Promotional Information

I'm Trying to Love Spiderswill help you see these amazing arachnids in a whole new light, from their awesomely excessive eight eyes to the seventy-five pounds of bugs a spider can eat in a single year!

About the Author

Bethany bARTon was drawing monsters for her other picture books (This Monster Needs A Haircut, This Monster Cannot Wait) when a spider crawled across the page and demanded her attention. Since she couldn’t smash Mr. Spider into her artwork, she decided to try and love him. It wasn’t easy (RIP Mr. Spider) but in the process, this book was born. 
 

When she isn’t writing or illustrating books about awesome and icky things, Bethany spends her days decorating sets and painting miniatures for film/TV. Bethany lives in Los Angeles with her rad husband, their adorable son, and an outrageous number of garden spiders she won’t let anybody smash. (Well... unless they’re really big.)

Reviews

A 2016 CHILDREN'S CHOICE BOOK AWARD WINNER!

PRAISE FOR I'M TRYING TO LOVE SPIDERS:

* "The skillful juggling of scientific fact and emotional truth make this a winner." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "Barton's wacky ink and digital artwork is simultaneously cringe-worthy and cackle-inducing.... Both arachnophobes and arachnophiles will find useful debate fodder squashed within these pages." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"The presentation is original and engaging, with a zippy text and hilarious visuals. The cartoon illustrations are appealingly childlike, with the font a hand-written scrawl, and the spiders depicted are downright cuddly." —School Library Journal

"Watercolor-like splotches form the background for the spiders, who actually look hapless and cute. Fact-filled and funny arachnology." —Booklist


PRAISE FOR BETHANY BARTON: "Toothy and unkempt, with wild eyes and a temper tantrum of a roar—'I wanna go camping NOW!'—Stewart fully embodies a preschooler who has not yet mastered the art of waiting. Barton’s sprawling, hand-lettered text and its buoyant placement match the urgency of Stewart’s desperation." —Kirkus review of This Monster Cannot Wait!

"The sprawling text printed in capital letters emphasizes Stewart’s impatience, and the quirky ink and Photoshop illustrations add many humorous moments to the story." —School Library Journal review of This Monster Cannot Wait!