Review of "The Very Busy Spider," by Eric Carle

 Review of

The Very Busy Spider, by Eric Carle ISBN 0399211667

Five out of five stars

A lesson in toil until the task is done

 A female spider is taken by the wind where she is attached to a post in a farmyard. Once she is connected, she begins spinning her web. Even though several animals walk by and try to engage the spider in other actions, she remains focused on the task at hand until it is complete. Only when the web is finished does she stop her work and rest.

 This is a valuable lesson to children, for the spider will not eat until the web is complete and she can catch insects for food. The animals serve as distractors, but they are ignored, even though they are quite polite in their statements.

 One additional feature of this book is that the growing spider web is slightly elevated so the reader can run their hand across the pages and feel it. A very valuable addition to the sensory experience. This is a great book for children, and it is one that I would have read to my daughter when she was young.