The Spider Who Created the World

The Spider Who Created the World

By: Amy MacDonald

Illustrated by: G. Brian Karas

Grade: Preschool-2^nd

Genre: Traditional Lit

Have you ever wondered how Fire and Water were made? Do you ever wonder how the Earth was created? In the story The Spider Who Created the World by Amy MacDonald, she tells one story of how Fire, Water and the Earth could have been created.

The story starts off with a spider named Nobb who floated through the air before the Earth was created many years ago. She carried a white egg on her back and she needed a place to put her egg because it was almost time for it to hatch. The Air said that she could keep her egg on it, but Nobb said that she needed somewhere firm so that her egg would be safe. She asked the Moon if she could live on its brow for a while. The Moon told her no and to go away from her with her sharp fangs. Then Nobb approached the Sun, asking if she could stay for a while. The Sun told Nobb no and to go away with her sticky white thread. Then Nobb approached Cloud, asking the same question. Again, Nobb was turned down because of her right itchy legs. Nobb was sad that she had no friend but the Air, but she did not give up. Nobb was a wise spider and came up with a plan. She wove a net and hung it across the sky. The Moon was the first to get caught in the web. Nobb took a piece of the Moon and wrapped it tight in her thread. Next, the Sun got caught in the web. Nobb sliced a piece of the Sun and wrapped it tightly in her thread. Finally, the cloud was caught in the web. Nobb again took a piece of the Cloud and wrapped it tightly in her web. Nobb had everything she needed to finish her plan. She took a piece of the Moon and wrapped it tightly around the piece of the Sun, this is how she made the Earth with Fire inside it.  Next, she took the cloud and squeezed it, creating Water and oceans that cover the Earth. Finally, she had created a hone for her egg. She laid the egg between two mountains. When it hatched, not only did spiderlings come out of it, but the birds, fishes and beasts of the land that fill the world to this day. Now, the Moon, Sun and Cloud still float above the Earth, and even though Nobb created the Earth she lives with her only friend the Air, floating between the stars and the Earth.

I enjoyed this book but it is not a book that I think I would read out loud to my class. I think that children have many factors that determine what they believe about how the Earth was created, whether it is their religious beliefs or what their parents tell them. I think that a book offering a different suggestion of how the Earth was created would upset parents and confuse children. This is definitely a book that I would have in my library so that children could read it on their own if they wanted to.  The illustrations are different and interesting to look at. They take up the whole page, filling each page with a story. This book is considered traditional literature because it is a folktale. The storyline was direct and focused on one central issue. The conflict was identified early, with Nobb looking for a place to set her egg so it could hatch. The setting and the time were vague and it tried to offer an answer to a question that is unknown.

This book could be used to teach children about traditional literature. Teachers could use this book to show that traditional literature tries to offer an answer to specific things in the world with stories from different cultures. This book is easy to understand and would be a good book to introduce children to traditional literature. The Spider Who Created the World could be used to fulfill the MLA frameworks in key ideas and details (1) and (3), integration of knowledge and ideas (7) and (8).