posted on 30 Jul 2024

Luigi The Spider Who Wanted to be a Kitten by Michelle Knudson, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

How do you feel about spiders? I know that those that love them as pets attest to their general friendliness and cuddly texture, but I remain to be convinced. They can sometimes play a malevolent role in children’s fiction but, as in ‘The Very Busy Spider’ by Eric Carle, they are often praised for their impressive web-spinning skills and the role they play in catching pesky flies.

Then there is the eponymous all time good spider in ‘Charlotte’s Web’ by E.B.White who shows young readers the importance of empathy and self sacrifice. So, I was very curious to learn how the character of Luigi might contribute to the spider genre as the title suggests that he is not at all happy. I was also pleased to see that the author/ illustrator collaborators had previously written ‘Library Lion’ which is one of my favourite picture books.

The front cover shows the spider as a very jolly creature with huge round eyes who clearly has some issues with his identity as his shadow is kitten shaped. The opening double-page spread shows him about to enter an old house, having made a laborious climb up the steep steps to the porch. He is hoping for some dark corners to hide in and we soon see that he finds a suitable space under a sofa. Everything changes when the next morning he is scooped up by an elderly woman, who not only gives him a name but seems to think that he is an unusual looking kitten!

And so their relationship begins with him experimenting with different food and playing together. He gradually realises that he quite likes her mistake and looks forward to kitten like activities. At first he realises that he needs to carry out his more spidery behaviour when she goes out , but is otherwise happy to be treated like a cosseted kitten:

‘He had never known that kittens led such magical lives’.

As the days pass, he becomes more kitten-like and even starts to look less spidery in appearance. But self doubt creeps in when she has some guests to visit and he is frightened that they will persuade her to get rid of him. He puts all his efforts into pretending to be a kitten and charms them with frisking about, nuzzling and even trying to miaow. But then he overhears the dreaded question from a lady who asks why her friend has adopted a spider! We share his panic and despondency as he realises that his lovely life is about to change dramatically. I won’t reveal just how the story ends apart from saying that it is a pleasant surprise.

I’m not sure whether I am persuaded to keep a spider as a pet but recommend this unusual story about identity, confidence and an unconventional friendship. It is published by Walker Books and should be available from your local independent bookshop - who will be happy to order it for you if they don’t already have it on their shelves.

 

Karen Argent

July 2024