Spiders!: Strange and Wonderful

Strange and Wonderful

by Laurence Pringle, Meryl Learnihan Henderson (Illustrator)

This latest installment in the popular Strange and Wonderful series introduces readers to spider species from all over the world--from the common garden spider to the elusive black widow. Pringle's comprehensive, lively, and informative text includes an overview of the many thousands of species in the world and describes spiders' habitats, physiology, mating habits, web-making, what and how they eat, and how they protect themselves from predators. It also explores why people are so frightened by spiders and shows that those fears are largely unfounded. Accompanied by Meryl Henderson's beautiful and illuminating paintings, this book perfectly hits the mark for budding entomologists. Includes a glossary, index, and further resources.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Nature

32 pages, Hardcover

Published October 10, 2017

Reviews

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

For kids who are fascinated with bugs of all sorts, this is a fact-filled book with plenty of detailed illustrations. There are explanations of what type of creatures are in the arachnid group and the difficulty of finding spider fossils because they don't have skeletons. The book begins with the observation that "As you read these words, there is probably a spider nearby." It is amazing to think that spiders exist on every continent but Antarctica, and the wide variety of sizes, habitats, and adaptations that help them survive around the world are incredible. Everything from trapdoor spiders to diving bell spiders are depicted, along with descriptions of various webs, how spiders lay their eggs, and how they catch their prey. There is also a discussion of arachnophobia, the place of spiders in food chains, and predators that eat spiders.

The watercolor illustrations show the shape of the webs, the various parts of the spider's leg, different arrangements of their eyes, and some of the amazing camouflage (disguised as poop, of all things!). There is a spread that shows a closeup of a spider with all the body parts and their functions described. Back matter includes a glossary, and a list of suggested books and websites to learn more.

Recommended for young naturalists who enjoy narrative descriptions of animals. I received a copy from the publisher for review purposes.

[Arminzerella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This overview of the diversity, abundance, and life cycles of spiders will leave readers with a sense of wonder about these (mostly) tiny creatures who populate nearly every corner of the world. Laurence Pringle includes some fascinating facts, too about various species - like the Diving Bell spider, which makes an underwater bubble nest in which it lives and raises its young. Illustrations are detailed colorful, but the large spider image that is used to describe spider anatomy could be better labeled. Still, this is an interesting and well-written introduction to spiders that presents them in a positive way (instead of TERRIFYING SPIDERS THAT WILL POISON YOUR FACE!).

[Qamar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keep doing such a great job with the book “Spiders! Strange and Wonderful” by Laurence Pringle. I’m so proud of how you understood everything and how special and beneficial spiders truly are. Like the book says that everything has some valuable aspect, you can be grateful for everything in the wild too. The next time we go to the park, we will definitely find a spider and its web and remember that all teasing creatures have a purpose in the world. Love, Mom and Dad.

[emyrose8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat book! The illustrations are great close ups of spiders. I learned a lot!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

We gave it one less star because it was disturbing according to Nat

[Mrs. Melaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This non-fiction entry is informative to the max, admirably providing readers insight into spiders’ “quiet, amazing lives”. Starting with features spiders share vs. what differs from their fellows in the arachnid class: scorpions, mites, and ticks, the majority of the book focuses on the “strange and wonderful” features of spiders, providing thoroughly illustrated fascinating facts. For instance, one arresting page displays seven oversized spider heads for comparison purposes! Another section describes different kinds of webs spiders make from funnel webs to the diving bell spider that uses an underwater web to store oxygen. A valuable addition to elementary classroom and school library collections.