Author Robert Heidbreder • Illustrator Karen Patkau
Stoddart Kids / Fitzhenry & Whiteside 1995, Oxford University Press 1985
Ages 4-7

The poems in Don’t Eat Spiders irresistibly combine the lyrical with the ridiculous. Robert Heidbreder has  a keen ear for the sound patterns and rhymes that delight children and a sure sense of the silly, or even scary, things that entertain them. Not only do Karen Patkau’s collage illustrations capture the playful spirit of the poems, but their tactile quality make her creatures leap off the page. The feathery feel or ‘a gigantic bird, a dinosaur in air.’

LOOK INSIDE

AWARDS & HONOURS
• Ezra Jack Keats Memorial Medal – UNICEF / USSBY 1986
• International Graphic Design Award 1986

REVIEWS
• “ Don’t Eat Spiders is going to be a hit with teachers because here, in one volume, is a poem for almost every occasion. the book is a joy to the ear and to the eye. Every public and school library in Canada should have at least one copy.” – Quill & Quire

• “Gradually we are developing a body of good poetry for children in Canada. Dennis Lee, George Swede, sean o’huigin, Lois Simmie – and now the welcome arrival of Robert Heidbreder. It must be said that this book is a well-balanced partnership between the bouncy rhymes of the poet and the marvelous illustrations of Karen Patkau.” — Children’s Book News

• “ … exceptionally appealing, beautifully illustrated.” – Today’s Parent

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