This illustrated nonfiction children's book about Nan Songer, who took her childhood love of bugs and a scientist's mind to help produce spider silk on an industrial scale during World War II, is captivating for both its story and its beautifully illustrated pages. The rich, earthy tones and a distinct illustration style provide their own parallel story and enhance the book as a whole. Text insets provide additional information and enriching context.

My 11-year-old - usually "too cool" for children's books - told me in particular, without me asking, that she loved reading this book. I don't know if you've ever had an 11-year-old, but telling me she really loved it? That's high praise. In fact, all my kids, who span from a preschooler to teenagers, enjoyed reading it. This is a fantastic book!
As a parent, I particularly like to select books (whether checking out from the library or purchasing for our home) that help my children learn, show innovation, creative thinking, a scientific mindset, and strong women from history who may or may not have been overlooked. This book fits into all of the above categories. I'm looking forward to when it is published, and I will definitely both purchase it for my family as well as request that my local library purchase it.

Do you love narrative nonfiction picture books? They are a particular weakness of mine.
This book does not disappoint, this book touches on arachnids, World War Two and using natural elements in industrial applications. Nan is a scientist and entrepreneur, something we need more of now. Klostermann adds quotes and facts to the story keeping it interesting and engaging all the while. If you have kids with a love of Nature, Science, or nonfiction this is a book you should add to your collection.

I want to start this by staying I'm a basic girl who hates bugs. But this picture book was FASCINATING. Nan really did the most meticulous and strategic work harvesting spider silks for the war effort. I love how this book provides enough details to grab the reader's attention and interest, but doesn't bog you down with too much information. The illustrations are lovely and I think this book will fill a spot on your shelf that no other book could.

If you have kids interested in bugs, specifically spiders, this is an awesome book! Bonus if they love American history. Based on the life of Nan Songer this book tells her story as a naturalist and spider enthusiast who knew spider’s silk played a role in WWII ?! Lovely illustrations and story telling, with some fact side bars and quotes from Nan Songer.

I’d recommend for mid to upper elementary.

Thanks to Astra Publishing House and #NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is the story of a self-taught woman who learned to harvist the silk from spiders to make crosshairs for rifles. She found the best spiders for this were the Black Widow. She came up with a way to gather their silk webs without harming herself or the spider. With the help of others finding the spiders for her, she was able to collect enough spider silk to help the military in World War II.

I love these picture books, honoring unsung heroes, who so often are women, hidden in the background.

Kids, and adults should have fun seeing how she experimented, and studies on different spiders.

A truly amazing woman. And well illustrated.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book will be published the 6th of May 2025.

I'd never heard of Nan Songer and I had no idea that spiders' silk was used in the war effort; I'm so glad I came across this book! There are so many fascinating facts about spiders and, despite her humility as described in the author's note, example after example of what a genius Songer really was. With gorgeous illustrations and quotes from Songer herself, this is a wonderful tribute to a definitely unsung hero.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is wonderful and it shows how someone can learn about nature by spending time observing something they really love. Most people are afraid of spiders but Nan Songer loved them, and she figured out how to take their silk. By using observation and trial and error, Nan found out how to get the different kinds of silk people needed and she recreated their natural environments to get the spiders to make the best silk.
It's also interesting that she was able to use the silk to help during the war, and she even got special permission to receive spiders in the mail because the nation needed her help.
This is a picture book and it's easy to read but I learned a lot. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

A well-laid out book, if niche. The art is beautiful and it tells a story of a woman making an unusual contribution to the war effort. These stories are important to celebrate.