What’s That? Australian Spiders
What’s That? Australian Spiders
Myke Mollard
Woodslane, 2025
40pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99
It’s time to put my brave on and open this book whose cover has been sending chills up my spine since it arrived – and it’s one I actually requested!
But despite my arachnophobia, I can’t pass up an opportunity to share another in this wonderful series by Myke Mollard that opens up Australia’s natural world to young readers so that right from the get-go they have an appreciation for the seen and the not-so in the world around them and dedicated to all kids who ask , “What’s that?”
To begin, Mollard explains the difference between spiders and insects – even though they belong to the same group known as arthropods which have hard external skeletons and jointed legs, spiders are arachnids having just two body parts (insects have three), eight legs and a number of other features that set them apart. Like insects, they are a critical part of the ecosystem because they help control pests and pollinate plants and some populations are in danger because of habitat destruction. (And cans of insect killer.)
Mollard divides the Australian species into three sections – ancient spiders like trapdoors, tarantulas and funnel webs that remain similar to their ancestors of 350 000 000 years ago; modern spiders like redbacks, white-tails, golden-orbs and those scary-to-me huntsmen; and spider relatives like mites, ticks and scorpions – and then goes on to draw them in great detail accompanied by maps and information -none of which I was brave enough to read although I assume it was just as fascinating as all the other books in the series.
That’s it. Perhaps if I had grown up in a country where I had to know about these creatures because of their frequency and potential threat I wouldn’t be such a scaredy-cat but I’m congratulating myself on doing as much as I have in the interests of our young readers who need to be aware and who are infinitely braver than me!!!
But for all that, I did enjoy Spiro, and students were always fascinated by Jeannie Baker’s classic One Hungry Spider, Eric Carle’s The Very Busy Spider and the work we did based on the traditional tale of Little Miss Muffet, and watching one of the many videos now available for kids to watch how a spider spins its web, so this would be an ideal companion to those for those who want to know more.