Item description for Miss Spider's Wedding, hardcover, David Illustrator Kirk

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Meeting the man of her dreams, Miss Spider prepares for and enjoys a beautiful wedding despite the scrutiny of her peers, in a story about accepting and appreciating differences. By the author of Miss Spider's Tea Party. BOMC Alt.

From Publishers Weekly

Fresh from entertaining her insect neighbors in the bestselling Miss Spider's Tea Party, Miss Spider the arachnid ingenue prepares to scuttle down the aisle in this sequel. Essentially this offering is more of same-admirers of Kirk's unique illustrations, with their jujube-colored palette, fever-dream characters and 3D-style compositions, will be happily snared. If anything the colors are even more intense, dominated by rich autumnal tones and highlighted by deep indigos. The verse, however, is just as protracted as in Tea Party, and there's more of it-from an overlong string of mostly singsongy quatrains Kirk weaves a tangled tale of young spider love, a villainous suitor who attempts to do away with Miss Spider's intended, a rescue and, finally, nuptials ("With crickets fiddling in full swing,/ The katydids begin to sing./ June beetles spin in pirouettes,/ And clickbugs clack like castanets"). All ages.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2?Miss Spider, of Miss Spider's Tea Party (Scholastic, 1994), falls for Holley, an unprepossessing male spider. Her friend, May the beetle, feels she deserves better ("That pantywaist will never do") and sets her up with handsome Spiderus Reeves, who turns out to be a cad. True love triumphs, though, and Miss Spider and Holley wed. All this is told in a long, ponderous, rhyming text that robs the story of any inherent interest it might have for children. Kirk's air-brushed artwork is extraordinary. His large-eyed, brilliantly colored insects have a 3-D quality. Spiderus Reeves, with the humanized face of a distorted harlequin, has a truly malevolent appearance. Yet the level of visual sophistication and suggestion of seductive evil is out of proportion to the cartoon innocence of the other characters. This makes him a singularly disquieting figure?more than just a villian to be vanquished: a personification of evil. Children may be attracted to the cover showing a smiling Miss Spider gazing shyly through her spider-web veil, but overall the book is flawed.?Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY

From Booklist

Ages 5^-9. Beetle Ike, from Miss Spider's Tea Party , introduces Miss Spider to his friend Holley. Miss Spider thinks puny, bespectacled Holley seems like "Mr. Right," but her friend May, horrified that Miss Spider would settle for "that pantywaist," searches for a finer suitor. Handsome Spiderus Reeves seems a good possibility, but his villainous nature comes out when Miss Spider turns him down. There's a happy ending (Miss Spider makes a lovely bride in her spider-web veil), but only after some scary scenes of the ghastly, jagged-toothed Reeves bearing down on Holley. Kirk's oil paintings shine with color, and his verse never stumbles. But his earlier book was far more suited to children, with things to count and a theme of friendship. This sequel, with its romantic story, satirical tone, and longer text filled with wordplay ("co-webitation," etc.), seems pitched to an adult audience. Susan Dove Lempke

Review

"Their bold and vibrant colors plunge readers into a dreamy, fragrant springtime, where all manner of insects and flowers mingle in a blooming world." - Kirkus

About the Author

Kirk has studied painting for more than twenty years, starting in junior high school. A graduate of the Cleveland Art Institute, his bold palette and unique style are influenced by everything from nineteenth century academic painting to 1930s animation. Mr. Kirk lives in upstate New York with his wife, Kathy, and his daughters, Violet, Primrose, and Wisteria.