Diary of a Spider

My daughter has brought home and really enjoyed Doreen Cronin's Diary of a Worm from her classroom library. I wanted to revisit this author by reading Diary of a Spider.

As with Diary of a Worm, in Diary of a Spider, real facts about spiders are mixed in with fictional elements, such as the spider going to school and other behaviors that reflect human life, rather than that of spiders. In addition, Harry Bliss is the illustrator for both books, so the book will feel familiar for those who have previously read the first book.

Throughout the book there is a lot of humor, which is sure to be one of the aspects that draw many kids to the books. Among the humor are subtle lessons. As much of the events in the book relate to humans, kids can learn from the emotions and actions in the book.

Because the book as set up as a diary, there are many random events, rather than one cohesive plot. As such, readers never know for sure what will be waiting for them as they flip the page, a fun element of surprise.

I noticed that Cronin has many other Diary of... books. They will be fun to explore.