Description On the left, a parade of animals; on the right, a growing web — two delights in one book. On the left-hand pages, farm animals eager to play with the spider appear one after another. Using his signature collage technique, Eric Carle brings ten different animals vividly to life. With bright, joyful eyes and tails that seem to swish from side to side, every animal radiates excitement. Each one calls out to the spider with its own sound, and the rhythmic, repeating text invites young readers to join in the fun. On the right-hand pages, readers watch the spider's web grow. In contrast to the playful animals, this is where the spider's quiet diligence shines. Starting as a few simple lines, the web grows more intricate with every page turn, until it is finally complete — delicate and beautiful. Set against the night sky, the golden web glimmers like stars, bringing the spider's busy, focused day to a beautiful close. A Picture Book to See, Hear, and Feel One of the special features of this book is its textured illustrations. The web, the spider's legs, and the fly's wings are coated with a special raised material in yellow, so children can trace them with their fingertips. Because of this, the book is also widely enjoyed by children who are blind or visually impaired. "A beautiful work that satisfies visually impaired children without sacrificing artistic quality." — from a Horn Book review While the growing web and the busily moving spider offer a tactile delight, the buzzing fly sparks the reader's imagination in a different way — through sound. The fly appears near the horse's head, then between the cow's legs, then atop the pig's tail. Though no sound is written on the page, the fly's shifting position lets readers imagine its buzzing, almost as if it's teasing the animals. When the rooster suggests catching the fly, it darts to the right-hand page — and the moment it crosses over, it gets caught in the spider's web. The fly's busy day of pestering the animals ends with a playful twist that delights readers. Meant to be seen, read, and felt, The Very Busy Spider is a picture book that gently awakens young readers' senses from every angle. An Artist for Children: Eric Carle Most of Eric Carle's works begin with small creatures found in nature — caterpillars, spiders, ladybugs, fireflies, seeds, and more. As a child, Carle developed a love of nature while taking walks through meadows and forests with his father, and this fascination became the central theme running through his life's work. Built on gratitude for nature and love for creatures both large and small, Carle's books nurture in children a sense of wonder for the natural world. Carle also believed deeply in the importance of the moment when a young child first leaves home for school — a huge transition from the world of family, safety, play, and the senses into a world of reason, abstraction, order, and rules. He hoped his books could serve as a bridge across that gap. Filled with playful elements like die-cut holes, shaped pages, and flaps, along with counting, days of the week, types of fruit, natural history facts, and other educational touches, Carle's books are part toy (home) and part book (school). His heartfelt wish — that children could read, play, enjoy, and grow through his books — shines through on every page.