How many of you can remember trying to get your fingers to move just so while singing "The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout..."? Did we ever really pay attention to the words of this age old song, or were we more concerned about making our hands look like moving spiders? On one of my many visits to the bookstore, I came across a picture book by Iza Trapani titled "The Itsy Bitsy Spider". I couldn't imagine an entire book about such a short little song so I picked it up out of curiosity - then I couldn't put it down.
Iza Trapani begins this tale with the familiar spider song, but then she adds another five verses for us to sing along to. For the first time we actually see what that spider does once she gets to the top of the water spout. Trapani takes us on an adventure where the spider overcomes obstacles such as a kitchen fan, a little mouse, a sleeping cat, and a wet maple tree, on her way to finding the perfect spot to make her web.
Trapanis' story is even more inviting because of her colorful illustrations. Each page offers a beautifully detailed watercolor. My children love to point out each animal, or bug that they see.
I particularly love this book because of the enjoyment that it brings to my children. This is not just a story that Mommy reads to them, but this is a story that we all sing together. My 3 year old twins do not always have a long attention span while reading books, but whenever there is a song involved, we can "read" for hours. My oldest child who does not know how to read, takes pride in the fact that she can "read" this book to her younger siblings (since she has memorized this song). I was also very happy to see that my daughters' teacher uses this story as well as Trapanis' other books to teach her students about rhymes. She gives her students nursery rhymes and has them come up with other creative verses just as Trapani did.
I have the hardcover version at home, and purchased the board book version for my twins preschool. I have seen this book at most bookstore chains, and online booksellers. The hardcover version retails for $15, the boardbook and paperback for $6. Trapani has also written books to other well known songs such as : "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", "I'm a Little Teapot", "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?", "Oh Where, Oh Where has my Little Dog Gone?", "Mary Had a Little Lamb", and she just recently came out with "Row Row Row Your Boat".



Recommended: Yes