A Web

In finely detailed spreads resembling specimen boards, Simler identifies the insects, leaves, seeds, and other organic matter that a spindly black spider might capture in its web. Simler’s delicate depictions of the spider shift from naturalistic to almost ethereal. In one spread, the spider’s legs emerge from the bud of a white lily; elsewhere, the arachnid is seen transporting pebbles, twigs, nuts, and seeds, a single thorn delicately balanced on one leg. At last, the web is unveiled, and the spider’s bulbous form dangles bluntly like an abstract Halloween decoration while the accumulated treasures appear trapped in the web’s strands. It may be a gruesome fate for the prey, but readers will surely admire the “delicate masterpiece” created by both the storyteller and her subject. Ages 3–8. [em](Oct.) [/em]