Luigi, the Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten

The New York Times bestselling and award-winning creators behind Library Lion deliver a warm (and delightfully fuzzy) storybook, another classic in the making, marked by humour and depth, endearing characters and the assurance that the right people will accept and adore us, unconditionally, just as we are.

On a street of old houses, a big hairy spider is searching for a home with dark corners to hide in. But when he wakes up, he finds a hand reaching for him, and a lady proclaiming that she has always wanted a kitten – and will name him Luigi! At first, a somewhat puzzled Luigi, used to being left alone to creep and dangle and spin webs, resists her kind advances. But soon, tasty breakfasts and getting tucked into bed (no one’s ever wished him good night before) have him thinking that kittens surely live magical lives. I will be a kitten! he decides. But how long can he keep up his façade, and what might be at stake in pretending to be someone you’re not?

Softly shadowed acrylic and pencil art by Hawkes deftly renders furry Luigi as remarkably kitten-like. Publishers Weekly
The silly, sweet story is packed with humor and marvelous minutiae, and the lovely acrylic-and pencil illustrations capture adorable arachnid antics while offering a great sense of scale from a tiny point of view. A marvelous message of unconditional acceptance sure to make an arachnid ally out of any young reader. Booklist
The hearts of even the most strident arachnophobes will melt at this story of unlikely pals, and the ultimate message of loving oneself and one’s friends just as they are remains a worthy one. Gentle shading and subtle hatchmarks along with pastel hues give an overall feeling of coziness, rendering any sort of creepy-crawly creepiness moot. Wide-eyed Luigi cleverly uses his multiple appendages to shape triangle ears and a furry, expressive tail in a disguise that is as imaginative as it is precious. . . a cuddly lap might make the perfect venue for this story of friendship in unexpected places. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Timeless. . . good-hearted. Kirkus Reviews
Knudsen and Hawkes, the team behind The Library Lion, team up for a sweet tale that approaches the trope about being yourself from a slightly different angle. . . kids will relate to trying on another persona and appreciate reassurance that they don’t need to change who they are to be loved. This works well as a read-aloud as children will enjoy the spider pretending to be a kitten, the crisis in identity which the spider works through, and the subsequent happy ending. A welcome addition to picture book shelves. School Library Journal

Michelle Knudsen is the New York Times bestselling author of Library Lion, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes; Argus, illustrated by Andrea Wesson; Big Mean Mike, illustrated by Scott Magoon; and Marilyn’s Monster, illustrated by Matt Phelan, as well as the Trelian middle-grade fantasy trilogy and the Evil Librarian YA fiction trilogy. She lives in Brooklyn, USA, and is terrified of spiders. Find her online at michelleknudsen.com and on Instagram @michelle.knudsen and Twitter @michelleknudsen.

Kevin Hawkes is the award-winning illustrator of more than fifty acclaimed picture books, including the New York Times bestselling Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen, Me, All Alone at the End of the World by M. T. Anderson, The Librarian Who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky, and Sidewalk Circus and Weslandia by Paul Fleischman. He is also the acclaimed author-illustrator of both picture books and chapter books. Kevin Hawkes lives in Maine, USA. Find him online at kevinhawkes.com and on Instagram @kevinhawkesofficial.

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