It’s Live! Cover Reveal: A Spider Named Itsy (Steve Light), Plus Giveaway! ~ US/CAN Only!

Hi, YABCers!

Today we’re super excited to celebrate the cover reveal for

A Spider Named Itsy (Steve Light),

releasing September 5, 2023 from Candlewick!

Before we get to the cover, here’s a note from A Spider Named Itsy:

“The Itsy Bitsy Spider climbed up the water spout.” Almost every child knows this finger play rhyme. As a child myself I always wondered why the spider goes up the spout. While singing the song one day in my nursery school classroom, I thought of what fun it would be to explore this story. I had been drawing bugs recently and was looking for something to do with them!

“Down came the rain and washed the spider out.” Rain falls in every one’s life, it is how we deal with the rain that defines our lives. A great lesson to teach children.

“Out came the sun and dried up all the rain.” With determination, the help of friends and a little luck, the sun usually does shine again.

“And the Itsy Bitsy Spider climbed up the spout again.” No matter how many times we get “washed out,” we should always try to climb up again. What a great lesson for everyone, especially children who are falling, failing and learning every day.

I loved drawing and creating this bug world, from Itsy’s bed (spider iron work!) to his tea pot design and all of the traveling bugs. I pictured the story happening during a Dust Bowl Depression era where it hasn’t rained in a while so bugs have packed up their belongings to migrate to better lands; perhaps the safety of a roof eave. Trying to expand my pen and ink work, I looked at classic illustrators such as Franklin Booth and Albrecht Durer. Using a metal dip pen flex nib and watercolor, all art was hand drawn on watercolor paper.

I’m hoping this book creates a world around the beloved song that children will love exploring as much as they love the melody and finger play.

Ready to see?

Scroll, YABCers! Scroll!

…

Here it is!

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Title: A Spider Named Itsy

Author: Steve Light

Release date: September 5, 2023

Publisher: Candlewick Press

ISBN (if available): 9781536225297

Cover designer/artist credit: Cover illustrated by Steve Light, cover designed by Maryellen Hanley at Candlewick Press

About the Book: A Spider Named Itsy

Why did Itsy Bitsy make his famous journey? With a dose of warmth and whimsy, Steve Light’s remarkable, intricate artwork spins a backstory of unexpected friendship.

Everyone knows the rhyme “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.” We know about the climb up the waterspout, the washout, the return of the sun, and the determined climb back up the spout—again. Generations of children have sung this beloved verse and mastered its accompanying twisty finger play. But what sent the tiny spider on his upward trek to begin with? What happened along the way—and where is Itsy now? Steve Light—with his meticulously rendered, highly detailed pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations and an endearing cast of insect characters—riffs on a classic as he offers some surprising answers, ushering us into a charming tale of perseverance, kindness, and community. And it all starts when a branch falls from a tree…

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About the Author: Steve Light

Steve Light is the creator of many picture books, including Have You Seen My Dragon?, Have You Seen My Monster?, and Road Trip! A Whiskers Hollow Adventure, which School Library Journal described in a starred review as “a near-perfect story that invites children to look at its pages and make connections.” Among his board books are Black Bird Yellow Sun; Mama Tiger, Tiger Cub; and Up Cat Down Cat. He lives in New York City.