Miss Spider

YMA recommendation

	Approved as non-violent media, with caution. Accidental harm
Most suitable age range: 2-4

Availability

About the program

Synopsis

Based on the books by David Kirk, the show depicts the adventures of Miss Spider and her family which consists of her gentle husband and their biological offspring as well as a number of adopted bugs. 

Points to consider

Words of caution

The episodes viewed included the following examples of accidental harm:

• Squirt, one of the little spiders, fell down a shoot and landed in a wheelbarrow which careened out of control, he eventually fell out and a large seed bumped an ant on the head.
• A butterfly was accidentally crashed into and her seeds went flying everywhere.
• A dragonfly crashed into a web and got stuck.

Positive aspects

• Miss Spider is very gentle, patient and nurturing. She uses quiet wisdom to help her children understand the life lessons she wants them to learn, such as responsibility.
• Miss Spider and her spouse demonstrate a loving and respectful relationship and create a caring, ordered home for their children.
• The theme of adoption is an undercurrent of the show which provides a positive look at the dynamics of a very diverse family.
• The family shows kindness to those in need and offers what they have to help those who are less fortunate.

Questions to ask

• Miss Spider’s family has lots of children and they are all good at different things. What are some of the things that you are good at? What about your brother or sister, what are they good at?
• Why did Squirt have to go around cleaning up the webs after himself? What could have happened if he just left them all behind?
• It was very nice the way that the Spider family took in the ants who hadn’t prepared for the winter. Can you think of something nice to do for someone else who might need help?