Joe the Dancing Spider

About the Book

Having lots of legs doesn't make spinning webs easy for Joe but, it does make dancing to his favorite tune a natural! After his mother realizes Joe has a talent for dancing and not for creating webs, she spins him a glorious outfit and Mrs. Mouse makes him wonderful tap-shoes to fit his many feet.

Mr. Moon provides the needed spotlight for the entertainment Joe presents every evening to Teddy, the stuffed bear, his mother, Mrs. Mouse, the dolls on the bed, and Anna the prim-and-proper Russian doll, all while their owner Elizabeth sleeps. He has his favorite song to dance to and when the moon begins to leave, Joe returns to his hiding place beneath Elizabeth's bed.

Tragedy strikes when Joe loses a shoe and is unable to dance. Finding real leather to make another becomes a problem and Joe grows sadder and sadder. Anna, who hates spiders and thinks they are scary and belong in a barn, has real leather Russian boots but is not about to give them up to a miserable spider. Anna is also thrilled that the "noisy racket" of Joe's dancing is gone and quiet has been restored. It doesn't look good for Joe and his friends.

After several long, silent nights, Anna finally realizes how much everyone, including herself, enjoyed Joe's dancing. She has a change of heart. The story ends, literally, on a happy note!

About the Author

Beverly Stringer
Author - Illustrator

An accomplished artist, this mother of four, grandmother of nine has now turned her artistic brush to pen and paper. Joe the Dancing Spider is a charming family tale that was first told to her daughter, Elizabeth, as a bedtime story. As grandchildren began arriving, Joe became one of their favorites as well.

A graduate of the University of New Mexico in Fine Arts, Beverly's goal was to write and illustrate children's books. Winning the Mary Todd Memorial Award for writing was a major encourager. However, marriage, travel and raising her four children plus working as a technical illustrator, marketing director, didn't leave much time for writing. Retiring from the work force meant returning to her first love. The story of Joe began to emerge in color. Crayon drawings from all the grandchildren helped formulate the illustrations.