Spider in the Well

Terrific fun with a shrewd hero.

When a shopkeeper, doctor, and baker each claim to be furious that their altruistic wishes aren't coming true, a naive newsboy is dispatched to find out why the local wishing well is on the fritz. There, the boy discovers that a spider (wonderfully distilled into black circle, eight squiggles, and earnest googly eyes) is not only catching the wishers' gold wishing coins, but has also heard their desires, which are in actuality anything but selfless: "The baker wished for a full head of hair, the shopkeeper wished for huge muscles, and the doctor wished for lots of money." With a cry of "JUSTICE," the town's overworked Jack of all trades, suddenly savvy, parlays his information into a life of leisure and a steady income of wishing-well revenue. In a folkloric-feeling work with a bit of bite, Hannigan makes a splendid picture book debut with digital art that brings to mind the vibrant palettes, comically stylized shapes, and compositional playfulness of 1960s Polish "Cyrk" posters. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4-8. Agent: Hannah Mann, Writers House. (Mar.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

PreS-Gr 2—Droll humor and illustrations that have a nostalgic tone due to the palette and style make for a fun read for children, but also for their adults. In the town of Bad Göodsburg, the young newsboy is overworked. In addition to his job at the newsstand he also serves as the chimney sweep, shoe shiner, and milkman. While this might seem to be a heavy load for a young person the townspeople assure him it is indeed fair. When the town wishing well stops granting wishes the youngster is sent to resolve the issue. Particularly concerned are the baker, shopkeeper, and doctor who insist they have very noble wishes waiting to be granted. The boy travels to the well and there he meets a spider in the well. A very clever resolution follows; good is rewarded and greed is punished as those townspeople were less than honest about their true desires. The digital illustrations have the appearance of woodcuts and capture the humor with delightful results.VERDICT This is a masterful debut that reads like a well-loved classic. Its combination of illustrations and vocabulary honors the intelligence of the audience and will be great fun to share.—John Scott

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"Don't worry, everybody. Jess Hannigan is here, and she's really, really good at making books. Spider in the Well is beautiful, expertly told, and I don't trust anyone in it at all. It's amazing." — Jon Klassen, award-winning creator of I Want My Hat Back

"I love Spider in the Well. The story unfolds like a hilarious, modern German fable. It's like if Tomi Ungerer and James Marshall came together and combined The Three Robbers with Bumps in the Night." — K-Fai Steele, creator of A Normal Pig

★ "[A] fun read for children, but also for their adults. This is a masterful debut that reads like a well-loved classic. Will be great fun to share."? — School Library Journal (starred review)

★ "Dramatic pacing and sly humor. Terrific fun with a shrewd hero." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A wonderfully weird and darkly droll tale about a newsboy dispatched to the town's wishing well who discovers a spider, piles of gold coins, and a web of fibs. The striking, bold block-print-style artwork makes a splash." — Quill & Quire

"In a folkloric-feeling work with a bit of bite, Hannigan makes a splendid picture book debut." — Publishers Weekly

"Stellar." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A twist conclusion sees the put-upon protagonist seizing his opportunity—and then some, thanks to a little blackmail and extortion." — Horn Book Magazine