Barton argues that she, and everyone else, should try to love spiders. At the same time, she demonstrates the humorous and irresistible impulse to squish any spider she meets. Several times, she presents a spider on one page and an inky blot on the next, which can only be the squished remains of the many-legged victim. Barton spouts facts about the different varieties of spiders and the good they can do (they can eat up to 75 pounds of insects a year, for example); their splendid physiognomy (including eight eyes); and their web-building prowess. At the same time, Barton invites the reader, in bold red ink, to squish the spider on the page. Barton explores why it's hard to love spiders, chiefly because of their venom, showcasing "Wanted" posters of the deadly black widow spider and brown recluse spider t she assures readers that fatal bites are incredibly rare. Watercolor-like splotches form the background for the spiders, who actually look hapless and cute. Fact-filled and funny arachnology.

K-Gr 2 This informational picture book takes an amusing and novel approach. An unseen arachnophobe relates a series of fascinating facts about spiders (their appearance and anatomy, their eating habits, venomous spiders, and more) as she attempts to talk herself out of her fear after she encounters one. An outline of her hand appears repeatedly, as she contemplates squashing the creature, but she ultimately praises the arachnids for their impressive web spinning talents and their habit of consuming insects harmful to humans. The presentation is original and engaging, with a zippy text and hilarious visuals. The cartoon illustrations are appealingly childlike, with the font a hand-written scrawl, and the spiders depicted are downright cuddly. Solid material on spiders is cleverly woven into the narrative, and fun facts about different spider varieties are incorporated into the endpapers, though the content here isn't comprehensive enough for report writing. Nonetheless, the presentation is original and engaging. VERDICT A creative addition to animal collections. Pair with Elise Gravel's "Disgusting Creatures" (Tundra) books for a fun lesson plan. Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT