time lapse and that things happen in a particular order.  Ohhh, and there are sparkles!!!  The front cover and a double-page spread towards the back have glitter to depict the spider webs.  Lovely!

The characters are very simply drawn but they are appropriate for the age group this book is aimed at.  The expressions on their faces are so true to life (especially if you are not a fan of spiders!), and even the spider's facial expressions are very easy to determine. 

I particularly like the first page where the room and everyone in it are upside down.  Or are they???  After all this IS a story about a spider, and where you usually find them?

What a lovely book to add to your collection.  Yes, it's about spiders, but at it's heart it is about belonging and being a part of a family.

I got my copy of Aaaarrgghh, Spider! from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.