Product Description

is easily one of the most recognized and quoted first lines in all of English verse. But do you have any idea how the age-old tale of the Spider and the Fly ends? Join celebrated artist Tony DiTerlizzi as he -- drawing inspiration from one of his loves, the classic Hollywood horror movies of the 1920s and 1930s -- shines a cinematic spotlight on Mary Howitt's warning, written to her own children about those who use sweet words to hide their not-so-sweet intentions.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #131765 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-01
• Released on: 2002-10-01
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .50" h x 11.20" w x 10.20" l, 1.25 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-6-Most people are familiar with Howitt's poem, but DiTerlizzi's art raises this hackneyed classic to a new level. Rendered in black-and-white gouache and pencil, then reproduced in silver-and-black duotone, the paintings have a spooky quality perfectly suited to retelling this melancholy tale. Ms. Fly, with her whimsical flower umbrella and Roaring '20s attire, captures the flavor of an old-time Hollywood heroine. Her nemesis, seated on his Victorian chair, is dressed like a pasha in silk robe and slippers (six, of course) or resplendent in tails, top hat, and spats; he is clearly a dastardly fiend cloaked in splendid apparel to dazzle his victim. Wispy, transparent, ghostly shapes haunt the eerie mansion; the white print on the black pages stands out against the shadows creeping across each spread. All of these elements foreshadow the fly's untimely demise. With its tragic ending, heavy moralizing, and sophisticated artwork, this book will appeal to older children as well as to adult fans of old horror movies. This title is worth purchasing for its valuable artwork alone.
Laurie Edwards, West Shore School District, Camp Hill, PA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 2-5. There's no question about the villain in this version of Howitt's familiar 1829 poem about the vain, silly fly and the cunning spider who does her in. The smarmy visage of the spider leering at Miss Fly, who is sweetly attired in fringed flapper garb, says plenty. The melodrama is wonderful: Miss Fly--hand on forehead, hand on heart, two hands outstretched in protest (and two legs, of course, makes six)--declares, "Oh no, no . . . Kind sir, that cannot be. / I've heard what's in your pantry and I do not wish to see." Diaphanous ghosts of Spider's previous victims float nearby, but they're unable to change the fate of Miss Fly, who falls victim to Spider's flattery and her own pleasing reflection in a bottle-cap looking glass. Older children will be most likely to catch the intricacies in the monochromatic artwork--the various poses of the multiple appendages, the butterfly-wing curtains, and other delightfully creepy buggy details. Only a few will think past the story and wonder about the fact that most spiders are female. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
Henry Selick director of The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach The most charming spider you'll ever dine with!

Lane Smith illustrator of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs and The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales A gleefully sinister fable that spins its tale like a great old silent film. The kind one might only see in a haunted nickelodeon. I love the beautiful, dramatic, black-and-white illustrations.