Spider in the Well

Written and illustrated by Jess Hannigan

Katherine Tegen Books (An Imprint of HarperCollins)

978-0-063289475

48 pp.

Ages 4-8

March 2024

 

The people of Bad Göodsburg have a problem: their wishing well is broken. The newsboy who delivers the papers–and sweeps the chimneys, delivers the milk, and shines the shoes–is tasked with one more job: find out what is wrong with the well. And when he hears about the charitable wishes of the baker, the doctor, and the shopkeeper, he is determined to ensure those wishes are granted.

From Spider in the Well, written and illustrated by Jess Hannigan

Making his way to the well, the boy learns that a spider in the well has been responsible for the well not working. But, though the spider was just being a spider, building a web that happens to catch the coins, it's what he reveals to the newsboy that truly gets the boy irate and screaming, "Unbelievable!" and demanding justice.

From Spider in the Well, written and illustrated by Jess Hannigan

But what justice needs to be achieved? And how will the town's newsboy and lackey ensure that righteousness prevails?

Without giving away the story of Spider in the Well, let me assure readers that this is more than a cautionary tale about being careful what you wish for. And it's not because wishes might be ill-advised. It's because people and their wishes are not always benevolent. Sometimes wishes are selfish and rooted in vanity, greed, and worse, and no one wants to be seen as less than virtuous. The fine citizens of Bad Göodsburg hide behind false virtues and are taken down by a spider and a boy who may be or may not be similarly ethically challenged.

From Spider in the Well, written and illustrated by Jess Hannigan

Jess Hannigan's tale of wishes gone wrong has the tone of a fable or even a fairy tale. It's told with a host of archetypes, from the self-righteous townspeople to the put-upon boy who overcomes unjust treatment to be rewarded in the end. There's even the anthropomorphic spider who helps the boy triumph. And for each one of these characters, Jess Hannigan gets the voices right, and gives the story a tone of reparation rather than of grifting. (You'll see what I mean when you read the ending.)

From Spider in the Well, written and illustrated by Jess Hannigan

Hamilton's Jess Hannigan is an illustrator–this is her first picture book as author-illustrator–and her digital artwork, strong in shape and colour, makes the story even more powerful. By creating characters and scenes that are both simplified and complex in content and perspective, Jess Hannigan draws us into the story and helps us to see the circumstances as the boy does. She has a striking style of soft but bold lines that create tension while keeping the reader sympathetic to the boy, something that is more easily achieved by drawing the townspeople as oddly shaped and weirdly coloured.

 

So, if there's a moral to the story of Jess Hannigan's Spider in the Well, it's to be careful what you wish for because you never know who may be listening. On the plus side, sometimes one person's wishes result in just rewards for another. Just ask the newsboy of Bad Göodsburg, now happily retired.

• • • • • • •

Consider checking out one of several book launches Jess Hannigan will have in Ontario for Spider in the Well.

 

Thursday, March 21, 2024

6:30 PM

Type Books Junction

2887 Dundas St. W., Toronto

 

Sunday, April 7, 2024

1 PM

Epic Books

226 Locke Street S., Hamilton

Hungry for Math: Poems to Munch On

Written by Kari-Lynn Winters and Lori Sherritt-Fleming

Illustrated by Peggy Collins

Fitzhenry & Whiteside

978-1-55455-307-5

32 pp.

Ages 5-8

January, 2015

Teachers and parents will always be clamouring for new and innovative ways to introduce math concepts, and Hungry for Math: Poems to Munch On will surely work.  But forget the classroom and math instruction, or at least put them aside temporarily, and enjoy the rhyme and reason of the verses within and the varied illustrations of dragons, foxes, clockworks and race cars to add the jauntiness that numbers and operations and such can be.

You know that between the dramatic flare of Kari-Lynn Winters and the Tickle Trunk Players founder, Lori Sherritt-Fleming, Hungry for Math: Poems to Munch On has that special something to add spice to early math literacy learnings.  From unique poems like The Balanced Bee with its zen-like insect, the banging of the drum in Patterns Rock! and The Spendosaur in which a dinosaur goes a little crazy spending his coins in a candy store, the math lessons are neither obvious nor necessary to appreciate the silliness of the rhymes.

The Balanced Bee

Three circles, tall not wide.

Six legs – three per side.

Two plus two wings, on its back.

Bands of yellow, white, and black.

Compound eyes to spy the view.

Antennae, not one – always two.

Now fold your paper.

It's plain to see.

Bees are balanced.

It's symmetry! (pg. 5)

Even a poem like Move Around The Clock, that borrows from nursery rhyme Hickory Dickory Dock, takes on a unique flair with an active mouse in a dress changing her movements with the time amongst the clockwork gears.

Whether you want your child to count the five groups of ten fire-breathing creatures in Rot-TEN Dragons or the abundance of heart-shaped treats (which look very familiar) shelled out amongst the cats in That Kitty Counts is irrelevant. Little ones will want to count the assortment of delectables, determine the banana leaves needed to cover the treasure and learn to skip count in 2s or 5s, especially with Peggy Collins' fun characters, human and non, to accompany them along the way.  Kids won't even know they're learning. That adds up to a book full of promise.

Follow Your Money: Who gets it, Who spends it, Where does it go?

by Kevin Sylvester and Michael Hlinka

Annick Press

978-1-55451-480-9

56 pp.

Ages 9-12

2013

With the increasing number of Canadian households spending more than they bring in, it's not surprising that many young people aren't getting the financial literacy education they need to make wise decisions about money.  If parents are overspending, unaware of the ultimate costs for these spending habits, how can they possible share financial wisdom with their children?  Fortunately, Kevin Sylvester and Michael Hlinka have put together Follow Your Money, a non-fiction text that can help young people understand how money can fly out of their wallets, ways to keep a tighter handle on it, and how everything is interconnected.  

After a brief history of money and profit, readers will examine key purchases that they or their family might make on a regular basis.  Items like bread, jeans, pizza, computers, transportation, gas, heating, pets, and sports equipment, are examined with respect to the costs of production, the parties involved from creation to sales, any profits made, and taxes paid. (I would like to mention that, as new caregivers to two kittens, that the joy and goodwill we get back from these little brothers is priceless, even if we do need a new wingback chair!)  In addition, readers are introduced to the concepts of banking, interest, loans, credit and debit cards, and those critical fees and penalties. 

Young readers will definitely never look at a price tag the same way after reading Follow Your Money.  I probably won't either.  Looking at the cost of public transit, I can now see why the government helps cover some of the costs.  And the next time I buy ink cartridges for my printer, I will remember that it's one of the most profitable products we buy.  Forget gold -- buy ink!

Having Kevin Sylvester and Michael Hlinka author this book together is inspired.  Author Kevin Sylvester has successfully entertained young readers with a variety of his award-winning picture books (e.g., Splinters, Tundra, 2010), novels (e.g., Neil Flambé and the Tokyo Treasure, Simon & Schuster, 2012) and non-fiction (e.g., Game Day: Meet the People Who Make It Happen, Annick Press, 2010), as well as illustrating those of other authors (e.g., Don't Touch That Toad and Other Strange Things Adults Tell You by Catherine Rondina, Kids Can Press, 2010).  Michael Hlinka, who regularly shares his business commentary on CBC Radio, brings his financial know-how, partnering well with Kevin Sylvester.  Together they have produced an entertaining look at money management for young people, complete with relevant and amusing illustrations, and organized to enhance readership and understanding.  We can all learn something from Follow Your Money.

While I don't want to suggest that this is a teacher resource, Annick Press has made a lesson plan available based on Follow Your Money.  It can be accessed at http://www.annickpress.com/content/lessonplans/FollowYourMoneyLessonPlan-1.pdf

There's also a video posted by Annick Press to YouTube of a workshop conducted by Kevin Sylvester and Michael Hlinka in February of this year.  I've posted it on my Book Trailers and Other Media page at http://canlitforlittlecanadianstrailers.blogspot.ca/2013/03/follow-your-money-who-gets-it-who.html