Book Review: When Spider Met Shrew by Deborah Kerbel and Geneviève Côté

By Carly Smith

When Spider Met Shrew tells the story of an unexpected group of animals who help each other when, for one reason or another, they are down on their luck. What do a spider, a shrew, a bat, a possum, a dog, and a pony have in common? They all have hardships, and they are all keen to help one another overcome their troubles through acts of kindness. This uplifting story takes readers on an adventure where each turn of a page introduces a new animal and a new situation to navigate through teamwork. Hunger, homelessness, bad weather, fear, and loneliness won’t stop these creatures from having fun and making friends.

Heartwarming and amusing, When Spider Met Shrew offers a lot for young readers; it has a great moral, can help children build inferring skills, and is full of dialogue. It is an excellent choice for a read-aloud at the beginning of the school year, or if grownups are looking to help their young ones make inferences. Kerbel helps readers feel empathy without being too heavy-hearted. Similarly, Côté illustrates in such a way that readers are able to understand the emotions of the animals while still keeping the tone fairly jovial.

The text in the book changes; sometimes, dialogue is between traditional quotation marks, and at other times it is in a bold font, different than of the rest of the page’s text, and near the speaker’s mouth, somewhat comparable to a speech bubble. This was a bit confusing, and I was unable to find a rhyme or reason for this. Although I would have preferred that the dialogue stuck to one style, I appreciated that the sentences were short and there was not too much text per page. These are important features for the target audience’s age and experience level.

The illustrations are sweet and remind me of picture books that were popular when I was a child. They are scratchy and do not have perfect colouring inside the lines. It adds to the charm of the book. The scenery is not too detailed, helping readers focus on the animals and their conversations, which consequently emphasizes the moral of the story.

Overall, the storyline and the illustrations come together neatly to create a wonderful message for all readers. While grownups will read When Spider Met Shrew with a nostalgic, cozy feeling, younger readers will find a beautiful lesson that they can bring with them and use in their own little communities.

Thank you, Groundwood Books, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.