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Written back in the mid-60‘s during the Cold War era, but still quite relevant today. Quite relevant indeed. It‘s a very short story about how easy it is to mold the thoughts of others, especially from a position of power. The reason I rated it as so-so instead of a pick is simply that it felt too short. Yes, it made its point, but I feel it could have been even more effective had it been fleshed out a bit more.

“Come into my parlour,“ said the Spider to the Fly. “Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy.“

spider invites a fly to his home with sweet promises of a warm and comfortable stay, but the fly soon realizes too late that the spider has darker intentions.

The tale is both a warning and a work of art, cleverly teaching readers about the dangers of manipulation and the importance of thinking critically.

And now dear little children, who may this story read,

To idle, silly flattering words, I pray you ne'er give heed:

Unto an evil counsellor, close heart and ear and eye,

And take a lesson from this tale, of the Spider and the Fly.

This poem can be used during Halloween time to fit the fall and scary theme! This book can also be used to teach the moral lesson of “stranger danger“.

The Spider and the Fly is a poem that was written by Mary Howitt in 1829. This classic poem is about a spider that manipulates a fly into its trap with twisted words. At the end of the poem, the spider heeds a warning to the children who are reading to not be tricked by the words of strangers.