Little ones will love Qian Shi's "The Weaver". The story of Stanley the Spider, proud web spinner and creative force.
The problem with sinking your heart and soul into such a fragile creative endeavour is that you're at the mercy of the forces of nature.
Stanley often wakes to find his webs destroyed by the wind and rain, but does he give up? Throw in the spider-sized towel?
Nope, Stanley merely strokes his spinnerets and gets busy making another beautiful web.
Qian Shi's background in animation comes to the fore, allowing for a book that strips down unnecessary text and lets the visuals take up the slack, for a story that feels as fresh as that first scattering of spring dew on a spider's home.
Lovely!
"The Weaver" by Qian Shi is out now, published by Andersen Children's Books (kindly supplied for review).