12 Spectacular Spider Books for Kids {with teaching ideas!}

1. Diary of a Spider By Doreen Cronin: In this book, a lovely little spider tells about all the typical daily events in his life in a humorous and informational way.  This book is perfect for teaching personal narratives, it’s clear why this is a New York Times Bestseller.

2. The Very Busy Spider By Eric Carle: One by one all of the animals stop by the very busy spider while she works diligently to build her web.  They try many ways to distract her for her work, but nevertheless she persists and finishes her masterpiece.  The repetitive text and message are perfect for both preschool and elementary audiences.

3. Miss Spider’s Tea Party By David Kirk: Miss Spider wants so badly to host a tea party for the other insects but they all fear that they will be eaten.  In the end she is able to convince them all to join her with her sweet intentions.  More rhyming text and beautiful illustrations perfect for young listeners.

4. Aaaarrgghh! Spider By Lydia Monks: In this cute story a spider longs to be a family pet and will stop at nothing to make her dream come true.  Kids will surely giggle along as you yell “Aaaarrgghh! Spider!” on each page, making this a great read aloud choice.

5. Super Spiders By Jason Blake: I love Scholastic Vocabulary readers for early nonfiction reading. This book gives just the right amount of information to build a bit of background and interest without overwhelming young minds.

6. Spiders By Gail Gibbons: Gail Gibbons always creates great informational text for little learners. Lots of labels, phonetic pronounciations, and beautiful illustrations make this a great book for more information about spiders.

7. National Geographic Kids: Spiders By Laura Marsh: For beautiful real photos of spiders you will want to grab this Nat Geo book. A great non fiction choice, for amazing photography and simple to understand text.

8. Are You a Spider? By Judy Allen: For a different take on informational text this book is perfect if you are looking to teach about the spider’s life cycle.  I like that it begins with questions to peak children’s curiosity.

9. Spinning Spiders By Melvin Berger: Spider webs are fascinating works of art. This book tells how silk is produced, how the webs are spun, what kind of prey they catch and more.

10. Anansi the Spider By Gerald McDermott: This folktale is the story of Anansi and his 6 spider sons. When Anansi gets into trouble, each of his sons finds a way to help.  This classic tale of rescue and cooperation is a favorite in our house and fits in perfectly with a spider or Halloween theme.

11. I’m Trying to Love Spiders By Bethany Berton:  The unique style of this book make it both informational and hilarious. Seriously this book had me cracking up from beginning to end. You HAVE to check it out, great for kids and adults alike.

12. The Itsy Bitsy Spider By Iza Trapani: A spider theme wouldn’t be complete without this classic nursery rhyme.  Trapani’s version follows the itsy bitsy spider on exciting adventures and new journeys beyond the waterspout.

If you are still a little overwhelmed trying to decide which books to use and what skills to practice, I am taking all the guesswork out of that for you!

I created this Spiders: Read & Respond resource to go along with 5 of my favorite spider books above. It is the perfect way to strengthen comprehension and writing skills along with some fun craftivities to keep your kids engaged! And all of the activities are differentiated for K-2 and Common Core aligned.

Practice sequencing a story with with The Very Busy Spider By Eric Carle.

Plus create this fun Spider Web Craft and writing activity!

Practice asking and answering questions with Diary of a Spider By Doreen Cronin.

Then write your own version of the story.

Identify character traits and practice narrative writing with Miss Spider’s Tea Party By David Kirk.

Identify cause and effect with Aaaarrgghh! Spider By Lydia Monks.

And compose opinion writing based on the same story.

Use illustrations to learn new information with National Geographic Kids: Spiders By Laura Marsh.

Then create this fact spider craft and non fiction book.

You can grab all of these activities here Spiders: Read & Respond, happy fall!