Spiders: Worldwide Webs

Science Comics

by Tait Howard

"Surf the web" with this volume of Science Comics, First Second’s action-packed nonfiction graphic novel series!

When a sister and brother agree to help a talking spider find her missing child, they don’t realize that it will take them on a journey across the globe! Along the way they’ll meet spiders who live in every environment imaginable, from their own backyard to the Australian Outback. Although they seem scary at first, once you learn why spiders have gotten such a bad reputation you’ll see that they are actually here to help!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Science, Nonfiction, Middle Grade, Nature, Comics, Animals

128 pages, Hardcover

Published June 22, 2021

About the author

Tait Howard is an artist and writer from the dreary Pacific Northwest. After graduating from the Savannah College of Art and Design he has illustrated for GE and American Greetings, shown work in galleries across the country, and has worked on a wide variety of comics for companies including Cartoon Network and Adult Swim.

Reviews

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4 I was pleasantly surprised by the informative content of this book. It was an enjoyable way to learn a lot of basic information about spiders . It had a cute storyline and the illustrations were wonderful.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fascinating subject, but as a person who really struggles looking at pictures of spiders, even beautifully rendered art of ones, this was a slooooow read. Learned a lot about spiders, though, and I so appreciate that this book exists.

[Lunita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its very informative about spiders 🕷️

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

TH1 found this at the library with the help of a librarian. Thank you random librarian. I myself hate spiders so, so much. So reading this book was rather nightmarish for me, but TH1 was SO excited about it and I love her so much, so I read it. And while most of it disturbed me or made me never want to go anywhere ever again, TH1 was enamored, and we did learn about some kind of cool things. I thought the spider that lives underwater by trapping air in it's hairs and then collecting it into a special bubble was kind of neat. It's super freaky and made me question ever entering a body of water again, but kind of cool too. And while the idea of spiders floating through the air is just so wrong, the fact that they harness the electrical currents is also kind of neat. But I never want to think about it again.

And then you have the portion on the babies. I HATE egg sacs and baby spiders even more than adult spiders. They freak me out. So reading that portion was a particular torture. And I learned new things about them that make them even worse. I can't. And of course this is the information that will stay seared into my brain for the rest of eternity.

The illustrations are awesome though, the layout easy to follow, and it is super informative. TH1 wants to see if we can find the one on sharks next, which would be MUCH easier and more enjoyable reading for me.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As if often the case with the Science Comics series, the framing story can be completely ignored. A young arachnophobe and his sister are shrunk and must learn about spiders from the friendly basement house spider. Sure, whatever.

The spider facts here are mind-blowing, even for an adult. I imagine curious kids would go apeshit for this. If anything, Spiders might be too dense with facts - it's definitely a longer, more detailed read than the usual Science Comic. But I totally dug it. Spiders can create underwater bubbles that exchange gases with the water! They can float not on the wind but on atmospheric variances between positive and negative charges! They extend their legs using blood rather than muscles!

So cool. All my years of safely transporting spiders out of the house because I instinctively knew they didn't deserve to die have been validated.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this was sort of a challenge to myself, since I really, really hate spiders. I don't think it helped. This is an extremely info dense Science Comic, and it honestly kind of dragged for me. Some of this stuff is extremely cool, and some of it felt repetitive. I think the subject matter was just the exact opposite of a fit for me, and the framing device didn't really work, either. We have a talking spider, and she starts off trying to get one of the human characters to stop fearing spiders, then it turns into a search for one of her children, but that motive just doesn't make any sense. Nor does it make sense that they suddenly use spider silk to catch a lift from somewhere in North America to Australia, or that a tarantula gives them a ride from the Amazon home. If the travel had felt fantastical before that, I probably could have gone along, but it's a big tonal shift.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sister and brother venturing into their basement meet a common house spider who introduces them to spider anatomy, and takes them on a world tour to meet different types of spiders.

I don't mind spiders, but I can see this being a challenging read to those who hate them. It does take some of the myth out of the fear, though, so if they can read it, it might be helpful. A nice introduction to the world of spiders and the many types that exist. I like that it also mentions the stuff they are doing with genetics and goats to produce spider milk. The former bio teacher geeks out about that kind of stuff. This is presented as a fictional premise, but it is loaded with so much nonfiction information I'm shelving it in nonfiction.

[Benjamin]

How? Another Science Comics. Have we read them all? No! Also they have their DIY and History comics lines.

What? Two kids -- one excited by spiders, the other bugged by them -- get shrunk by a spider scientist who has lost their kid. So they go on an adventure and learn all about spiders: how they spin silk, how they hunt, how big they are, how they lay eggs, etc. There are many, big, colorful pictures of spiders in here.

Yeah, so? I enjoyed this, but (a) I have a high threshold for being icked out by pictures of spiders and (b) we put this down for weeks because we started to reread Calvin and Hobbes. So: educational, maybe not as thrilling as a maladjusted little ASBO running around.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vivid illustrations and an entertaining story line make this a perfect way to learn more about arachnids. Siblings are told to clean the basement where they encounter a spider looking for one of her lost children. They begin a journey around the globe that will teach them about a variety of spiders in many different environments from their neighborhood all the way to the Australian outback.

[Jak Krumholtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter introduced me to this book and we really enjoyed reading it together. The information density without feeling dense is incredible.

Years ago I'd skimmed another of the series and was impressed but now I want to read them all. Her and I put way to many of these on hold at the library this evening, lol.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. The framing was just a little bit silly but basically worked. There was a lot of information dumped but it never felt like too much. And we got to all over the world. Good writing, good enough art. This never quite got lost in the details. It could have gone deeper, say into chemistry or genetics but instead it seemed like a fairly broad spider survey with interesting details.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this illustrated approach to science education. There was so much information in bold color on the page. The story that acted as a vehicle was fine, but I could not wait to get to the well illustrated factual pages.

This is a lovely series and I am excited for younger readers to get pulled into a colorful world of science facts.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot reading this with Zander. I could have used some more pronunciation guides for all the scientific names, but we did our best. It was really exhaustive, I was surprised! But we just read little chunks each night and it was just right.

[Johanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

A rare misstep for the Science Comics line. Boring, a struggle to get through, overwhelming in its facts. The story, instead of giving the reader ways to remember the sheer amount of information tossed out, falls flat, with a lot not followed up on.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learn all about spiders in this graphic novel book filled to the brim with spider facts. The information presented is just right and bite-sized. I don't like spiders or any other bug for that matter, but I was able to enjoy this book and the breadth of information on spiders that was provided.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool. Might not make spider haters suddenly love the creatures but you can't help but be impressed with the things spiders can do. Very recommended.

[wildct2003 · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better books in the series. Engaging information and a great storyline.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating facts.

[Deke Moulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute illustrations that carry from cartoon to realistic, with lots of information interspersed with jokes and humor to keep kids interested.

[Grace Downey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing, informative read about the greatest animals on the planet ;)

[Gage Addams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute and informative

[Rainbow Bay Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7VEv...

[blueygurl2016 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, not my favorite. I didn’t realize there are so many different kinds of webs; that’s neat. But overall this one was just not interesting to me.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute concept and valid science.

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book. It had a great story to real information ratio. I am happy to say that I learned some facts from this book! Also the spiders were really well drawn.