Frank the Seven-Legged Spider

Frank the Seven-Legged Spider, written and illustrated by Michaele Razi.

Perhaps it’s the interminable winter? The staggering cold? Remaining housebound for fear of slipping on the ice?
I have been quite cranky lately. But finding this little gem absolutely made me smile and, quite FRANK-ly, I needed that.

The first line of the book,

“Frank likes being a spider. He likes making beautiful webs.”

So, reading that and seeing a rather detailed web interpretation of the Mona Lisa next to it really did make me chuckle.


We are treated to some funny pages about how much he likes being a spider, scaring humans, and having 8 legs.

We then have this amazing page turn,

“Everything was going great until…” (page turn)

“he woke up missing a leg.”

Only having seven legs causes Frank much dismay. Is he still a spider?

Frank regains his balance and goes on a funny seek and find where Frank looks for his leg, the most hilarious of which is in the nose hair of a hipster.

Frank doesn’t find his leg, but he is reminded by a group of ants that he is still a spider. The dialogue in voice bubbles is clever and funny.

When Frank says,

“I’m a spider, I’m supposed to have eight legs.”

The ants reply,

“So? Our friend Nancy lost an antenna. And she became our Queen!”

There’s a quirky ending that you will have to read/see for yourself.

The fact that this book deals with disability in a way that feels relatable to a child is something that I found endearing. ‘Not having a leg’ doesn’t define who or what you are is a big message delivered with humor and wit. Things happen to us that we are unable to control. It’s how we respond to those challenges that makes us who we are.

Thank you, Frank the Seven-Legged Spider and Michaele Razi for cheering me during this terrible weather and reminding me that,

we are all okay.

Jennifer Black Reinhardt

Jennifer is the illustrator and author of several acclaimed picture books. Most recently is Always by My Side, 'A Stuffie Story', which she wrote and illustrated. She also is both the author and illustrator of Playing Possum, and Blue Ethel. Jennifer illustrated Gondra’s Treasure, written by Newbery award winner Linda Sue Park. As well as, Sometimes You Fly, by Newbery medalist, Katherine Applegate. She illustrated Yaks Yak, Animal Word Pairs by Linda Sue Park, The Inventor's Secret, What Thomas Edison Told Henry Ford, by Suzanne Slade, Rabbi Benjamin's Buttons, by Alice B. McGinty, and The Adventures of a South Pole Pig, by Chris Kurtz.

31 Comments:

  1. I love this “You don’t have to be perfect” story!

  2. Any book that emphasizes the okay-ness of differences is a winner in my mind.

  3. What a fun and meaningful book! Thank you and congrats!

  4. This looks fun! Thank you for sharing.

  5. Wonderful Jennifer!
    And I so I relate to having cranky spells. My elixir for winter crankiness is winter coziness…baking and books is a good place to start!

  6. Thanks Jennifer for highlighting this book! This is so relatable In many ways.

  7. What a clever and fun book!
    Thanks for sharing it.

  8. Wow, for a spider-y book (not the cutest creatures), this looks really cute! And such a great message delivered in a humorous, kid-friendly way. And I hear you about winter crankiness (even though it’s not TOO bad here in NC) — I’m definitely ready for spring!

  9. This book fascinates me. I love the subtle message.

  10. This charming account of a determined search for success gave me pause. We all feel like Frank in one way or another.

  11. I can’t wait to read! Must. Get. Copy. Now. Thank you!

  12. I love spiders and Frank is adorable!!! And what a beautiful message!!! As Karen above me says, “we all feel like Frank…”

  13. You did a great job reviewing this, Jennifer, and Michaele did a great job writing it! What a fun way to get her message across! I look forward to getting this book.

  14. What a fun story about bouncing back and accepting yourself. I cannot wait to read it.

  15. It’s not often that a spider can make me smile, but Frank looks too cute to resist! Thanks for sharing this story with us, Jennifer.

  16. I loved this one, too. Great inspiration for humor.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *