The Weaver

K-Gr 2—Stanley the spider is a weaver and a collector. He incorporates "seeds, twigs, leaves…and all kinds of precious things" like a pink button, striped drinking straw, and a cork into his spectacular found-art web design. Stanley's world changes when a rainstorm collapses the tiny silk strands of his home. The besieged arachnid manages to save just one lone yellow leaf from his intricate structure. He tries to keep it safe and secure, but despite his best efforts, the wind eventually blows it away too. The spare, understated text has emotional heft: "Stanley has lost everything. Hasn't he?" Hanging by a thread, the woebegone spider's spindly legs droop and a tear falls from his googly eyes. He then figuratively and literally rebuilds. Shi's colorful, digitally enhanced illustrations show Stanley's new web, delicately woven with images of what he has left behind. Looking toward the future, the little spider "hitch[es] a ride on the wind again" and is off on another journey.