Just Itzy

Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 4, 2015

Review

Itzy the spider is getting ready for his first day of spindergarten. He is very excited except for one thing: his nickname. Everyone calls him Itzy Bitzy and he absolutely hates this demeaning sobriquet. He also wants to be able to catch his own lunch instead of bringing a lunch box, so he purposely leaves what his mother packed for him behind, determined to prove that he should not be referred to as Itzy Bitzy anymore, for all to see that he is now a big spider. His teacher tells the students to find a good place to build a web and to 'keep your eye on the fly.' Of course, things do not go well; he is thwarted at every turn. Firstly, someone sitting on a tuffet scares away a yummy looking fly, then an old woman swallows a fly, then he has problems with a waterspout. Follow the theme here? The illustrations employ pastels, ink, and pencil to lovely and amusing effect. This makes a good readaloud, though the font could be somewhat bigger and more colorful.

Overall Book Score: very good