This is a nice book to introduce the holiday of Purim. Fun and bold graphics and interesting details in a fun story about a curious spider. ( )

Sammy Spider wants to help Josh get ready for Purim. Instead, he gets stuck inside a grogger. How will he escape?

A young spider wants to join in a s Josh and his mother bake hamantaschen, make a costume, and spin the grogger in celebration of Purim. ( )

Before the story starts there is a page of loud-noise words. The illustrations are also loud and busy, perhaps in keeping with a holiday that requires noise loud enough to drown out the name of Haman. Ms. Rouss manages to include the main points of Purim---reading Megillat Esther and making noise (see above), making and distributing mishloach manot, dressing in costume. She leaves some things out---the second kind of food in mishloach manot, whether Esther deserves exclusive credit for saving the Jews, other mitzvot---but this book is meant for 4-year-olds, not adults. Sammy gets into a dangerous situation and his mother rescues him. There is a refrain by his mother, "Silly little Sammy. ... Spiders, don't . Spiders spin webs." so kids can chime in and feel more involved in the story. All in all, a very reasonable, nicely structured book for a topsy-turvy holiday. ( )