Miss Spider's Wedding

Miss Spider

by David Kirk

Meeting the man of her dreams, Miss Spider prepares for and enjoys a beautiful wedding despite the scrutiny of her peers, in a story about accepting and appreciating differences. By the author of Miss Spider's Tea Party. BOMC Alt.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Poetry, Fiction, Romance, Fantasy

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1995

About the author

David Kirk is the creator of children's books that follow the character Miss Spider. Before writing books, he made colorful toys that were sold in hand-painted boxes. He was urged to write children's books when his toys caught the interest of a book packager. It wasn't difficult to figure out what he would use as characters in his stories: his daughter, Violet, had a liking for bugs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_K...


Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Sadie Forsythe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book came home with my Kindergardener from the school library. We read it together and while the artwork is beautiful and the lyrical text impressive the topical content disturbed me. Was this book really written for children? Lines like, "Is she a beauty? Is she rich? And is she in the mood...?" make me wonder. Obviously my 5 year old didn't grasp the implication of the question and the argument could possibly be made that the speaker meant in the mood for marriage, but we all know that's not what was meant. Further, May's inference that Miss Spider was somehow inadequate for not yet being married smacks of the antiquated idea that a woman's worth resides in her status as a wife. This is reinforced when May doesn't think Holley good enough for Miss Spider. She doesn't appear to be looking out for Miss Spider's happiness so much as her social status. And then there is the wedding. Holley coos over his bride's beauty and how proud he is to be marrying her. Miss Spider, however, is pleased that, "of all the spiders in the world, he chose to be with me." Leaving the impetus of power squarely in the hands of Holley, not herself. These are all ideals women had hoped were dying and I am disturbed to find them alive and well in children's books. I still give the book a three, however, because the art is gorgeous and my child did enjoy it.

[Tanya Wadley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to smile or laugh a little bit reading other reviews of this book... many have said it's not a children's book... that it is suggestive. It may be like some of the "children's" movies out there that contain adult humor that the kids don't get. To me, this book is very sweet and has a great message about real love and the value of a person being in who they are and not in their charm and looks.

The book has wonderful colorful illustrations... they are bright and fill each page.

The book is written in rhyming verse and is very clever.

We own this book and have loved it for years... I think I originally picked it up at a garage sale several years ago.

I love this verse in the dedication which is the same style as the entire book:
Perhaps perfection seems too bold
A word here to apply.
For once love penetrates the heart,
It spreads to cloud the eye.

Still we in blindness take a chance
And gladly join in Cupid's dance.
For every joyful heart has shown,
Perfection dwells in love alone.

And I like these parts too:
"Can any have the slightest doubt?" Chirps Holley with a smile,
"The fairest creature in the world Is walking down the aisle,
To be my own beloved bride, My joy and comfort, hope and pride!
I feel my life has just begun! Now she and I will be as one."

Then: "Oh see how handsome Holley looks!" Miss Spider sings with glee. Of all the spiders in the world, He chose to be with me.
We've found the place where love abides, And share the warmth that it provides. For all those who have found the way To savor life's most sweet bouquet."

And last of all: "How can we fully recognize The beauty seen through true love's eyes?

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended for a secondary school picture book library, I couldn't agree more. It's totally not a book for kids despite its gorgeous and vibrant illustrations. The themes, vocab, and writing style are perfect fodder for an upper middle school/high school group discussion and really, I can't see what, besides the rhyme and pictures, would be appropriate for young children here.

Points to ponder:
The nature of romantic love and healthy relationships
Abusive, unhealthy relationships
Outdated views on women and their place in society, including unfair expectations
Miss Spider's ability to break out of her role and expectations, and where it's clear she has more work to do
Stereotypes
Tools of manipulation

I'd use this in a Health class in a unit on healthy/unhealthy romantic relationships.

[Athena · Rating 1 out of 5]

The recommended age for this book (by the publisher) is 4 to 8. The content of this book is not appropriate for this age.

This book is about a spider looking for a spouse. Her friend finds options for her, but one is so drunk that he can't crawl (in the picture, he is holding what looks like bottle of alcohol), one looks like he's smoking , and the other spider wonders "is she in the mood". One cannot sleep because he is "envisioning her fine assets" and "her gentle curves". It also talks about how "private moments between spiders should not be witnessed by outsiders".

The illustrations are vibrant and detailed, yes. Are the pictures appropriate for the young age range, debatable. The content, however, is most definitely not appropriate for kindergarten and first grade children.

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book so many times it is ingrained in my brain. From the moment it was published it was an absolute favorite amongst all the kids I have had the privileged to take care of and help raise. It will always be a favorite.

[Benjamin Minor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Begone handsome squidward looking freak spider - wonderful story of love

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved "Miss Spider's Tea Party." But I'm becoming more and more disenchanted with David Kirks books. His illustrations are out of this world. His text leaves much to be desired.

Take this one, for example: "Miss Spider's Wedding." The text is long and drawn-out and in most cases is not child friendly or appropriate. What child knows what a "pantywaist" is? What parent wants to explain it to their youngster? There's also discussion of a drunk bug: "This fellow here, for instance, is no proper type at all. He's drunk so much petunia wine, he's hardly fit to crawl."

Kirk's rhymes aren't consistent in this book. His rhyming style changes betwen versus, therefore making it difficult to read because readers lose their rhythm.

Stick with the original.

[Pam · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't believe this has such a high rating. It was terrible!

[Jocelyn Sanchez · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stuck between a 1 and 2 star, so rating it 1.5 stars.

This shouldn't be read to kids. It alludes to sex multiple times, shuns woman for not being wed and insinuates that a woman's worth is tied to that of a man, the book made multiple comments about how Holley is smaller than Miss Spider (as well as awkward and sweet) and thus not worthy, but when Holley mentions what he loves about Miss Spider he can only recount her beauty only (*eye-roll* not shallow at all), and the antagonist of the book - outside all of Miss Spider's "friends" - makes a comment about Miss Spider's appearance and mentions if she's "in the mood" as well as if she has money.

Furthermore, the writing style is just awful and the lines sometimes rhyme, but not always, which disrupts the flow of the story.

Just....who would want to read this book to a child? As an adult I didn't like reading it! Sends such a negative message altogether. Not even gonna keep this book in my library because it just gave me the ick.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Miss Spider series stands out in my memory from children's books I read when I was younger. The illustrations are shockingly bold in color, shape, and some creepy-looking bugs (specifically the white male spider)! The art style is so original it really can't be mistaken for anything else.

I don't believe I've read this particular book in the series until today. There were sweet moments as Miss Spider and Holly were falling in love but it also felt a bit long and not totally enjoyable as there were characters who were annoying, frankly, like Miss Spider's meddling friend who introduces the creep. And then the creep! His long white face still haunts me sometimes, years later.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This enchanting tale is the story of the meeting, the courtship, and the wedding of Miss Spider and Holley Spider.

As the story unfolds, young readers will meet the friends of the couple and will help them prepare for their special day. Delightful illustrations depicting the world of Miss Spider and Holley Spider accompany the narrative, written in verse, of this pleasant children’s story.

Recommended.

[Gill · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is terrible! We didn’t make it through the entire book and I skipped a lot! The “romance” in this story is not kid appropriate. There is a supporting character Mae that says things about how Miss Spider needs to hurry up and get married. I’m sure this character is proven wrong in the end.... but I will not reinforce the idea that women need to get married AND by a certain age. And the “attraction” and suggestiveness is stomach curling.

[Michelle Rosales · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book should be read by 6th graders because by then they read a lot of words and this book has a lot of words. I also think this book is a little inappropriate for little kids because some of the images show spiders drinking, smoking, and fighting and that is not a thing to show kids, but other than that the book was a little weird towards the ending too because Miss Spider saved another spider from being killed and then they got married.

[Carol Torres]

This fictional book is great for students who have an interest in spiders and/or insects. It could also help some students who may have an aversion to insects by showing them that they are not always creepy. This book is very wordy and the vocabulary is definitely for older students so it would not be recommended that this book be given to emergent or early readers.

[Hillary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I re-read this out of nostalgia. I used to check out this book from my elementary school constantly. It was one of my favorite books.

I can say by the sheer quirkiness of the book alone, this is still one of my favorite books! The art is lovely with it's strange, dated style. It's wonderfully colorful and engaging.. Even being in my 20s, I had a good time re-reading it.

However, I wouldn't suggest this book for every kid. I didn't notice a lot when I was younger but there are a lot of.. Questionable and creepy things in this book. In fact, the copy I read had one of the scarier pages ripped entirely. Likely due to some poor kid getting frightened and tearing the page in half. That being said, kids can handle more mature things, so if you are cool with that for your kids then awesome! Go for it!

Thus, this would've been a 5 but I wouldn't suggest this for most kids.

[Megan Beaverson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Spiders wedding is written and illustrated by David Kirk and was published by Scholastic in 1995 it is fiction. This book is an excellent choice for a read aloud in a younger elementary classroom. The bright beautiful illustrations draw students in, and the rhyming verses would be an interesting story to hear aloud and would provide meaningful learning opportunities to learn about rhyme.

[Emmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to enjoy reading the Miss Spider books as a kid, but this was one that I don't recall reading before. It was an interesting read, feeling at once a bit mature, but also still a children's book. I'm not entirely sure how I would classify it except to say that it had a happy ending and was a cute read.

[K Spence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the other reviews here-wow! People really bring their own baggage don’t they? This book was 1 of my early grade school’s very favorite bedtime stories. Read it out loud to your kids. Do the voices. The prose & vocabulary used are magnificent & magical.

“Perhaps perfection seems too bold a word here to apply”

Nope. Not imho. A perfect children’s book.

[Bailee Ryckman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I could rate less than one. My 5 year old brought this home from his school library. It’s amazing to me that this book is even written for children. It is extremely suggestive and the imagery is grotesque in some portions. I didn’t get half way through the book before stopping. This book needs to be burned.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a weird little story. I can't tell who the audience for this is supposed to be - kids or their parents. The rhyming felt forced and like it was used to cover up the bad writing that didn't capture the story from a kids point of view very well.

Meh for me, but my five-year-old enjoyed it.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Miss Spider and Holley meet for the first time, it's true and real love at first sight. Although her busybody friend May thinks, she can find a better choice for Miss Spider, only Miss Spider knows her own heart in this rhyming poem of love's holiday.

[Jurene · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are always so alluring yet the stories always fall short for us. Whenever we read a David Kirk book, my kids say, "that story is for adults." And yet... I don't enjoy them either. The illustrations are the reason for the 3 stars.

[sb · Rating 1 out of 5]

not a fan of this one…. kinda creepy in that miss spider falls for a guy and another guy wants her and her house so decides to kill miss spider’s love interest. well that’s scary. illustrations weren’t as exciting and colorful as expected from the cover; it’s a dark book!

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still my daughters favorite book!

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantasy

[Shira · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really don't know how I feel about this book. My 5.5yr old loves it.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, but long compared to the others that I have read.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations, but the text is completely inappropriate and disgusting for children

[Annie Jewell]

I thought this book was cute and the illustrations are very impressive.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a completely lovely storybook.