Qian Shi

A wee black spider, similar in appearance to Miyazaki's susuwatari soot sprites, floats and dances and dangles in a garden of gentle pastels, weaving a masterful web and collecting an interesting assortment of objects. When the rain and the wind wipe out his collection, he feels sad about the loss, then devises a creative response. The spare text is just right for reading aloud, and the images offer extra details that are sure to spark conversation. I find Stanley the spider's story utterly charming and like to think of him as one of Charlotte's children who caught a ride on the wind at the end of Charlotte's Web.

Song pairings: "The itsy bitsy spider," "Rain on the grass," "Pumpkin stew" activity… (mehr)