Here is a really creative re-telling of the 1800s poem “Will you come into my parlour, said the spider to the fly.” The artwork (by DeTerlizzi) is fantastic…dark, but very detailed and full of forewarning of the fate that the little fly, dressed like a flapper of the ’20s, is sure to suffer if she succumbs to the blandishments of the sophisticated-looking spider. The artwork adds to the atmosphere of the book, as it is all black and white and eerie—almost “Addams Family” ghoulish.
The artwork is what really makes this book perfect for today’s youngsters. You see the Fly, dressed in her bright gossamer flapper dress (complete with fringe and long beads), flitting about with her flower-petal parasol, while half-resisting, half-toying with Spider’s invitation. You see the menacing Spider, very nattily dressed in his spats and pinstriped suit, gently encouraging and flattering the Fly into accepting his invitation. And all the while, in the background, you see the other victims of the Spider, ghostly beings doing their best to warn the Fly away. And, of course, the very background of the nursery with the big Victorian dollhouse — a perfect setting for the diabolical Spider and his nefarious plot against the Fly.
The end of the rhymed story gives the wonderful moral:
And now, dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly, flattering words I pray you ne’er give heed:
Unto an evil counselor close heart and ear and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale of the Spider and the Fly.