The Eensy-Weensy Spider

From Publishers Weekly
Capering caterpillars and blooming spring flowers ornament this bouncy reprise of a nursery standby. The book opens with musical stanzas for "The Eensy-Weensy Spider," along with a diagram of hand and arm gestures to be performed by the singer. A carnation-pink spider climbs a crocus-blue waterspout, while subsequent spreads describe the eight-legged heroine's garden adventures, all in keeping with the original tune: "The eensy-weensy spider met a baby bug./ 'Hi!' said the spider and gave the bug a hug./ 'Ugh!' said the bug. 'Your hug is much too tight!'/ 'I'm sorry,' said the spider. 'I meant to be polite.' " Hoberman (A House Is a House for Me) invents everyday scenarios in which the spider interacts with her friendly insect neighbors (e.g., she gets assistance from a glow worm when the sun goes down). Westcott (I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly) conjures the cozy vignettes with dainty pen-and-ink outlines and fresh watercolor hues of daffodil yellow and misty green. The spider's mother sits down to a meal of curds and whey, and the eensy-weensy spider drifts off to sleep in a spun-silk hammock. These pleasing new stanzas extend a favorite song and lend personality to an indomitable creature who never lets a little rain get in her way. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
PreSchool-This expanded version of the popular hand rhyme takes the tiny spider on a series of further adventures. She skips out to play, meets a baby bug, takes a walk, goes for a swim with a frog, marches in a parade, falls and scrapes her knees, plops into a brook, buys new shoes (three pairs), follows a glowworm home in the dark, and falls asleep. "The eensy-weensy spider slept right through the night./When she awoke, the sun was shining bright./'Good,' said the spider, 'there isn't any rain!'/And the eensy-weensy spider went up the spout again." Whimsical, watercolor cartoons capture the lighthearted tone of the verse as they depict the spider and her insect friends' anthropomorphized world. This sprightly adaptation lends itself to singing aloud and is sure to be a hit.Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
The author-illustrator team behind Miss Mary Mack (1998) scores again with this rollicking, singsong poem that extends Eensy-Weensy's story beyond the drain pipe and through a spring day of adventures. Each passage of clever, entertaining rhymes scans to the rhythm of the song, which is reproduced on the first page and accompanied by instructions for hand and body motions. With her usual crayon-bright colors and charming detail, Westcott gives Eensy a strong personality all her own, which comes through clearly as she tumbles through a world of equally expressive insects and small animals. The day ends cozily, with Eensy snuggled into her mother's multiple arms, swinging in the web hammock. Few preschoolers are able to resist Eensy's short song. This long adaptation, filled with amusing action, is sure to become a perennial hit with them, too--and with parents and teachers as well. Gillian Engberg


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