Christmas at Tante's was special. Every year she cleaned and baked in preparation. Then all the children and animals were invited to see Tante's beautiful Christmas tree. Only the spiders were turned away.

As always Tante wished to experience a little bit of Christmas magic for herself where animals might speak or bees hum carols at midnight. However, Tante always fell fast asleep. Then one Christmas a mysterious visitor left Tante's door open just a crack. The curious spiders finally had a chance to experience Tante's beautiful tree and in return they leave behind a little bit of magic that has become legend.

The Bottom Line: This version of the German folktale is set in the Bavarian forests. Both the story and the illustrations have an Old World charm and will appeal to children in grades 1 - 3. Kids will delight in the magical story of the tradition of tinsel.

This review also appears at the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog. ( )

The Cobweb Christmas, illustrated by Joe Lasker.

Shirley Climo, whose folkloric adaptations and retellings for children range from picture-books like The Egyptian Cinderella and Tuko and the Birds, to collections such as Piskies, Spriggans, and Other Magical Beings, and A Treasury of Mermaids, turns here to the German legend of the Christmas spider. The story of a little old woman, called Tante ("Auntie") by all the local children, who lives in a small cottage by the fir forest, and keeps Christmas every year by decorating a lovely tree, and inviting all of the children, and then all of the animals, to enjoy its loveliness, The Cobweb Christmas concerns the granting of a long-time wish, the occurrence of a holiday miracle, and the genesis of a Christmas tradition. And it all comes about because of the spiders, usually exiled from Tante's home during the Christmas season, as a result of her vigorous cleaning, who spin a very special gift for her, which is then transformed by the Christkindel...

This book appears to have been issued twice, with different illustrations, and slightly different texts. The original - the edition I am reviewing here - was published in 1982, with artwork by Joe Lasker. The reprint, which came out in 2001, contains artwork by Jane Manning, and, in an unfortunate example of Americanization, changes the visiting gift-bringer of the season from the "Christkindel" to "Kris Kringle!" I'm glad that I read the original, although even the 1982 edition is somewhat misleading, as Joe Lasker depicts the Christkindel as a sort of Santa Claus figure, when I understand that he most often appears as a young, angelic-looking boy. Leaving that issue, and the fact that Climo did not include any mention of her source material (always a pet peeve of mine), aside, I did enjoy this sweet little story, which explains the evolution of tinsel. There is a very similar tale from the Ukrainian tradition, a retelling of which can be found in The Spider's Gift: A Ukrainian Christmas Story. Recommended to young Christmas tree lovers, and folktale enthusiasts! ( )

A delightful story of a old generous Tante who cleans her house, and decorates her Christmas tree. Kris Kringle lets the spiders who have been swept out back in to see the tree and they transform it.