It's time to shout-out another book birthday (yay!). Today's read might not be spooky or scary, but it does center around spiders. How many of you include spiders in your Halloween decorations? Or spider webs? See. It's totally Halloweeny!
And probably cute.
Let's find out just how adorable it is.
I WORKED HARD ON THAT!
by Robyn Wall
Illustrated by A N Kang
Simon & Schuster
Picture Book
48 pages
ages 4 to 8
A spider sets out to make the most perfect, awe-inspiring web only to have her artistic efforts destroyed again and again in this delightful picture book about the creative process and perseverance.
As a spider, Kiara has always made webs to catch food, but one day, she discovers a web so beautiful that she’s inspired to spin a masterpiece of her own. So, Kiara starts creating, but even though she works hard on her webs, they are carelessly destroyed by others. How frustrating! It’s not until Kiara meets Orb, a spider who eats every web he weaves, that she gains a fresh the artistic process isn’t about the destination but the journey and the friends you make along the way.
MY TIDBITS
Creativity sparkles and shines...and saddens and glooms...with an inspiring little spider, who has so much to learn.
Kiara is a busy, little spider and has mastered creating her small webs to collect lunch. She's very satisfied until, one day, she sees a very amazing web between the trees. She's inspired! It takes quite a bit of practice...after all, she needs to learn some new web-making skills...but she is determined to create a masterpiece of her own. Every time she is on the cusp of achieving her goal, something destroys her web. Once or twice, she can handle, but when it happens again and again, her joy dwindles until she wants to give up. But that's when things might turn around in a way she didn't expect.
While Charlotte's Web did fleet through my thoughts as this tale began, it takes an entirely different twist. Instead, Kiara stumbles across the joy of creativity and is inspiring in her readiness to make the effort and take the time to learn how to achieve her goals. Through trial and error, she discovers how to weave her web in ways which open up new possibilities to her skills. It was wonderful to watch her try and fail, and try again until she finally makes one small step after the other. Even when others destroyed her webs the first time or two...just as she thought she was about to achieve something new...she continues on. The tale doesn't down-play the hard work it takes to reach dreams. Kiara's growing frustration is understandable, and it's interesting to watch how this accidental destruction from others irks her, while her own mishaps don't. But this also steps nicely into a message about forming friendships and working together. So, there's quite a bit of development in these pages.
The tale flows very smoothly and keeps listeners engaged the entire way through. This makes it a lovely read-aloud or even works as a read-alone for those who have a good handle on their words. The illustrations are adorable and detailed. The webs and emotions come across with a tiny touch of fantasy, which makes the tale shine. It's an enjoyable book in many ways.
And here they are...
Robyn Wall lives in Nashville with her husband and two daughters. She is the author of the My Cool Family board book series and the picture book I Worked Hard on That!. Learn more about her work at RobynJWall.com.
A. N. Kang started her career designing giftware, greeting cards, and holiday installations all over New York City. In 2016, She debuted as an author and illustrator with the picture book The Very Fluffy Kitty, Papillon. Since then, she has been working as a children’s book author and illustrator. Her books include My Big Bad Monster, Celebrate You! by Sherry Duskey Rinker, Squirrel’s Family Tree by Beth Ferry, and I Worked Hard on That! by Robyn Wall. You can see more of her work online at AnnaKangDesign.com.
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