The Willow Glen Resident

Photograph courtesy of Scholastic

Father-Daughter Team: Author David Kirk's beloved storybook character, Miss Spider, was inspired by his daughter Violet's love for bugs. He and Violet are pictured here.

Miss Spider creator comes to town to introduce new children's book

Noted children's author at work on Universal Studios feature movie

By Maggie Benson

When David Kirk was looking for a new car last year, he wanted to pick up a little something for his beloved children's book character, Miss Spider, as well. But cars for the amenable arachnid--"turbo-bumble" hot rods and "Escargots"--aren't easy to come by on your average auto row. So in his latest book, Miss Spider's New Car, Kirk built the character her own "Bug Buggy Marketplace" and she now has a host of vehicles from which to choose.

"I was shopping for a new car, and I thought Miss Spider should have one, too," he explained when asked what inspired the theme of the book. Kirk heads into town from his home base of upstate New York Oct. 29 to read from Miss Spider's New Car at Hicklebee's Childrens Books on Lincoln Avenue. The reading is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.

The work is the third in a series of Miss Spider books, which have proved enormously successful since Kirk first introduced the character in Miss Spider's Tea Party in April 1994.

Within months after the first book was released, it climbed into the Top10 on the Publishers Weekly children's bestseller list. Within the first year, publishers planned to launch the book internationally, in Australia, Japan, Germany and France--nearly unheard of for a first-time author.

More recently, Kirk struck a deal with Universal Studios for exclusive film rights to the spider, and he is busy at work on a full-length feature film.

So what's so lovable about this eight-legged lady?

"She's got the same sorts of problems everybody has," Kirk explained. "People can identify with her. She's a little frightened; she's a little lonely."

She's also beautiful, according to Miss Spider aficionados. "It's a very pretty book," area parent Cristy Farnam said. "It's nicely illustrated, and it's nice to read."

"The children love the wild, bright illustrations," Hicklebee's co-owner Monica Holmes added. "He's got a lot of humor in his writing. ... He writes good stories and is very unique in his presentation and his illustration."

Kirk came up with the idea for Miss Spider through his young daughter, Violet, who displayed a keen interest in the world of insects.

"I wanted to do bugs because my daughter loved bugs at the time," he said. "And I've always been interested in bugs."

Though he skyrocketed to success as an author, Kirk said he's paid his dues. The artist began his career as a toymaker and struggled for more than 15 years to make a living at the craft.

He created a variety of toys, including moveable pull-toys and handcrafted boxes, on which he painted scenes much like those found in the Miss Spider books. Publisher Nicholas Callaway spotted one of Kirk's boxes while shopping in a Manhattan toy store. He sought out the artist and asked if he wanted to create a children's book.

"That's how the publishing world found me--through the toys," Kirk explained.

In conjunction with Scholastic Inc., Callaway marketed Kirk's first book aggressively, earning the team a lucrative payoff. According to a Wall Street Journal report, in its first year of publication, Miss Spider's Tea Party sold more than 200,000 copies at $19.95 a pop; most publishers are content with selling 15,000 titles by a first-time author.

Numbers like these keep Kirk attracted to the business, particularly because his artwork and stories affect a wider range of people than did his handcrafted toys, he said. "That's why I like this medium so much, because it's so reproducable," he explained. "Everybody can have your artwork for a few dollars, and that's thrilling for an artist."

For more information, please contact Hicklebee's at 292-8880.

[ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ]