[.ca] Scholastic Reader: Miss Spider's New Car: Level 1 (ISBN 043983306X)

From Amazon.com:
David Kirk, creator of the bestselling favorites Miss Spider's Tea Party and Miss Spider's Wedding, has created another deliciously quirky, rhyming Miss Spider adventure. This time the amiable arachnid is car-shopping with her husband Holley. At Mantis Motors, a praying mantis named Mik is a used car sales-insect: "Mik Mantis crooned, 'This honey runs/On Nectar from a flower./Its two-stem engine is equipped/With turbo-bumble power,/And capable of reaching speeds/Near ninety yards per hour!'" Miss (or is it now Mrs.?) Spider and Holley explore other car lots (including Meg's Wings n' Things) and encounter a few near misses, but all ends well thanks to the help of benevolent Moth Sue. The book's clever and original verse is laced with subtle ironies that won't be lost on you or your little ones; in the first spread, for example, a note arrives "snail mail," because the postal carrier is a snail. Kirk's exuberant, luminous colors and hilarious, cartoonish depictions of the bug world are truly wonderful. Miss Spider's New Car is the perfect book for any child who loves cars or bugs--not to mention a clever gift for any adult itching to buy his or her dream car. (Ages 4 to 8)

she loves the "chuggy buggy":
My 2 year old loves this book. She loves the variety of silly sounds and she is delighted by the pictures. We love reading it to her. Now on to the rest of the Miss Spider series......

The Chuggy Buggy is the Best:
My daughter loves the line about the Chuggy Buggy and this is her favorite of the Miss Spider books. Of the three it is the one we read the most. She loves it and I have to admit it is pretty fun.

Not the strongest entry in the series:
The illstrations, while vivid, are a bit obtuse and difficult to discern. The prose doesn't flow. The book simply can't stand alone the way the "counting Book" and Miss Spider's Mom, do. If your child is hooked on Miss Spider, then this will be a fun addition to your collection, but it shouldn't be your first choice.

Miss Spider's Wedding:
This book is pure poetry; a tender love story with rhyming language that flows to the ear like warm honey. It presents softly the mystery of attraction, devotion and pairing between individuals who from outward appearances are totally unsuited for one another. Dramatically illustrated, the romance between aphid and arachnid teaches tolerance for and acceptance of those who are different from ourselves. Its lyrical vocabulary is satisfying to the adult reader as well as little people. In fact, it brings tears to my daughter-in-law's eyes when she reads it to Jack and Mimi.

Great Pictures:
Quite by accident we stumbled upon MISS SPIDER"S TEA PARTY when my granddaughter was five. That book was to be touched,read, and taken to bed a many nights before she fell in love with the next one (MISS SPIDER'S WEDDING). The rhyming does not take away from the message of virtues that can be found in any culture. Holley is her hero because he wears glasses and shows kindness. We have collected all of Mr. Kirk's books and can't wait for future books to be presented. The vividness and texture of the pages held her attention long after we had finished reading a particular page. She clapped and cheered for Holley and wanted explanations of phrases that at that time was beyond her comprehension. Now she reads these books herself and although she has them memorized by heart; she still turns page by page to view the characters and touch the colors. What a wonderful way to start on the pathway of reading for fun.