Scholastic Reader Level 2: Spiders
Fans of Nic Bishop Spiders (2007) and librarians with multiple copies in their collections may wonder how that book differs from Bishop’s new book, Spiders. While the topic is the same, there are significant differences between the two, beginning with audience. Designed for independent readers in first and second grades, the current book offers a completely new text that is shorter, simpler, and printed in larger type. Like its predecessor, the book discusses spiders’ physical features, behaviors, and life cycles, and it provides illustrations of different species, which are clearly identified. Nearly half of the large-scale photos are new to this volume, and the crisp, colorful images are well composed and often striking. An excellent choice for junior naturalists who are learning to read, the book is also fine for reading aloud to younger children who are curious about spiders and undeterred by vivid descriptions of spider predation and digestion. Preschool-Grade 2. --Carolyn Phelan