Luigi, the Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten

Praise

Softly shadowed acrylic and pencil art by Hawkes deftly renders furry Luigi as remarkably kitten-like.
—Publishers Weekly

The silly, sweet story is packed with humor and marvelous minutiae, and the lovely acrylic-and pencil illustrations capture adorable arachnid antics while offering a great sense of scale from a tiny point of view. A marvelous message of unconditional acceptance sure to make an arachnid ally out of any young reader.
—Booklist

The hearts of even the most strident arachnophobes will melt at this story of unlikely pals, and the ultimate message of loving oneself and one’s friends just as they are remains a worthy one. Gentle shading and subtle hatchmarks along with pastel hues give an overall feeling of coziness, rendering any sort of creepy-crawly creepiness moot. Wide-eyed Luigi cleverly uses his multiple appendages to shape triangle ears and a furry, expressive tail in a disguise that is as imaginative as it is precious. . . a cuddly lap might make the perfect venue for this story of friendship in unexpected places.
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Timeless. . . good-hearted.
—Kirkus Reviews

Knudsen and Hawkes, the team behind The Library Lion, team up for a sweet tale that approaches the trope about being yourself from a slightly different angle. . . kids will relate to trying on another persona and appreciate reassurance that they don’t need to change who they are to be loved. This works well as a read-aloud as children will enjoy the spider pretending to be a kitten, the crisis in identity which the spider works through, and the subsequent happy ending. A welcome addition to picture book shelves.
—School Library Journal

Anybody who thinks spiders can’t be cute will be proven wrong with this charmingly illustrated story about identity and honesty. With acrylics and pencil, Hawkes uses both shadows and Luigi’s long spider legs to expertly convey his kitten-ness, and read-alouds can be paired with easy challenges to kids to match Luigi’s actions. . . Luigi, the Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten warms the heart, highlighting how freeing the truth can be, as well as the fact that you can be more than one thing—so long as you’re happy.
—BookPage