The Eensy Weensy Spider Freaks Out! (Big-Time!)

April 26, 2010
Cummings’s debut children’s book uses humorous illustrations and clever text to envision the emotional aftermath of the events of the familiar nursery rhyme. After getting washed out of the waterspout, the timid brown spider—with her grade-school hairdo and striped scarf—vows, “I’m sticking to the ground from now on,” and tells her ladybug friend, Polly, “I’m all washed up!” Eensy is embarrassed that her mishap has even made it onto the Web (“Slippery Spout Spooks Spider” reads a headline), but with Polly’s encouragement, she conquers her fear of heights and regains her spunk by starting small and climbing higher and higher. Cummings provides a satisfying red herring of an “ending” as Eensy eventually works her way up to climbing a huge crane whose wrecking ball announces “The End,” to which she protests, “Wait! It’s not over yet! I can climb way higher than that!” and proceeds to demonstrate just that over several more pages. The spider’s delight in her accomplishments and her steady climb to success provide a gentle template for small readers with their own fears to overcome. Ages 3–5.

April 1, 2010
Gr 1-3-Everyone knows the old nursery rhyme, but this clever picture book focuses on what happens between the spider's being washed out of the waterspout and finding the courage to climb it again. Eensy, embarrassed by her fall, goes into hiding and vows to keep all eight legs on the ground, until her ladybug friend, Polly, encourages her to start small. Eensy faces her fears and climbs a potted plant, then a fireplug, a dog, and a mailbox. Her confidence growing, she scales higher and higher objects, until finally the rocket she climbs takes her to the Moon. With a clever text full of witty asides (the newspaper "Spider Insider: All the News That's Fit to Spin" covers the story); comical, cartoon illustrations featuring Eensy in a striped scarf; and energetic pacing, this title offers a contemporary take on an old favorite that remains grounded in the emotional world of a child."Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2010
Grades K-3 In this entertaining adaptation of the familiar song, spider Eensy freaks out after scaling the waterspout and decides, for personal safety, that she is done with climbing. Alas, her story hits the Web: Slippery Spout Spooks Spider: World Famous Climber Calls It Quits! She is embarrassed, but with her ladybug friend Pollys support and encouragement, Eensy takes baby steps to regain her confidence, gradually climbing from flowerpot to house to construction crane, and, in a hyperbolic denouement, discovers that the stars are the limit. The lively text and whimsical, cartoon-style illustrations include periodic word balloons (Woo-hoo, exclaims Eensy, after conquering a mailbox) that advance the story line. The vibrant settings and expressive insects have a retro flair, while the varying perspectives add to the fun. This entertaining story with a supportive message is well suited for storytime sharing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2010
The story begins familiarly but takes a detour: Eensy Spider refuses to climb back up the fabled spout ("If I had a neck, I could have broken it!"). The book is less a witty parody than an excuse for a run-of-the-mill perseverance pep talk. The art's old-fashioned quality is appropriate in a tale inspired by an ageless children's song.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)