Once I Knew a Spider

by Jennifer Owings Dewey, Jean Cassels (Illustrator)

"One day a spider appeared on the window ledge outside the glass. Right away she began to spin a web. "
Thus begins an inspiring true story—a story of an expectant mother who develops an unexpected relationship with the spider that makes a home outside her window. As the summer and the mother's pregnancy progress, the spider is beginning its own circle of life. From its first graceful web, to its creation of a delicate egg sac, the spider lives through the fall season, and what should be the end of its life. But by a small miracle of nature, the orb weaver endures the snow and the winter, and stays with her eggs until spring.
This gentle story with strikingly detailed illustrations reveals the exceptional magic in the everyday world, and how it can touch our lives. The parallel stories of the human mother and the spider show how stopping to observe nature can allow you to witness everyday miracles. Additional in-depth information on spiders is included in an afterword.

Genres: Childrens

Hardcover

First published April 1, 2002

About the author

Jennifer Owings Dewey is a prolific writer and illustrator of children's books, most recently Antarctica: A Journal of Days. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Reviews

[Rachel Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

My art teacher, Jean Cassels, from the New Orleans Academy of Fine Art illustrated this book and used my friend Devora and her hubby to be the model. It looks just like them! Jean Cassels is an incredible artist!

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now, I don't like spiders, but the story intrigued me so I read it. The story is alright. I liked the woman with her baby and the spider and her babies comparison. The illustrations are alright too. They have great colors and the textures are nice too.

[Kelsie Drake · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the concept of this book was really sweet. I just don't like spiders at all so it was a bit gross to me

[Libby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm torn about this book. It is a clever way to talk about the life cycle of a spider, but I didn't find the illustrations or the writing particularly memorable. This book is much too advanced for my 20-mo-old son, for sure, though unless he develops an intense interest in spiders (in several years... maybe 5?) I doubt I'll seek to check this out again.