Spiders

Synopsis - Spiders is a nonfiction book. Readers will learn where the name spider came from, characteristics, and how they live. Gibbons demonstrates the changes that spiders go through as they grow. She also examines the variety of webs that different spiders make. Finally, the reader will learn about ways spiders catch insects and the habits of some particularly unusual spiders. Evaluation - Spiders is a great informational book about a species that fascinates and scares children. The author, Gibbons, is an author of over 135 nonfiction books. She is not an expert in spiders, however she researches each topic prior to writing a book. The illustrations are colorful and engaging. They complement the story, adding a visual picture to the writing. Many illustrations also have labels to increase the reader's comprehension. The inclusion of real life photographs might have increased the educational value of the book. The book was written as a source of information about spiders for young children, ages four to about nine. Most of the text within the story is appropriate for the intended audience. The only area that might be hard for children to understand is the discussion about Greek Mythology and the origin of the word arachnid. There is no table of content or index within the story, but at the end of the book there is a page that offers interesting facts about spiders. This story is written for children in pre-kindergarten to third grade, although students writing reports or completing web quests in higher grade level might use the book as a source of information.

I read this book 2 years in a row for Spiders week at preschool. If you skip the history part, you're good! But its got a good reference book that is understandable at this age level. It talks about sizes, shapes and different webs. Very few non fiction books out there can be adapted for this age level with a variety of understanding---understanding this. But this is one of those books---and the kids love it too.