Luigi, the Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten

December 11, 2023
This quirky be-yourself tale by the team behind Library Lion starts out as broad comedy, as a “big, hairy spider” takes up residence in an old house, where a pale-skinned, silver-haired lady greets him with delight (“It feels like a kitten! I have always wanted a kitten”), names him Luigi, and gives him a cat toy as well as a tiny box to sleep in (“He had never known that kittens led such magical lives”). If his host loves him as a kitten, Luigi resolves to comport himself thusly, and softly shadowed acrylic and pencil art by Hawkes deftly renders furry Luigi as remarkably kitten-like. Then the woman’s friends come for a game night; after she introduces Luigi, and he knocks himself out acting like a feline, his real identity is soon revealed by the group. Luigi’s anguish lasts until a heart-to-heart clarifies the situation. Though her masquerade’s motive doesn’t quite persuade (“I already knew you were a spider. I just never said anything because you were having so much fun pretending to be a kitten”), the woman’s pledge of unconditional love assuages Luigi’s doubts in this emotional roller coaster of a story. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House.

February 1, 2024
After a spider is mistaken for a kitten, he attempts to keep up the ruse. "A big, hairy spider" moves into an old house sure to contain appropriately dark nooks. He weaves a web under a sofa, but homeowner Betty finds him, decides he's an adorable kitten, and names him Luigi. As Betty plays with the spider and prepares a special bed for him, he warms to the idea of being Luigi the kitten; kittens seem to lead "magical lives." He starts fearing that Betty will realize her mistake and banish him, so he does his best to be as felinelike as possible. But when the secret's revealed, Betty reassures Luigi that she knew he was a spider all along and thought he was only having "fun pretending to be a kitten," and the pair live companionably ever after. While the sentiment--find someone who will "like you for who you really are"--is timeless, the complicated charade, where each character pretends for the other, is convoluted, and the message is somewhat hidden within the protracted text. Perhaps the most polarizing factor will be Luigi himself. Hawkes has made the spider look really, well, spidery. There's whimsy when Luigi is mimicking a kitten, but his lightly anthropomorphized form is going to be too creepily arachnid for some. The muted, dusty colors in acrylics and pencil don't provide much warmth, though they do add spidery ambience. Betty presents white. A good-hearted, if slightly unsettling, tale of unlikely pals. (Picture book. 6-10)

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February 15, 2024
Grades K-2 After sneaking under a sofa, a spider is startled to be scooped up by a kindly older woman who mistakes him for a kitten, christening him "Luigi."" The understandably confused spider is confident that he is not a kitten but figures there's no harm in pretending. As Luigi settles in, darling scenes see the unusual pair contentedly watching television together or tucking into their respective beds. When the woman invites friends over to show off her new pet, the charade falls flat, and Luigi is terrified that his person won't want him now that he has been identified as a scary spider. Not to worry: she knew who he was all along and adores him just the way he is. The silly, sweet story is packed with humor and marvelous minutiae, and the lovely acrylic-and-pencil illustrations capture adorable arachnid antics while offering a great sense of scale from a tiny point of view. A marvelous message of unconditional acceptance sure to make an arachnid ally out of any young reader.

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January 26, 2024

PreS-Gr 2-Knudsen and Hawkes, the team behind The Library Lion, team up for a sweet tale that approaches the trope about being yourself from a slightly different angle. A big, hairy spider (with large, friendly eyes) looks for a new home with dark corners to hide in and walks into a cozy pastel house with the perfect sofa under which to sleep. He is awakened the next morning by a kind-looking woman who declares, "I have always wanted a kitten," naming him "Luigi." The elderly white lady feeds him, plays with him, and curls up on the couch to watch a movie with him, and even tucks him into a box near her bed. Luigi enjoys this new life as a kitten because spiders live alone in dark corners. "But kittens... kittens got to have friends," It's not until the lady has friends over who call him a "spider" that Luigi realizes he has failed at making others believe he's a kitten. In the end, the lady tells Luigi she has always wanted a kitten, but she would still like him to stay. "Can you be yourself and still be my friend?" Although an odd tale, kids will relate to trying on another persona and appreciate reassurance that they don't need to change who they are to be loved. VERDICT This works well as a read-aloud as children will enjoy the spider pretending to be a kitten, the crisis in identity which the spider works through, and the subsequent happy ending. A welcome addition to picture book shelves.-Carrie Voliva

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