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Sammy Spider
Sammy Spider's First Passover
When Sammy Spider's web gets swept away during the Shapiro family's Passover cleaning, his mother decides spring is a perfect time to make a new web. As Sammy learns to spin, he gets involved in the Passover seder and plays an important role in the success of the holiday meal. “An adorable story with vibrant cut-out illustrations and a surprise ending. The whole family will enjoy this charming story. . . . ” ―Parent Council
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
3 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 20, 2020
Sammy Spider was fast asleep in his web high up on the Shapiros' living room ceiling. As the warm spring sun shone through an open window, Sammy snuggled deeper into his cozy web.
This is not only a book about Passover, it is about shapes! LOL Dual-purpose, I guess.
Sammy Spider is intensely curious about Passover, which is taking place in the house he lives in. Simultaneously, Mrs. Spider is trying to teach him how to spin a web.
The whole thing starts when Mr. Shapiro starts cleaning with a broom.
A sudden swishing noise startled him awake.
"Mother!" he screamed. "A monster has broken our web!"
Mrs. Spider cuddles and comforts him and explains that Mr. Shapiro is simply doing the special cleaning to prepare for Passover.
"Springtime is a perfect time for us to make a new web."
But Sammy doesn't know how to make a web. His mother assures him that she will teach him.
"Will we celebrate Passover, too?" asked Sammy.
"Silly little Sammy," laughed Mrs. Spider. "Spiders don't celebrate Passover. Spiders spin webs."
She teaches him (and the child reader) how to make a square.
But Sammy wasn't listening ."What is Mr. Shapiro putting on the table?" he asked.
"That's called matzah," Mrs. Spider replied. "Tonight is the first night of Passover, and the Shapiros will have a special meal called a seder."
We see that the matzah is shaped like a square.
Mrs. Shapiro brings in the seder plate. (This is shaped like a CIRCLE.) Sammy asks if spiders eat special foods for Passover.
"Silly little Sammy," answered his mother. "Spiders don't celebrate Passover. Spiders eat flies and other insects. To catch them we spin a web, and I need your help. Watch me attach a circle to the inside of our web."
Sammy ignores her and dangles down above the seder. Mr. Shapiro breaks the matzah in half and wraps one half in a bright red napkin and hides it. (The matzah is now in the shape of a TRIANGLE). Mrs. Spider explains.
"It's called the afikomen," Mrs. Spider answered. "After the meal, Josh will try to find it. If he does, he'll get a prize."
Sammy wants to play, too, but gets the same response.
"Silly little Sammy," said his mother. "Spiders don't celebrate Passover. Spiders spin webs."
But, sensing her son's distraction, Mrs. Spider sighs and gives up. She allows him to watch the seder.
Sammy quickly crossed the ceiling and stopped right above the bookshelf, as Josh finished reciting the Four Questions. He listened as the family sang Passover songs and took turns reading the story of Moses, who led the Jews to freedom.
Finally, Josh starts looking all over the house for the afikomen. Sammy wants to help, but remembers his mother repeating: "Spiders don't celebrate Passover."
When Josh nears the place where his father hid the afikomen, he sees an amazing spider web, with a Jewish star inside. This clues him in to where Mr. Shapiro hid the afikomen. He's very excited to find it.
Sammy glowed with pride. "I did it, Mother! I helped Josh find the afikomen."
"And you also spun a beautiful web," Mrs. Spider answered. "You used all the shapes I taught you."
In his excitement, Sammy didn't even know that he had spun a web. As he looked back at the bookshelf, he beamed. "It was easy, Mother! You make a square, a circle, and a triangle. Then you PASS OVER with another triangle. That's how spiders celebrate Passover!"
THE END.
Okay. I quite enjoyed this little book. However, it is neither a complete shape book nor a complete Passover book. I would prefer a book which explained which foods are on the seder plate and why. I also want it to touch on the Four Questions and the religious backstory for celebrating Passover.
I'm glad Sammy found a way to celebrate Passover, even if his mother was dampening his spirits.
The only shapes covered are triangles, circles, and squares. I find this inadequate.
The illustrations are collage, it is fun.
I just want to let you know that Rouss has a whole series like this:
Sammy Spider's First Hanukkah
Sammy Spider's First Haggadah
Sammy Spider's First Purim
Sammy Spider's First Shabbat
Sammy Spider's First Sukkot
Sammy Spider's First Shavuot
Sammy Spider's First Rosh Hashanah
Sammy Spider's New Friend
Sammy Spider's First Mitzvah
Sammy Spider's First Yom Kippur
Sammy Spider's First Day of School
Sammy Spider's First Trip to Israel
Sammy Spider's First Tu B'Shevat
Sammy Spider's First Simchat Torah (Sukkot & Simchat Torah)
I think that's it.
Tl;dr - I would appreciate a book about Passover that was a tiny bit more thorough and involved. If you are going to involve shapes, fine, but this seems a little halfhearted. I highly suggest it for YOUNG children, although be prepared to answer lots of questions. Especially about spiders snuggling and raising children. Everyone knows spiders are not very cuddly and do not raise their children as mammals do.
Also, I want to note, the spiders look HUGE in this. I'm unsure if it is just a perspective problem... but if I saw spiders that size in my house I would be freaking out. And I like spiders. But these are HUGE.
Ages 4 and under.
P.S. Where are the hundreds of brothers and sisters that Sammy would have IRL? How did Sammy come to be an only child? I shudder to think.
This is not only a book about Passover, it is about shapes! LOL Dual-purpose, I guess.
Sammy Spider is intensely curious about Passover, which is taking place in the house he lives in. Simultaneously, Mrs. Spider is trying to teach him how to spin a web.
The whole thing starts when Mr. Shapiro starts cleaning with a broom.
A sudden swishing noise startled him awake.
"Mother!" he screamed. "A monster has broken our web!"
Mrs. Spider cuddles and comforts him and explains that Mr. Shapiro is simply doing the special cleaning to prepare for Passover.
"Springtime is a perfect time for us to make a new web."
But Sammy doesn't know how to make a web. His mother assures him that she will teach him.
"Will we celebrate Passover, too?" asked Sammy.
"Silly little Sammy," laughed Mrs. Spider. "Spiders don't celebrate Passover. Spiders spin webs."
She teaches him (and the child reader) how to make a square.
But Sammy wasn't listening ."What is Mr. Shapiro putting on the table?" he asked.
"That's called matzah," Mrs. Spider replied. "Tonight is the first night of Passover, and the Shapiros will have a special meal called a seder."
We see that the matzah is shaped like a square.
Mrs. Shapiro brings in the seder plate. (This is shaped like a CIRCLE.) Sammy asks if spiders eat special foods for Passover.
"Silly little Sammy," answered his mother. "Spiders don't celebrate Passover. Spiders eat flies and other insects. To catch them we spin a web, and I need your help. Watch me attach a circle to the inside of our web."
Sammy ignores her and dangles down above the seder. Mr. Shapiro breaks the matzah in half and wraps one half in a bright red napkin and hides it. (The matzah is now in the shape of a TRIANGLE). Mrs. Spider explains.
"It's called the afikomen," Mrs. Spider answered. "After the meal, Josh will try to find it. If he does, he'll get a prize."
Sammy wants to play, too, but gets the same response.
"Silly little Sammy," said his mother. "Spiders don't celebrate Passover. Spiders spin webs."
But, sensing her son's distraction, Mrs. Spider sighs and gives up. She allows him to watch the seder.
Sammy quickly crossed the ceiling and stopped right above the bookshelf, as Josh finished reciting the Four Questions. He listened as the family sang Passover songs and took turns reading the story of Moses, who led the Jews to freedom.
Finally, Josh starts looking all over the house for the afikomen. Sammy wants to help, but remembers his mother repeating: "Spiders don't celebrate Passover."
When Josh nears the place where his father hid the afikomen, he sees an amazing spider web, with a Jewish star inside. This clues him in to where Mr. Shapiro hid the afikomen. He's very excited to find it.
Sammy glowed with pride. "I did it, Mother! I helped Josh find the afikomen."
"And you also spun a beautiful web," Mrs. Spider answered. "You used all the shapes I taught you."
In his excitement, Sammy didn't even know that he had spun a web. As he looked back at the bookshelf, he beamed. "It was easy, Mother! You make a square, a circle, and a triangle. Then you PASS OVER with another triangle. That's how spiders celebrate Passover!"
THE END.
Okay. I quite enjoyed this little book. However, it is neither a complete shape book nor a complete Passover book. I would prefer a book which explained which foods are on the seder plate and why. I also want it to touch on the Four Questions and the religious backstory for celebrating Passover.
I'm glad Sammy found a way to celebrate Passover, even if his mother was dampening his spirits.
The only shapes covered are triangles, circles, and squares. I find this inadequate.
The illustrations are collage, it is fun.
I just want to let you know that Rouss has a whole series like this:
Sammy Spider's First Hanukkah
Sammy Spider's First Haggadah
Sammy Spider's First Purim
Sammy Spider's First Shabbat
Sammy Spider's First Sukkot
Sammy Spider's First Shavuot
Sammy Spider's First Rosh Hashanah
Sammy Spider's New Friend
Sammy Spider's First Mitzvah
Sammy Spider's First Yom Kippur
Sammy Spider's First Day of School
Sammy Spider's First Trip to Israel
Sammy Spider's First Tu B'Shevat
Sammy Spider's First Simchat Torah (Sukkot & Simchat Torah)
I think that's it.
Tl;dr - I would appreciate a book about Passover that was a tiny bit more thorough and involved. If you are going to involve shapes, fine, but this seems a little halfhearted. I highly suggest it for YOUNG children, although be prepared to answer lots of questions. Especially about spiders snuggling and raising children. Everyone knows spiders are not very cuddly and do not raise their children as mammals do.
Also, I want to note, the spiders look HUGE in this. I'm unsure if it is just a perspective problem... but if I saw spiders that size in my house I would be freaking out. And I like spiders. But these are HUGE.
Ages 4 and under.
P.S. Where are the hundreds of brothers and sisters that Sammy would have IRL? How did Sammy come to be an only child? I shudder to think.
April 9, 2025
Sammy Spider has been teaching Jewish children about the holidays for over thirty years. Sammy loves to watch the shapiros as they celebrate a holiday. He wants to join in but mother always says."Silly Sammy,spiders don't celebrate (the holiday), spiders spin webs. Kids love chanting the refrain. The colorful illustrations are unique and enchanting. We have a copy of Sammy Spider's First Hanukkah that I would read with my children every year. I recently asked the publisher, Kar-Ben, for electronic review copies of a few Passover books and I read them with my three year old grandson today. He loved chanting the "Silly Sammy" saying as much as his mom had. I immediately got online and bought both this book and Sammy Spider's First Haggadah, and I look forward to reading them for years to come.
May 18, 2018
Great book that relates well to teaching about Passover and shapes.
December 10, 2020
A great read for Passover for young children.
April 16, 2022
Adorable Pesach story! Can't wait to read the other Sammy Spider books!
June 1, 2014
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I received no compensation and this did not affect my review in any way.
Sammy Spider's First Passover was very reminiscent of picture book like Eric Carle and Bill Martin Jr. This was a simple, read-aloud book that my children both enjoyed. We do not celebrate Passover, but we feel it is important to exposure our children to other cultures and their experiences.
Sammy Spider's First Passover was very reminiscent of picture book like Eric Carle and Bill Martin Jr. This was a simple, read-aloud book that my children both enjoyed. We do not celebrate Passover, but we feel it is important to exposure our children to other cultures and their experiences.
April 20, 2014
Cute book for young children about shapes and about Passover. Nice, colorful illustrations and colorful shapes illustrate this story about Sammy, a young spider who learns how to spin a web while watching a family observe Passover. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.
March 17, 2012
Cute story for children. There are lots of colors and shapes and they introduce the idea of Passover in a very simple manner.
March 9, 2023
It’s official. . . Pesach is coming. Not going to pretend I didn’t have some heart palpitations reading it to my students the day after Purim.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews