"Will you walk into my parlor?" said the Spider to the Fly... So begins Mary Howitt's 1829, cautionary timeless classic. But this age-old masterpiece has been elevated to new heights by the stunning, black and white, "silent screen" artwork of Tony DiTerlizzi. Mr DiTerlizzi has created a clever and captivating feast for the eyes, and filled his illustrations with spooky humor and wit, intricate, eye-catching details, marvelous facial expressions, and pure magic. Young and old alike will be entranced as they linger and explore each page, finding something new and enticing each and every time they open the book. Perfect for "youngsters" of all ages, The Spider And The Fly begs to be read aloud and shared with friends and family now, and future generations in the years to come. "And now, dear little children, who may this story read,/To idle, silly, flattering words I pray you ne'er give heed:/Unto an evil counselor,/close heart and ear and eye,/And take a lesson from this tale,/of the Spider and the Fly."

I roared out load with laughter while reading The Spider and the Fly, Illustrations by Tony Diterlizzi. Mr. Ditlerizzi has rendered a fabulous new vision of the poem written by Mary Botham Howitt. Drawn in the visual style of films from the twenties and thirties, the black and white illustrations shimmer like images out of a silent film. The spider, dressed to the nines and looking like the late Raul Julia, resides in a Victorian Doll House. A lovely dragonfly, dressed flapper style, approaches his abode. The Spider, doffing his top hat with panache and revealing four additional eyes beneath his top hat, attempts to entice the dragonfly inside for an extended visit. The visual humor is delightful. In one illustration the spider sits resplendent in his Victorian chair, his legs propped up upon a stool made from a dead lady bug. The charming Spider and the Fly had me ensnared in it's web from the moment I opened the book.

Preston McClear...

I have always been fasinated by this warning tale of the evils that can befall those who are too trusting and do not reguard strangers or those of brief aquaintance with proper waryness,(Especially young women... this is after all a Victorian tale!) but, never before have I been charmed amused and enchanted by it!
Mary B. Howett's tale is perfectly illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi.
Entirely done in black and white Tony has set the story in a charmingly Gothic Victorian doll house that carries the shadowy overtones of all evil dwellings.
The Spider is an Edwardian looking gentleman from his tiny moustache down to his spats. His home is the epitome of Victorian (pardon the pun)good taste. The fly is a wide eyed flapper who is as cute as a ..er bug.
A good deal of the charm of this book lies in the subtleties of Tony's wonderful illustrations. The wallpaper with a pattern of bees, the stuffed bug footstool, the cookbook bearing the title THE JOY OF COOKING BUGS, all are amusing additions to the larger tale the pictures tell . Just as the sad little daisy parasol of the fly sitting with her hat on the spiders plate speaks volumes.
This is not only a wonderful childrens book but one any adult who appreciates the work of Edward Gorey or the writing of Lemony Snickett will appriciate!
It is a surprisingly relevant tale for our time as it was for little children about a century ago.