Aaaarrgghh Spider! is one of our favourite, favourite picture books, our copy was so well read that it fell to pieces! Spider is such an endearing character that even for those of us you who don’t like spiders it is easy to empathise with and understand her wish to become part of a family.
The Story: Spider’s greatest wish is to be one of the family’s pets but all she manages to do is scare them. The family members change their minds when they see her wonderful webs and Spider becomes their pet. But then she brings her friends home…
Spider tells her story in just over 200 words. She is a very determined little character who does her best to win the family’s affections by showing them what she can do in comparison to their other pets. However, despite her best efforts, including dancing, the family are not impressed until they see the beautiful webs that she has spun in their garden.
This very familiar situation is given a humorous twist through its easy to read text and repetitive refrain ‘Aaaarrgghh Spider!’. We love Lydia Monk’s brightly coloured illustrations and find the expressions of shock on the parents’ and children’s faces particularly amusing! My daughter loves the pictures of Spider out and about with the family, especially when she is on a lead like the dog. My favourite illustration is the final spread but I won’t tell you any more or I’ll spoil the ending!
Aaaarrgghh Spider! is a fun story to include in a classroom topic on minibeasts. It can be used to stimulate discussion about spiders, what they eat and how they spin their webs. I have also used the story as an introduction to creative writing about pets and the kind of pet a child might like, the story encourages children to think about what a pet would need in terms of equipment, food and care.
A small sized copy of Aaaarrgghh Spider! now comes in a boxed set with a soft spider toy. The book is the perfect size for a beginner reader, it’s almost the same size as a chapter book which gives great encouragement to a child who is just learning to read using a ‘grown up size book’!
Whether you love spiders or are terrified of them we are sure that you will appreciate the humour in this cleverly written story.
Age Range: 3 +
Author / Illustrator: Lydia Monks
Thank you to Egmont for sending is the Aaaarrgghh Spider! gift set. We’re so happy to have the book on our bookshelf again!