Posts Tagged book lists

STEM Tuesday — Spiders– Writing Tips and Resources

By on October 20, 2026   /   Spiders, STEM Tuesday   /   Leave a comment

Finding a way into a challenging topic: Writing about something scary

“Look, there’s a spider!”
If someone says that to you, would you jump away? Or lean in closer?

Spiders elicit widely varying emotional responses—appealing to some and appalling others—which makes writing about them a fascinating task.

With such wide-ranging reactions, how do you reach readers to teach them about these marvellous creatures without scaring them away?

Here are some tried and true tricks:

  1. Zoom in! Think of your scary, spooky subject as a character. Who are you writing about? What are their goals? Fears?
  2. Put your character in a scene (using facts!) – what are they doing, where…?
  3. Give your character a social setting – with whom are they interacting, how and why?
  4. Find your hook – What about your subject is most fascinating?

Believe it or not, you can apply these questions to your nonfiction writing and research. Let’s take a look at these examples that are as different as they are similar.

Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider
by Jessica Lanan (Roaring Brook Press, 2023)

This story uses two key tactics to engage readers. First, it elicits curiosity and empathy by asking “What if?” questions to help readers imagine being a spider and how their lives parallel the main character’s life.

Second, the spider is written as a charming main character. She has a name—Jumper—a mission, and superpowers to help her reach her goals. As readers get to know this personality-filled character, their sense of connection grows.

Appeals to readers who: like to imagine; enjoy getting to know a character up-close.

Book cover: "The Secret World of Spider Webs"

The Secret World of Spiderwebs by Jan Beccalon and Namasri Niumim (Thames & Hudson Ltd., 2025)

To get immediate buy-in, this story focuses on one of the most fascinating elements of spiders: their webs. This hook is beautiful, not scary, which helps draw in readers who might not reach for a book on spiders.

The book then treats each type of spider as a character: describing the setting, names, and social interactions (hunting, living with others, making and repairing their homes and traps) that make each spider inherently fascinating. These details help explain the type of web each spider weaves.

Appeals to readers who: like to learn deeply on a topic; enjoy comparing different experiences.

The Pet to Get: Spider: Everything You Need to Know About Cool and Unusual Pets by Rob Colson (Wayland, 2017)
This book dives deep into details. Multiple small sections on each page address diverse topics (e.g., types of spiders, how to care for them, their life cycle, and the best homes and food) plus large, detailed photos. With so much to learn, readers will quickly move from hesitation to fascination.

Appeals to readers who: want a pet spider; like to get up close with the details of crawly creatures.

Spiders: The Ultimate Predators by Stephen Dalton (Firefly Books, 2008)
In this book, spiders are organized by hunting style. The text is heavy on facts, uses a more scientific voice, and reads a little bit like an extended encyclopedia article. Even still, the spiders are presented as characters (albeit scientific ones) who exist in their specific worlds with their specific goals. Best of all, the photographic images of the spiders that illustrate the text are surprisingly playful, energetic, and beautiful. Together, the images and text show spiders as individuals alive and trying to survive in their environments, while inviting readers to look closely and make their own discoveries.

Appeals to readers who: like straight forward facts and real-life pictures, and who want to spend time learning about spiders without having to follow a storyline.

SCIENCE COMICS: Spiders Worldwide Webs by Tait Howard (First Second NY, 2021)
Talk about storylines! This graphic novel follows two kids turned spider-sized who go on an unexpected adventure through the world of spiders. Using fact-filled humor, illustrations, and easy-to-follow text, this story covers everything you might want to know about spiders. Like, did you know they don’t breathe through their mouths? They breathe through special organs called book lungs! (And when you see the illustrations, you’ll know why they’re called that.) This book would probably technically fall in the informational fiction (vs nonfiction) category since there is, you know, a shrink ray and a talking spider in a tiny lab coat.

Appeals to readers who: learn visually and/or like when facts are woven into a good story.

Activity

Now it’s your turn. What scary topic or creature interests you? Make an idea web about your creature—what are its character traits, what setting does it inhabit, what is its social world?—and then write about it.

Bios

Alexandra Millarhouse
Kamilla Milligan

Alexandra Millarhouse (she/they) is a researcher, science communication professional, and writer focused on the intersection of nature, science, and self. Her nonfiction picture book, THE ANIMAL QUEENDOM, comes out in Jan 19, 2027 with Simon & Schuster. Living in Vermont, Alexandra is often tracking wildlife across a cemetery, or sitting by the water with a sketchbook. Visit them online at https://www.foxandindigo.com/

Kamilla Milligan is a kidlit writer who explores themes of home, connection with nature, and cultural diversity in her stories. Kamilla has lived in Canada, the southern US, and Russia, and applies her PhD in education to her work in equity and human rights. Outside of reading, Kamilla enjoys gardening, fibre projects, and nature walks. Visit Kamilla online at http://kamillamilligan.com/

Back to Top

A Story’s A Story, No Matter How Small

By on October 14, 2026   /   Book Lists, WNDMG   /   Leave a comment

In recent news, the Guiness Book of World Records just named Advay Jain as the youngest person to publish a book at the tender age of 3 years and 345 days old! This news caught my eye since it takes me longer than that to simply finish a draft for my novels. However, this record-breaking news had me thinking about what makes an author an author and what makes a story a story. 

 

We all have narratives to share and everyone has the ability to write. With busy schedules and shrinking attention spans, readers may turn to short stories instead of full length novels. So this month’s post highlights some notable anthologies from recent years that put diverse authors at the forefront. Reluctant readers and busy bibliophiles alike can find themselves within the pages of these anthologies. 

 

LKM 2024 Anthology

Lit Kids Magazine 2024 Anthology

 

LitKids Magazine 2024 Anthology  Edited by Rebecca Weber. Lit Kids Magazine 2024 Anthology is filled with stories, poetry, art, and photography made by children who noticed something, wondered about it, and shaped it into their own creation. Inside, you’ll find small things and big things, funny things and serious things, imaginative things and thoughtful things. Each piece is proof that creating is an adventure, full of risks, surprises, and discoveries. Together, these pieces tell an important story: creativity is alive, powerful, and worth nurturing, especially in childhood.

 

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids  Edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith and published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. Featuring sixteen Native American authors—including Joseph Bruchac and Traci Sorell— this anthology weaves fantastic stories centered around a single intertribal powwow in Michigan. An incredible celebration of stories and poetry filled with humor, family joy, and contemporary Indigenous resilience.

 

 

 

 

 

The Door Is Open  Edited by Hena Khan. This anthology includes delightful stories written entirely by South Asian and Desi-American voices. Focusing on the diversity and of South Asian American experiences in a bustling community center in a fictional New Jersey town, your reader will love this exploration of  identity, new crushes, and cultural pride.

 

Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices

 

Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices  Edited by S.K. Ali and Aisha Saeed. The more we read, the more we know and what better way to experience the joy of Eid al-Fitr than with this incredible anthology. Showcasing fifteen different Muslim authors writing about the universal spirit of this holiday, this collection highlights a massive spectrum of global cultures, covering Shia and Sunni traditions, West African perspectives, and convert experiences. 

 

Black Boy Joy Cover

Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood  Edited by Kwame Mbalia. If you’ve never heard of this uplifting collection of sci-fi, fantasy, and realistic stories, you are missing out! Seventeen Black male and non-binary authors (including Jason Reynolds and Jerry Craft) share moving stories that celebrate triumph and happiness to challenge heavy media stereotypes.

 

 

On the Block  Edited by Ellen Oh (published October 2024). This anthology explores the lives of immigrant families living in a single apartment building. From beautifully honest looks at culture and family structures, this collection features twelve stories from authors like Jasmine Warga, Erin Entrada Kelly, Debbi Michiko Florence, Minh Le, and so many more!

 

 

 

You Are Here

You Are Here: Connecting Flights  Edited by Ellen Oh (published March 2023). A star-studded anthology of concurrent, interwoven stories following twelve Asian American kids embarking on a massive international airport terminal during a single incident. What could possibly go wrong? Find out through the work of Linda Sue Park, Grace Lin, Traci Chee, and Christina Soontornvat.

 

Black Girl Power

 

Black Girl Power  Edited by Leah Johnson (published 2024). A vibrant, heartwarming collection of 15 middle grade stories and poems that celebrates the joy, strength, and experience of Black girlhood, including stories from Ibi Zoboi, Sharon M. Draper, and Leah Johnson, as well as cover art from Caldecott winner Vashti Harrison.

Back to Top

STEM Tuesday — Spiders– In the Classroom

By on October 13, 2026   /   Spiders, STEM Tuesday   /   Leave a comment

I read the following books from this month’s list as the basis of the activities below.

Image of woman looking at a spider inside a glass jar.

The Spider Lady: Nan Songer and Her Arachnid World War II Army
by Penny Parker Klostermann, illustrated by Anne Lambelet

Have you ever heard of the woman who harvested spider silk to help U.S. efforts during WWII? I hadn’t until I read The Spider Lady. This book explores how Nan Songer developed a fascination of spiders. It then follows her path to delivering spider silk that was used for the crosshairs in many different military devices.

 

Book cover: "The Secret World of Spider Webs"The Secret World of Spiderwebs
by Jan Beccaloni, illustrated by Namasri Niumim

To learn how different spiders use webs, read The Secret World of Spiderwebs. Using impressive illustrations, this book provides detailed descriptions of how spiders spin their webs. This includes both the architecture of the various webs and the biomechanics needed to spin them. The spiders in the book come from a wide variety of locations around the world.

 

Spiders: We’re Not Scary, We’re Amazing
by Ruth Owen

Like the previous book, Spiders: We’re Not Scary, We’re Amazing covers a wide variety of spiders from around the world. This book provides lots of information, fun facts, and amazing photos of spiders. It also includes some thoughts on where the fear of spiders comes from.

 

As with every other month, there are many different activities that would pair well with these books. Here are a few.

Spin Some Webs

When people think of spiders, their first thoughts are often of spider webs. In fact, several of the books I read focused on spiders’ webs. There are some great activities surrounding spider webs, ranging from art projects to engineering challenges. Here are links to some activities you may want to try.

Spider Web Engineering Challenge lesson plans from Georgia Youth Science & Technology Centers: https://gystc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Spider-Web-Engineering-STEM-Challenge-Lesson-Plan.pdf

Designing Like a Spider activity guide from Hofstra’s Center for STEM Research: https://www.hofstracsr.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Designing_Like_a_Spider_Activity_Guide.pdf

How to draw a spider web: https://artprojectsforkids.org/drawing-spiderwebs

Watercolor spider web art:

Search for Spiders

One of the best ways to learn about the natural world is to see it for yourself. I’ve encountered many different spiders as I wander around my native plant-filled backyard. Here are some resources to use, preferably in a naturalized area like an outdoor classroom.

Spider Web Scavenger Hunt: https://www.primarythemepark.com/2017/09/spider-web-scavenger-hunt

This activity guide from the Lawrence Hall of Science in California is great to use while searching for spiders: https://lawrencehallofscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Spider-Exploration-1.pdf

Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources has this great collection of spider activities for a variety of ages: https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Documents/Learn-at-Home_SpiderActivities.pdf

(If you don’t have an outdoor classroom, here’s a guide that helps with creating one: https://npsnj.org/native-plants/schoolguide – while designed for New Jersey, it can be modified based on your location.)

Create a Food Web

Create a food web around a local spider. This will require a fair amount of research. Review how to evaluate sources to determine whether or not they are trustworthy.

First, find a spider that is local to your area. Here are some resource ideas for finding a local spider:

List several things your spider eats. You may be able to find this information on the Animal Diversity Web – https://animaldiversity.org – or you may need to search for other sources.

When searching for information about species, it’s best to use the scientific name as several species may share a common name. For instance to search for information regarding the grayish jumping spider I saw in my yard (you can see this on iNaturalist), I would search for “Phidippus princeps.” This page from Bugs With Mike, an enthusiastic amateur entomologist, provides lots of information and includes additional sources: https://bugswithmike.com/guide/arthropoda/chelicerata/arachnida/araneae/araneomorphae/salticidae/phidippus/princeps

For each thing your spider eats, try to determine at least one thing it eats.

List a few species that prey on your spider species. (This might include other spiders. Some spider species will eat other spiders within their own species.)

Lay out this information on a piece of paper using drawn or printed images for each of the species identified. You can see an example food web here: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-a-food-web.html. The Alabama Wildlife Federation has a food web activity and presentation here: https://alabamawildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/uploadedFiles/File/OC_Field_Investigation-Create_a_Food_Web_Interactive_PowerPoint.pdf

Compare Spider Sizes

The size of spiders varies widely. Peacock spiders (a type of jumping spider) can fit on a person’s fingernail. The goliath bird-eating tarantula is about the size of a dinner plate.

Create a visual that shows how different spiders’ sizes compare.

Where in the World

The spiders covered in the books are from all over the world. Print out a world map. Pick out some of your favorite spiders from the books and color in the different areas where those spiders are found. Use a different color or other visual representation for each spider.

Janet Slingerland has written over 2 dozen books for young readers. To find out more about Janet and her books, check out her website: http://janetsbooks.com

Back to Top