I'm Trying to Love Spiders

Starred review from April 27, 2015
Here’s a guide to spiders that acknowledges that arachnids can be difficult to cozy up to. In the attempt to study them closely, Barton (This Monster Cannot Wait!) admits, bad things may happen. Sometimes the narrator’s fear gets the better of her: “Oh my gosh! There’s a spider stuck on there! Smash it! Squish it! Get it right now!” The next page reveals a black blot in the center of an otherwise spotless page. “We’re not very good at loving spiders just yet,” Barton concedes. She hikes through the landscape of spider facts, covering the bad news honestly (the “totally gross” extended arachnid family of ticks and scorpions, the way spiders liquefy their food) while also praising spiders’ more impressive attributes, such as silk they spin into webs. “That’s like you and me building a house with our hair,” she gushes. “And then catching food on it.” Big, black brushstrokes give the illustrations and text the impact of still-wet pages, as if they’d just been completed. The skillful juggling of scientific fact and emotional truth make this a winner. Ages 4–8. Agent Stephen Barr, Writers House.

Starred review from April 1, 2015
What if "trying" not to hate spiders doesn't quite cut it? Barton's Jekyll-Hyde treatise on the much-maligned Araneae features splat marks throughout in mute testimony of the narrator's failure to come to terms with the positive attributes of her nemesis. The endpapers boast a colorful representation of these eight-legged phobia-targets, while the text offers accessible, classroom-friendly factoids. There is no name for the type used-because there is no type used. Wild, freehand lettering screams at readers in direct proportion to the escalating hysteria generated by spiders ambling across exclamation point-splattered pages. As the narrator shudders toward detente, (most) readers will gradually acquire a burgeoning respect for these industrious arthropods. After all, each spider on the planet (if not squished) can be responsible for eliminating over 75 pounds of bugs in a single year! They walk on ceilings thanks to their scopulae (look it up), and they are sneaky stealth masters. Spiders are "BUG NINJAS." Barton's wacky ink and digital artwork is simultaneously cringe-worthy and cackle-inducing-and very splattery. Both arachnophobes and arachnophiles will find useful debate fodder squashed within these pages. (Picture book. 3-12)

June 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-This informational picture book takes an amusing and novel approach. An unseen arachnophobe relates a series of fascinating facts about spiders (their appearance and anatomy, their eating habits, venomous spiders, and more) as she attempts to talk herself out of her fear after she encounters one. An outline of her hand appears repeatedly, as she contemplates squashing the creature, but she ultimately praises the arachnids for their impressive web spinning talents and their habit of consuming insects harmful to humans. The presentation is original and engaging, with a zippy text and hilarious visuals. The cartoon illustrations are appealingly childlike, with the font a hand-written scrawl, and the spiders depicted are downright cuddly. Solid material on spiders is cleverly woven into the narrative, and fun facts about different spider varieties are incorporated into the endpapers, though the content here isn't comprehensive enough for report writing. Nonetheless, the presentation is original and engaging. VERDICT A creative addition to animal collections. Pair with Elise Gravel's "Disgusting Creatures" (Tundra) books for a fun lesson plan.-Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2015
Grades K-2 Barton argues that she, and everyone else, should try to love spiders. At the same time, she demonstrates the humorous and irresistible impulse to squish any spider she meets. Several times, she presents a spider on one page and an inky blot on the next, which can only be the squished remains of the many-legged victim. Barton spouts facts about the different varieties of spiders and the good they can do (they can eat up to 75 pounds of insects a year, for example); their splendid physiognomy (including eight eyes); and their web-building prowess. At the same time, Barton invites the reader, in bold red ink, to squish the spider on the page. Barton explores why it's hard to love spiders, chiefly because of their venom, showcasing Wanted posters of the deadly black widow spider and brown recluse spideryet she assures readers that fatal bites are incredibly rare. Watercolor-like splotches form the background for the spiders, who actually look hapless and cute. Fact-filled and funny arachnology.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)