The Very Busy Spider

The Very Busy Spider

From bestselling author and illustrator Eric Carle, the creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, comes another classic tale about one very busy spider. A perfect gift to share with the child or grandchild in your life.Early one morning a little spider spins her web on a fence post. One by one, the animals of the nearby farm try to distract her, yet the busy little spider keeps diligently at her work. When she is done, she is able to show everyone that not only is her creation quite beautiful, it is also quite useful!This multi-sensory board book allows children to feel the pictures as well as see them, and is the perfect size for little hands. With its rhythmic text, The Very Busy Spider becomes an experience to touch, to see, and to hear."A beautifully executed work for the very young that satisfies the needs of both visually handicapped and sighted children without losing its artistic integrity."-The Horn Book, starred review"Both sighted and blind children will follow the action with ease . . . Visually and verbally, this is a winner."-Booklist, starred review.From Publishers WeeklyMice, a rottweiler, an arachnid and a few other assorted critters make sturdy reappearances in five board book versions of picture books. In Ellen Stoll Walsh's Mouse Paint, "three white mice on a white piece of paper" enjoy a colorful romp, while in Walsh's Mouse Count a similar gaggle narrowly escapes being served for dinner (Harcourt/Red Wagon, $6 each, 28p, ages 1-3 ISBN 0-15-200265-0; -200266-9 Sept.). Yet another mouse searches the animal kingdom for companionship?and finds an unexpected respondent?in Eric Carle's Do You Want to Be My Friend? (HarperFestival, $6.95, 32p, ages 2-6, ISBN 0-694-00709-9 Sept.). The rewards of industriousness are celebrated in a second Carle title, The Very Busy Spider; its embossed web brings a tactile dimension to his familiar collage artwork (Philomel, $9.95, 26p, ages 2-up ISBN 0-399-22919-1 Aug.). Finally, the canine in question is Alexandra Day's beloved Carl, who takes charge of a crew of toddlers in Carl Goes to Day Care (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $5.95, ages 1-3 ISBN 0-374-31145-5 Sept.).Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.ReviewPraise for?he Very Busy Spider:* "A beautifully executed work for the very young that satisfies the needs of both visually handicapped and sighted children without losing its artistic integrity."--The Horn Book, starred review* "Both sighted and blind children will follow the action with ease . . . Visually and verbally, this is a winner."--Booklist, starred reviewAbout the AuthorEric Carle is acclaimed and beloved as the creator of brilliantly illustrated and innovatively designed picture books for very young children. His best-known work,The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has eaten its way into the hearts of literally millions of children all over the world and has been translated into more than 25 languages and sold over twelve million copies. Since theCaterpillar was published in 1969, Eric Carle has illustrated more than sixty books, many best sellers, most of which he also wrote.Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1929, Eric Carle moved with his parents to Germany when he was six years old; he was educated there, and graduated from the prestigious art school, the Akademie der bildenden Kunste, in Stuttgart. But his dream was always to return to America, the land of his happiest childhood memories. So, in 1952, with a fine portfolio in hand and forty dollars in his pocket, he arrived in New York. Soon he found a job as a graphic designer in the promotion department of The New York Times. Later, he was the art director of an advertising agency for many years.One day, respected educator and author, Bill Martin Jr, called to ask Carle to illustrate a story he had written. Martin's eye had been caught by a striking picture of a red lobster that Carle had created for an advertisement. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do Y