Seymour Simon is an award-winning author of science books for children, with an impressive list of over 200 books he has written. The book is rich with scientific detail, but no sources, bibliography, index, or photo annotations are included. Expert advice was provided by William Holmstrom, of the Department of Herpetology, Wildlife Conservation Society. There are more than two dozen photographs of spiders in the book, with no accompanying descriptions. This will doubtless be a source of frustration for most readers. School Library Journal (January 1, 2004) says �The lack of captions is disappointing, for not all of the creatures can be easily identified from the text.�
Simon�s writing style is conversational and written as if he is talking to children. He makes comparisons that are within the knowledge base of most children. �There are spiders that look like flowers and spiders that look like grapes. There are spiders with horns and spiders with spines. Some spiders even look like bird droppings!� When more scientific language is called for, he provides proper terms along with explanatory text. �Alongside a spider�s jaws are pedipalps, appendages used as feelers and to hold down prey.� He is able to relate spider accomplishments in human terms, which makes them more appreciable for children. �A jumping spider can leap a distance about 40 times the length of its own body. That would be like you jumping the length of two basketball courts and making a slam dunk.�
The photographs, included on every page, are the most compelling feature of the book. �This book's numerous color photos, often close-ups of spider species, are stunning and beautifully reproduced.� (Horn Book Guide, April 1, 2004) Closeups bring readers eye to eye with magnified images of spiders. Illustrations show spiders in camouflage, giving birth, secreting silk, spinning webs, mating, and eating their prey. Spiders are shown in a variety of habitats along with the different types of webs they create. The text of the book is printed in an interesting, slightly diaphanous font, suggesting that they might have been woven of spider�s silk.
Children who are budding bugologists will be fascinated by the information and photos in Spiders. Enough questions are raised within the book to provide plenty of stimulus for further reading. Those who are more squeamish about coming face-to-face with a hairy arachnid will be reassured to learn they are not as menacing as they feared. And knowing that these spiders will remain safely between the covers of this fascinating book will surely be a comfort, to children and adults alike.
Source
Books in Print [database online]. Available from http://www.booksinprint.com. Accessed 12 February 05.
Award
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award
Related Sites
Spiders
Arachnology
Seymour Simon
School of Library and Information Studies
TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY