Children's ✦ Penny’s Take
Spiders
Seymour Simon · 2007
82/100
👍 Worth It
Seymour Simon is one of the best science writers working in children's nonfiction, and this book shows exactly why — the close-up photography is dramatic, the prose is clear without being dumbed down, and the comparisons (a jumping spider leaping the equivalent of two basketball courts) make the science genuinely memorable. Kirkus called it a 'mini-documentary' and that is exactly right. The only real barrier is the cover, which will send arachnophobic kids running.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
safety93
substance80
craft84
originality72
accuracy85
hype82
age-fit88
human-eye83
Penny’s verdict82
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