Spi-Ku: A Clutter of Short Verse on Eight Legs by Leslie Bulion & illustrated by Robert Meganck. Published by Peachtree Publishing Company

ISBN: 9781682631928
Hardcover $16.99
Peachtree Publishing Inc.

My thoughts: When I see the word "clutter" I immediately think of a messy mess. Stuff cluttered about. So imagine my surprise when I learned that "clutter" is a collective noun for spiders! And then, I have this dream-nightmare of spiders. Goes back to my childhood when I was so afraid of the huge garden spiders that spun their webs across our garden gate. Enough about me and spiders (just don't let them creep, leap, hop, crawl off the pages of this book).

This is not your little kiddie book but it is a children's book. The illustrations are so very realistic. The side bars of information contain tidbits that will educate nicely. The poetic tone of the book's text, while not all in rhyme, is an introduction to a form of literature sometimes missed.

Educational text "The World of Spiders," "Spectacular Silk," "Spiders on the Move," etc. present instructional text on specifics of spider life and attributes. What is so much fun in each of these sections is the short verse that so entertainingly tells the read about that aspect of spiders. For example: "Worldwide Webbers" has this little nugget.....

Black-and-Yellow Garden Spider

An orbweaver called it a night.

Belly stuffed in the dusk's waning light,

Then a hurrying fly

Crashed her web and stuck by,

And the spider shrugged, "Well... one more bite."

The back matter pages at book's end include Glossary, A Few Notes on Poetic Form, Spi-ku Spider Identification, Spider Hunt!, and For Further Study. So  much to delight in as the author and illustrator bring entertaining lessons on the world of spiders and do it in such a poetic method. Entertaining education!

School librarians, public librarians, home schools, and classroom teachers should all include this one in their collections.

About the book: Leslie Bulion, award-winning educator favorite and master of science poetry, is back with a humorous exploration of the silk-spinning, bungee-jumping, hunting, trapping, trick-filled world of spiders!

Meet spiders that spit silk, roll like wheels, scuba dive, hide under trap doors, strum tunes, and so much more. Watch as they find mates, find prey...or find mates that become prey!

Award-winning poet Leslie Bulion and illustrator Robert Meganck team up again for this clutter (a collective noun for spiders) of Haiku and other short poems and humorously accurate illustrations that celebrate the amazing attributes of Araneae.

The book is also packed with helpful sidebars, call-outs, and backmatter, including a glossary of science terms, notes about the poetic forms, a list of common and scientific names, a spider-hunting adventure how-to, resources for further study, and a relative-size chart. A feast for science and animal fans and a bonanza for teachers and students interested in cross-curricular studies!

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.