Spidermania!

Spidermania: Friends on the Web
by Alexandra Siy; illus. by Dennis Kunkel
48 pages; ages 6-10
Holiday House, 2015

I have lots of spiders living in my garden: crab spiders, wolf spiders, jumping spiders, garden spiders.... so I cannot resist a new book about spiders.

themes: animals, nature

What I like about this book: Alexandra Siy starts right off by making sure readers know the difference between spiders and insects:

• spiders have two body parts; insects have three
• spiders have eight legs; insects have six

 "Spiders have lived on Earth a lot longer than humans," she writes. About 390 million years. They can be found in caves, atop mountains, in trees ... and just recently scientists in Australia have found an unexpected species of funnel-web spider. I love that Siy introduces readers to a diversity of spiders, and shows off their web skills.

I also love the illustrations - photos and brightly colored electron micrographs that show spider eyes and claws up close. This book is amazing even if all you do is look at the photos!

Beyond the book:

Take a spider walk.  What kind of spiders do you find when you're walking around your yard, in a garden, or at a park? Take along a sketch book so you can draw any cool spiders you see. Look inside flowers - you might find a colorful crab spider.

Make a spider out of egg carton sections. All you need are egg cartons, paint, pipe cleaners, and a bunch of googly eyes to glue on. Or use paper plates to make your spiders. Try painting your spider to look like one you might find in your garden - or look through a field guide to get ideas for what your spider(s) can look like. Some spiders have bright colors, spots, even stripes on their legs.

Spin a web - but instead of making your own silk you can use yarn or crochet thread. Ideas here.

Make a spider snack using bananas and pretzels. Recipe here.

Sing Eensy Weensy Spider - of course!

Today's review is part of the STEM Friday roundup. Drop by STEM Friday blog for more science books and resources. We're also joining PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copy from the publisher.