Review of Spiker the Jumping Spider Learns about Joy

[Rishaunda Lynnette Britton]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Spiker the Jumping Spider Learns about Joy" by J. M. Ashmore.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Spiker and Crispin are friends, and despite Spiker being a spider and Crispin being a cricket, the two are able to get along. Now, there is something both Spiker and Crispin can do, but there is also something unique to each of them. Recently, the two have been trying to figure out what the word joy entails. As life takes them to several places and circumstances and brings them into contact with creatures like Sully and Gerry, their success or otherwise with this project will largely depend on how they harness the "advantages" available to them and learn from their experiences.

Our children need to be exposed more to stories like these. They need to discover values worth emulating and cultivating. They need to know how incredibly blessed they are, how important the neighbor next to them is, and how much we owe our existence and upliftment to one another. The major problem with the human race has more to do with our mindsets. A little opportunity and the tendency to become arrogant and selfish soars, blinding us to the "significance" of even the "most insignificant" among us.

Spiker the Jumping Spider Learns About Joy: Joy Is a Fruit of the Spirit is a children's story written by J. M. Ashmore. Tailored for an audience between the ages of four and eight, the story deploys relevant resources and avenues to inculcate in the readers values that are empowering and eternal, demonstrating to them that even the littlest act of kindness can, like the mustard seed, grow and become even a blessing to generations yet to come and that we can always navigate any situation with the right mindset.

I liked the characterization of Spiker, Crispin, Sully, and Gerry; they behaved real and made good use of the presence given to them. Also interesting was the musicality in the characters' names: Spiker the Spider, Crispin the Cricket, Sully the Spider, and Gerry the Grasshopper! The text was thoroughly edited and well illustrated. I really couldn't find anything that could be improved in this book, so, given the aforementioned merits, I give it five out of five stars.

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Spiker the Jumping Spider Learns about Joy
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