(Same as the previous) Great book for struggling readers who have troubling finishing a book. As a child, I could not finish a book and it lower my self esteem as a reader, so reading a book like this could have possibly helped with this. The illustrations are adorable and the words are a variety in difficulty as to actually challenge the students without frustrating them. ( )

Summary: The Very Busy Spider is a story that shows what hard work and determination look like. The spider, which is very busy building her web, does not have time for all the other activities her friends try to persuade her to do. In fact, she doesn’t even respond to their attempts. And, in the end her efforts are rewarded and admired.

Personal Reaction: I love the moral of this story. This story teaches students that hard work pays off. That sometimes you have to do what needs to be done and not just what everyone else is doing. I absolutely love Eric Carle’s illustration style. To me it appeals to children and adults alike. It gives students the freedom to be creative with their own designs and his simple moral lessons are easy to pick up on.

Classroom Extension:
1. A great book for teaching about staying on task.
2. A great book for teaching about illustration technique. ( )

The very busy spider was an enjoyable book for young readers. The spider was busy spinning her web. Different animals on the farm kept stopping her to ask what she was doing and see if she would play with them.

This is one of my favorite books. The pictures were amazing and the children loved it. They knew all of the animals, so it made it even more fun for them.

I would read this book to my students while talking about farm animals. We would learn about how and why spiders spin their webs. We would practice making a spider web.