I WORKED HARD ON THAT!

Creating something worthwhile takes time, effort, and patience.

Since childhood, Kiara the spider has spun webs to catch food. Then she sees a web so beautiful that it inspires her to create something similar. Her initial efforts fail, and each time she achieves a breakthrough, another animal accidentally destroys the web. “Hey, I worked hard on that!” she protests. Discouraged, Kiara abandons artistry, then notices that the inspirational web’s gone. Orb, its weaver, suggests that the two collaborate, and the results are lovely. Next morning, hungry Orb breaks the web while grabbing a morsel from it; Kiara refuses to work with Orb again. When Kiara accidentally destroys Paws the squirrel’s “sculpture,” all’s forgiven because, as Paws explains, “I learned a thing or two for my next piece.” Kiara’s never thought about art like that, and she, Paws, and Orb join artistic forces. This thought-provoking story about the nature of creativity is geared more to adult sensibilities; young children are generally more interested in the fun process of making art than in perfecting their craft, as Kiara does. Terms such as dimension and scale and phrases such as “on the cusp of something” won’t be meaningful to youngsters. It’s commendable, however, that expressive Kiara is portrayed determinedly pursuing her passion; she’s also an exemplar of self-confident persistence. The colorful digital illustrations are by turns delicate and lively and incorporate examples of creative typesetting; those intricate webs are spectacular.

Wall weaves a tale that may be too complex for its target audience; still, many youngsters will get caught up in this web.