The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howlitt and Tony DiTerlizzi

Howitt, M. and T. DiTerlizzi, illustrator (2002).  The Spider and the Fly.  New York City, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.  ISBN: 0-689-85289-4

Annotation

This picturebook combines illustrations based on classic Hollywood horror movies of the 1920s and 1930s with a Victorian cautionary poem written by Mary Howitt in 1829.

My thoughts

This Caldecott Honors book is a hauntingly beautiful tale. A sinister looking spider tries to convince an innocent looking fly to enter his parlor.  In one of the earlier publications of the original poem, William Bennett wrote, “Unfortunately, as long as there’s dishonesty in the world, there will be people ready to lay trap for us. We must learn to recognize them and guard against their wiles. Not everyone who talk sweetly offers sweets.” The book explains the consequences for believing flattering words of strangers. Knowing to be skeptical is a difficult issue to approach with young children. This book makes this complicated conversion easier with the personified Spider and Fly. I enjoyed this book.  I loved how it has recycled a classic piece of literature and I especially love the illustrations.

Focus on artwork:

The illustrations are fantastic. Inspired by 1920s and 1930 dark Hollywood, the cinematic effect that accentuate the details of the story. In the author’s information he credits his inspiration to come from Hollywood film noir as well as illustrations from Edward Gorey, Chaz Addams, and Arthur Rackham. The influence of these artists is evident and this book is recommended for fans of these classic illustrators.

There were many things that I liked about the illustrations. One is the way that DiTerlizzi illustrates the spider and fly. Another nice detail is the spider’s web. Throughout the story, the spider’s web is included from a few strands in the beginning to the final web. The web is finished with the story making it a nice marker. The ghosts that are seen as cautionary figures throughout the story also stand out. For the ghosts, Tony DiTerlizzi used Adobe Photoshop to add the graphic drawn ghosts as a transparent layer which gives them a luminous effect.

Lesson Plan

See 'Lesson Plan' page

Literary devices

Use of Rhyme: “So he wove a subtle web in a little corner sly,/ And set his table ready, to dine upon the fly.”

Use of Rhythm: “Oh no, no,” said the little Fly. “to ask me is in vain,/ For who goes up your winding stair can ne’er come down again.” There is a sense of rhythm and beats in the couplets of this poem.

Reading level/ Interest Age

Age 6-10

Reviews and Awards

Caldecott Honors, 2003

ALA Notable Children’s Books, 2003

Author website: No author website.

Illustrator website: http://diterlizzi.com

Media: Lamp Black and Titanium White Holbein Acryla Gouache and Berol Prismacolor Pencil on Thrathmore 5-Ply, Plate Bristol board and reproduced in silver and black duotone.  Ghosts were created using graphite and then added as a transparent layer using Adobe Photoshop.   (Information retrieved from the copyright page.)

Genre: Juvenile picture book