About the Author

Mary Howitt was born in Gloucestershire, England, in 1799. With her husband, William Howitt, she wrote more than 180 books, including the poem The Spider and the Fly: An Apologue: A New Version of an Old Story, which first appeared in The New Year's Gift.

#1 New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi has been creating children's books for over twenty years. From fanciful picture books like The Spider & the Fly to chapter book series like the Search for WondLa, DiTerlizzi imbues his stories with a rich imagination. With Holly Black, he created the middle grade series the Spiderwick Chronicles, which has sold 20 million copies, been adapted into a feature film, and been translated in over thirty countries. The Norman Rockwell Museum's exhibition "Never Abandon Imagination" featured artwork from the beginning of DiTerlizzi's career as a contributing artist for Dungeons & Dragons and broke attendance records. He has been featured in Time magazine and USA TODAY and on CNN, PBS, NPR, the BBC, and the Today show.

Reviews

"A gleefully sinister fable that spins its tale like a great old silent film. The kind one might only see in a haunted nickelodeon. I love the beautiful, dramatic, black-and-white illustrations."--Lane Smith illustrator of "The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs" and "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales"

"The most charming spider you'll ever dine with!"--Henry Selick director of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "James and the Giant Peach"

Henry Selick director of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "James and the Giant Peach" The most charming spider you'll ever dine with!

Lane Smith illustrator of "The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs" and "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales" A gleefully sinister fable that spins its tale like a great old silent film. The kind one might only see in a haunted nickelodeon. I love the beautiful, dramatic, black-and-white illustrations.