Stunningly Beautiful

The Spider & The Fly by Becky Clifford is a stunningly beautiful Christian Christmas book for young children.

Becky Clifford has used Matthew 2 as a basis for her poem telling of the birth of Jesus, with the addition of a spider and a fly. It is a unique and very beautiful take on a familiar Bible story. It is a beautiful and memorable way to introduce Jesus to young children. As a grandparent, I am very familiar with the Christmas story, and I absolutely adored The Spider & The Fly.

The story is told through rhyming couplets, making it easy for children to anticipate what is coming next, and to join in, once they have heard the story a few times. It has a wonderful rhythmic bounce to the tale.

When we see the Wise Men or the Holy family, look very carefully as there will be a spider and/or a fly hidden somewhere within the illustrations. This makes the book interactive for young (and not so young) children.

Each page is beautifully illustrated and provides a starting point for discussions with our children.

At the end of the book is a simplified version of the Biblical story of Matthew 2 which we can read through with our children. There are also questions and answers, asking us to be a Bible detective.

The Spider & The Fly is absolutely beautiful and essential for any young child, to introduce them to Jesus. It is a beautiful heirloom to be passed down and to be read each year in the run up to Christmas so that our children know the real reason for the season.

Every early years classroom and Sunday school group should invest in a copy of The Spider & The Fly.

The Spider & The Fly is honestly one of the most beautiful books that I have seen.

I received a free copy from the publishers. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

JULIA WILSON