In the tradition of fun cumulative stories like The Old Lady Who
Swallowed a Fly and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, this joyful story
shows how helping someone in need can sometimes fulfill needs of our
own.
When Spider meets Shrew, they are both down on their luck. Spider's web
has blown away, and Shrew's home has just been paved over. What happens
when they decide to help each other out? They meet Bat, who is lonely
for friends. Then they meet Possum, who can't find his mom; Dog, who
misses her puppies; and Pony, who is out of a job. Everyone has
problems, but this quirky new community is ready to lend a hand in
creative and surprising ways.
This is a joyful story about an unlikely group of friends finding
compassion and community in each other. Deborah Kerbel's humorous,
quippy dialogue is perfectly paired with Geneviève Côté's endearing
illustrations of the animal characters.
Key Text Features
illustrations
speech bubbles
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language
Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between
illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a
story an illustration depicts).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key
details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or
appeal to the senses.