David Kirk’s, Miss Spider’s Tea party book starts, “One lonely spider sipped her tea while gazing at the sky/She watched the insects on the leaves and many flying by…” and so the adventure begins as Miss Spider does her best to convince a veritable parade of lovable insects that she’s only in search of a friend… and not a meal. The verse in this book for young children is one of the best introductions to poetry we’ve seen — and it also tells a beautifully simple yet engaging story. The illustrations, also painted by Kirk, are vibrantly colored, with a modern, imaginative style that can’t really be described in words, but simply needs to be “soaked in” by your eyes, as you turn each page. We won’t tell you the ending, but suffice it to say that Miss Spider finds a way to convince the others to be her friends. This is a beautiful book — for both boys and girls and the parents who love to read to them.