Luigi, the Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten

PreS-Gr 2–Knudsen and Hawkes, the team behind The Library Lion, team up for a sweet tale that approaches the trope about being yourself from a slightly different angle. A big, hairy spider (with large, friendly eyes) looks for a new home with dark corners to hide in and walks into a cozy pastel house with the perfect sofa under which to sleep. He is awakened the next morning by a kind-looking woman who declares, “I have always wanted a kitten,” naming him “Luigi.” The elderly white lady feeds him, plays with him, and curls up on the couch to watch a movie with him, and even tucks him into a box near her bed. Luigi enjoys this new life as a kitten because spiders live alone in dark corners. “But kittens…kittens got to have friends,” It’s not until the lady has friends over who call him a “spider” that Luigi realizes he has failed at making others believe he’s a kitten. In the end, the lady tells Luigi she has always wanted a kitten, but she would still like him to stay. “Can you be yourself and still be my friend?” Although an odd tale, kids will relate to trying on another persona and appreciate reassurance that they don’t need to change who they are to be loved.