Review: Arachnophobia R Us
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 18, 2014
My wife thinks spiders are fascinating critters, and she's not the least bit afraid of them. She even has a huge mounted tarantula on the wall, a daily reminder that they scare the crap out of me (for good reason - I've been bitten on the foot by a black widow spider). So I had a go with Emma Child's book to find out more about these eight-legged monsters and see how justified my fears are.I did learn a lot about spiders, including these tidbits:* Spiders are found on every continent except Antarctica, in all types of environments from deserts to tropical rain forests.* Spiders have very poor vision, so they rely more on their other senses - feel, taste, and smell.* Spiders spin their webs with silk, but not all spiders spin webs.* All spiders release venom when they bite, but most bites aren't dangerous to humans.* Some spiders live together in big groups called colonies.* Some female spiders, like the black widow, kill their mate after their eggs are fertilized.After discussing the general characteristics of spiders, the book describes several of the better known species of spiders, then concludes with "Spider Fun Facts." (Did you know that the average house has 30 spiders?)It's a good introduction to spiders for both kids and grownups. And it's not too scary, even for me.