A Christmas Spider' s Miracle

Gr 1—3—Noble puts her own spin on a Ukrainian folktale. In this version, a mother spider, wary of humans, makes a home for herself and her spiderlings in a small fir tree. Meanwhile, a poor human mother, unable to afford even one small gift for her children, decides to bring the fir tree inside to cheer them. Hoping to create decorations from bits of scrap material, she sketches festive patterns but falls asleep; the mother spider, feeling a kinship with this woman, weaves exquisite, glistening ornaments based on the patterns. Thus, a miraculous sight greets the youngsters on Christmas morning. Enchantingly told, the story is enriched by the visual magic of Costanza's colorful, textured compositions. An excellent choice for lap-sit reading or group sharing.—Linda Israelson, Los Angeles Public Library