Helpful Score: 5
ISBN 1879085771 - If you're foolish enough to take on generations-old childrens' songs, you'd better do a very good job or expect to be tarred and feathered! I was, honestly, all set to hate this book... but Trapani did a fantastic job.
You know the story, you don't really need a recap. Spider, spout, rain, etc. Trapani, however, has added 5 new verses, giving our spider friend several new things to climb and obstacles to overcome. A fun way to add new life to a song you're likely to sing a million times before you're done!
I was unimpressed by the illustrations at first. They're nice, pleasant, okay... but then, I tilted the book and got a very happy surprise. In each illustration, there are areas that have a high gloss, making them appear to shine. Not the entire image, which would be overkill, but specific things. For example, when the rain washes the spider out, only the spider and some of the water has the gloss. It's a very minor but attractive little detail that transforms the images by giving them a little something extra. The music on the last page is another detail I really liked. Kudos to Trapani, may I stumble upon more of her work!
ISBN 1580890148 (board book) - I hadn't anticipated re-visiting this review but came across the board book edition today and felt compelled to add these couple notes: The board book lacks the glossy highlights in the illustrations, but does make up for it in another way. Rather than have the additional verses all tucked away in the back, they are all part of the text. This makes the book (therefore, the reading of the book by Mom or Dad) a bit longer and certainly that makes it more enjoyable! Even without the highlights, budding readers will love the illustrations, and the thicker pages make page-turning a little easier for small fingers. I stand by Kudos to Trapani, 100%!
- AnnaLovesBooks
You know the story, you don't really need a recap. Spider, spout, rain, etc. Trapani, however, has added 5 new verses, giving our spider friend several new things to climb and obstacles to overcome. A fun way to add new life to a song you're likely to sing a million times before you're done!
I was unimpressed by the illustrations at first. They're nice, pleasant, okay... but then, I tilted the book and got a very happy surprise. In each illustration, there are areas that have a high gloss, making them appear to shine. Not the entire image, which would be overkill, but specific things. For example, when the rain washes the spider out, only the spider and some of the water has the gloss. It's a very minor but attractive little detail that transforms the images by giving them a little something extra. The music on the last page is another detail I really liked. Kudos to Trapani, may I stumble upon more of her work!
ISBN 1580890148 (board book) - I hadn't anticipated re-visiting this review but came across the board book edition today and felt compelled to add these couple notes: The board book lacks the glossy highlights in the illustrations, but does make up for it in another way. Rather than have the additional verses all tucked away in the back, they are all part of the text. This makes the book (therefore, the reading of the book by Mom or Dad) a bit longer and certainly that makes it more enjoyable! Even without the highlights, budding readers will love the illustrations, and the thicker pages make page-turning a little easier for small fingers. I stand by Kudos to Trapani, 100%!
- AnnaLovesBooks
Helpful Score: 1
Did you know that the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the rocking chair, the maple tree, and the kitchen wall? Read this book to find out about all the places the spider has been. Cute rhyming verses you probably haven't heard before!
Helpful Score: 1
Iza Trapani wrote a series of books that continue the nursery rhymes that most peopole grew up with. This story is about what happens when the spider decides to go elsewhere after coming down the rain spout.
