Module 2: The Very Busy Spider

• Book Cover Image

• Book Summary: The Very Busy Spider tells the story of a spider that decides to spin her web near a farm. The illustration of the web is made with a texture that the reader can feel raised from the page. All of the farm animals try to engage her with suggestions to participate in their favorite past-times but she ignores each of them as she continues to busily spin her web. The web becomes more and more complex as the story unfolds and the day progresses.  Finally, a rooster asks the spider if she would like to catch a pesky fly, which she does and then falls asleep before being able to answer the Owl's request to know who built the beautiful web.

• APA Reference of Book: Carle, E. (1984). The very busy spider. London: Penguin Group USA. 

• Impressions: I have always loved this book for the many concepts it can introduce. It can be used in October, during a science unit on spiders or it can be used in the spring, during a unit on farm animals.  Both language arts and science lessons can be enhanced with the addition of this book to the lesson. With the author's use of repetition on every other page, "The spider didn't answer. She was very busy spinning her web.", the book can be used with younger, or newer, readers to help them gain confidence in their reading ability. The illustrations are tactilely engaging and encourage the reader to want to read the story over and over again. With each repeat reading, there are new concepts to explore. From the rhythmic language of the farm animals, to the labeling of the action words (verbs) that each animal introduces into the plot, this book can be enjoyed by multiple age groups.  

• Professional Review: Preschool-Gr. 1. The farm animals approach a spider as she's spinning her web and ask if she'd like to play. The spider doesn't answer, continuing to spin her web until it's finished. This is a good title to use when first starting to play stories. Playing Tip: The child playing the spider can use a long piece of string or yarn to spin a web on the floor.                                                                

Locke, J., & Ossont, S. (2007) Books that Play Well. [Review of the book The very busy spider, by E. Carle]. Book Links, 16. page 44. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/197217160?accountid=7113.

• Library Uses: The book can be used to teach students where to find non-fiction books about spiders, using the Dewey Decimal system.