The Very Busy Spider

Every young child should be introduced to this story, as great a classic as its predecessor The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This colourful picture book describes a spider's day. Blown onto a farmyard fence, she starts to spin a web. The other animals ask if she wants to play, but in every case "The spider didn't answer. She was very busy spinning her web." The book is "touchable:" the strands of web and other elements are embossed onto the page and you can follow them with your fingertips. But the best thing by far is Carle's familiar--but still breathtaking--skill as an illustrator; his cow and goat and dog (just to mention three favourites) capture the essence of each animal in a way few artists can hope to approach. (Ages 0 to 4 years) --Richard Farr

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Great for practising animal noises - Rated
My son loves naming and doing each animal noise as we read the story. He also loves the spider and feeling the web that it spins, as well as the buzzing fly. Beautifully illustrated.

Beautiful Book - Rated
My 9 month old son has just discovered this and absolutely loves it. We have been reading the Very Hungry Caterpillar but he much prefers this (and I much prefer reading it to him). The text is very simple but not boring to read as there are different animal sounds on each page and a gentle twist at the end when the owl comes at night and the spider has fallen fast asleep. It is just the right length for him at this age as it holds his attention right to the end.

Beautifully illustrated simple book - Rated
I read this story to my 8 month old little girl and it is now her favourite. The animals are beautifully illustrated and the story is short enough to keep her attention. The tactile feel of the web means that she gets involved with the reading of the story. We all love it, espically as it keeps the tears away at cranky times of the day. Thank you Eric!!

Gorgeous. Simple. Easy to enjoy time and time again. - Rated
Farmyard animals and an easy pattern from one double page to the next. The fly is there to pick out on each page until it is caught in the spider's web. No avoiding the truth then.

The other day I took an unharried moment to look at that fly caught in the web. I'm spooked by its little face - those could be two human eyes and a human nose. Its little features remind me of the original version of the film 'The Fly.' This haunts me now, when the gnat-like thing with a man's head is caught in a web and cries out "help me, help me" in a high pitched squeak that is inaudible to the men sitting on a garden bench near-by. A spider scuttles over to feast on him. This observation is NOT something I'm about to share with the little ones, though should we scrutinise the illustration at some time one of them will make this observation.

Meanwhile we enjoy it, letting TBT (18 months) introduce the appropriate animal noise as each page is turned. As he familiarises himself with the pictures we encourage him to point at noses, ears and tails. Until recently he'd just say, 'thair' and point. Now he makes hesitant burblings which sound like 'owse,' and 'eeze.' Buy one now. Loved as much by boys as girls.