Caldecott Honor book- The Spider and the Fly

The Spider and the Fly based on the cautionary tale by Mary Howitt was the Caldecott Honor Award Winner in 2003. As a lover of Charlotte's Web, I decided to read this book based upon the main character being a spider. The black and white illustrations which were very detailed caught my eye and created an almost eery feeling.
I was shocked to learn that the story ended with tragedy. Most, if not all, stories that I read at this young age level ended with a happy ending. In reality, this is not true; this was definitely an eye-opening experience for me. You see, throughout the story Spider came up with scheming ways to trap Fly into his bed and eventually have her for dinner. Yes, in the end, Spider won the battle and feast on the helpless fly.

While I would not read this to my young children at home, older students may be interested in the shocking twist. I really liked the message at the end of the book written by Spider. He warned readers to take the story to heart or they may fall into the web of a schemer as Fly did. It was a nice touch to the end of a "disturbing" story.