[.ca] Spider and the Fly (ISBN 0689836937)

Little fly, little fly, fly away home:
Some picture books instantly impress. They have that extra little spark or oomph that sets them apart from the rest. At first, the idea of a modern illustrator reworking a cautionary tale from 1829 sounds as if it's in danger of becoming dull, preachy, or didactic. Then you take a single glance at Tony DiTerlizzi's reworking of Mary Howitt's poem, "The Spider and the Fly", and you're blown away. Referencing the silent films of the 1920s and 30s, the book is meant to guide youngsters on the path of wisdom. Presumably by showing the stupidity of flies. We all know the great opening lines of this tale. " 'Will you walk into my parlor?' said the Spider to the Fly". Here we see our villain, the gorgeously outfitted spider, bowing deeply to a lovely lady fly that bears no little resemblance to Shelly Duvall. The spider himself is replete with walking cane, spats on each of his legs, slick dandified hair, a Rhett Butler moustache, and a long top hat. The fly's initial answer (a negative) shows her in her best flapper wear. She has the parasol, the delicately gloved arms, the handbag, bobbed antennae, and flapper hat. The spider is persistent, now donning a smoking jacket and fez as various buggy ghosts of his past victims attempt to warn the little fly away. Finally, after many attempts, the spider flatters the fly with tales of her beauty. She falls for it instantly and returns when the spider calls, "Your robes are green and purple - there's a crest upon your head; Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead". She comes, he pops her in his long hat, and the next thing we know she's tied up tight in a cocoon with the shadow of a spider (cook's hat on head, knife and fork in hand) laughingly approach her. The moral of the story is, as William Bennett once said, "Not everyone who talks sweetly offers sweets". It's not every picture book that the villain not only wins but also gets his own especial afterword. NOT written by Mary Howitt, the spider has his say. He points out that all spiders are trappers, even the beloved Charlotte from E.B. White's classic book. As we read we see the now full spider, his spatted feet on the table, delicately wiping his mouth on his napkin. A little hat sits forlornly on the plate before him. Thus ends a truly delightful book. DiTerlizzi has taken the time to include a couple facts about the life of the author Howitt, which is great. As an illustrator, the black and white scheme used for these illustrations is marvelous. These pictures were rendered beautifully and each shot is cinematic. There is little doubt, certainly, that some children will be perturbed by the pretty little fly's untimely end. I might point out, however, that there are also some children out there that are perturbed by the death of Charlotte in the aforementioned, "Charlotte's Web". Most kids, I believe, will love this book. It's noteworthy to point out that the blurbs on the back of the book come from Henry Selick (director of the "Nightmare Before Christmas") and Lance Smith (of "The Stinky Cheese Man" fame). Both of these should give you a fair idea of the kind of book this is. It's dark without ever becoming gory. Intense without ever being graphic. And, most importantly of all, it's a joy to look at. Who knew 19th century poems could be so much fun?

a spooky, "gothic" picture book:
I picked this book up on a whim while at the library one rainy day because the cover interested me. I was pleasantly suprised. This book contained beautiful and very detailed illustrations by Tony DiTerlizzi while complementing the witty and elegant poem by Mary Howitt (R.I.P.).The book tells the tale of a pretty little fly and how she is lured and then finally eaten by the seductive Mr. Spider. The illustrations are colored in only black and white which makes the book feel like a old fashioned horror movie you might see. Since it looks like a horror film I imagined Mr. Spider's voice like Vincent Price, which was fun for me. I also like Mr. Spider's doll house house and how the tale takes place in an old attic. This book is perfect for any age group and would be a good book to read near Halloween. I enjoyed it so much I went looking for more DiTerlizzi and discovered more books with his art and the fabulous Spiderwick Chronicles. I'd also like to mention that this book won the Caldecott award and I think it diserved it. This is a grand picture book.

Surprised:
Actually, I picked up this book because it was in the house and I needed something to read. I figured it would be some sort of stupid thing where the fly conquers all. But NOPE. It surprised me. The art is absoulutely spectacular. The poem was delightful. I at my 14 years, was astonished to be enjoying a children's book. It's not the happy go lucky stuff that's turning children into mindless clones. It's nice to read something with a taste of grimm's and a dash of dark graphic novel. All in all five stars. It ranks up with comics by Roman Dirge and Jhonen Vasquez. Though, if you're a child, I recommend you wait till you're older to read them.

Not a very good way to end:
One time,about last Halloween,I had a substitute teacher at school and she read this book. The illustrations were very creepy.There was not any color illusrations.All of them were just Black and White.It has like a late 1800s or early 1900s scene.Some parts of the fly and spider actually look like humans. In the end,the spider kills the fly but the fly was the spider's fiend.Not a very good story to read.Don't get this when you go a book shop.

A dark treasure!:
I remember hearing the story of the spider and the fly when I was a kid, but I didn't exactly remember how it went. I think if I had had this book back then, I would have remembered it very well. The illustrations in this book are so beautiful and delicious! Even if the story totally sucked, this book would be worth the price for the pictures alone. But the story doesn't suck! The little details thrown in with the bug ghosts trying to warn the fly...it was just so unique. This book truly is a treasure to me, my collection will benefit greatly from it.