BEHIND-THE-BOOK: “The Spider & The Fly”
The Spider & The Fly was published 22 years ago, on October 1st. Creating this award-winning, bestselling picture book was a journey as twisting and winding as Mr. Spider’s web.
Simon & Schuster editor, Kevin Lewis (above), planned on publishing a picture book adaptation of Mary Howitt’s classic 1829 poem with hopes of approaching Caldecott-award-winning artist, Fred Marcellino, to illustrate it. However, Marcellino was battling colon cancer and passed away in July 2001.
Knowing that an artist with an understanding of insects was key to successfully bringing this book to life, the project languished until later that summer when an issue of Spider magazine circulated the S&S offices. The cover, painted by yours truly, depicted anthropomorphic insects cavorting around a fairy.
When Kevin inquired about my familiarity with insects, I replied, “Of course I can draw insects. I grew up in Florida. It’s nothing but retirees and gigantic insects down there.”
I was only familiar with the opening lines of Howitt’s famous verse (published when she was 30) so Kevin faxed over the entire poem. I was delighted by the unexpected ending (SPOILER: The Fly gets eaten. The End.)
This twist brought to mind the dark humor of Charles Addams, Edward Gorey and Tim Burton. I asked if we could print the book in black-and-white, which Kevin thought a novel idea.
Sketching began in earnest in August of 2001, with final art due on December 31st. The publication date was set for October 1st, 2002. The book dummy was the most realized I’d made at that point.
The book’s overall layout was inspired by silent movies of the 1920s. With that in mind, I based the design of the main characters after movie stars. Ms. Fly was inspired by actress Clara Bow, while Mr. Spider was part Peter Lorre and part Gomez Addams, with the charisma of Marlon Brando.
The vain Mr. Spider would change outfits throughout the story while Ms. Fly would remain in the same costume throughout.
Although the idea of a tour through a creepy dollhouse came early in development, with plenty of visual gags utilizing Mr. Spider’s past victims, how to depict the parlor was tricky.
It required quite a bit of exploration until it was decided it would be revealed to the Fly (and the reader) that it was Spider’s trophy room. An unused gag showed the mounted head of David Kirk’s Miss Spider, from his popular book series.
The ghost bugs, J. Waterhouse Cricket and Madame Butterfly, were my invention, created to add humor throughout.
There was a third ghost, a dead silverfish, but he was cut due to schedule limitations.
To get in the gothic mood, every morning I’d play The Cure’s 1989 album Disintegration, which quotes Howitt’s poem during the bridge of the hit song, “Lullaby”.
A longtime fan of that album, I’d sketched Robert Smith’s Spiderman back in 1993. A decade later Mr. Spider’s attire would bear some resemblance to this early design.
The finished paintings were accomplished using only two tubes of Holbein acryla gouache: Titanium White and Lamp Black. It was planned that the final art would be printed using a duotone process of only two inks: Warm Grey and Silver.
As the artwork neared completion grumbling began with upper management at S&S. Some were concerned the book was too scary for children, while others felt the black & white artwork limited the book’s appeal. Kevin countered with two award-winning black & white illustrated books: Chris Van Allsburg’s Jumanji and Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride, illustrated by Brian Selznick.
In January of 2002, Angela and I threw a Spider & Fly sneak-peek art party for friends.
In attendance were fellow artists, Donato Giancola and TSR alumni, Alan Pollack, as well as (then debut) author, Holly Black (below with Ang) , who exclaimed she loved the gothic art so much that, “…if we ever have a kid, Theo and I will read this book to them every day.” Subsequently, the book was dedicated to Holly and Theo.
The duotone printer’s proofs did not look good. The warm grey, printed over silver, was muddy and muted, lacking any clarity. Kevin and I were told that, to keep the book on schedule the ink could not be changed and we had to go ahead with what we had.
The ink could only be swapped with a true black in the second printing, but we feared the book would not make it to a second printing. Fortunately, (then) Simon & Schuster VP, Brenda Bowen, stepped in and solved our printing problems.
Promotional items, including a poster for schools and libraries, were created in the spring of 2002 and a lengthy book tour was planned, sending me to California, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Louisiana and New York. I would travel with the original artwork to share my process at each event.
Reviews for the book were encouraging. Publisher’s Weekly said, “DiTerlizzi has spun a visual treat that young sophisticates and adults alike will enjoy.” While School Library Journal observed that, “This title is worth purchasing for its valuable artwork alone.”
On October 27th, 2002 The Spider & The Fly debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List for Picture Books. Other bestsellers include Halloween by Jerry Seinfeld, Olivia by Ian Falconer and Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg—whom I met at my event in Los Angeles.
On January 27th, 2003, the American Library Association awarded The Spider & The Fly a Caldecott Honor for outstanding illustration of a work published in the United States. Kevin quipped that, “We prefer the silver medal, as gold would’ve clashed with the silver duotone printed in the book.”
Other honorees included Peter McCarty and Jerry Pinkney (above). The Spider & The Fly would be nominated and honored by many state book awards in years to follow.
Although there have been offers to purchase the original artwork from the book, I’ve kept all the pieces, which have been exhibited in museums over the years, including the Art Institute of Chicago, Norman Rockwell Museum and Ducale Palace in Lucca, Italy.
Occasionally I’ve painted one-offs to sell for charity, including this piece done for the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
…and this piece, gifted to celebrated author Jane Yolen, on her 75th birthday.
On October 27th, 2006 First Lady Laura Bush read The Spider & The Fly at the West Palm Beach Public Library to a group of children. “What’s the lesson?” she asked at the end. “Just because someone says flattering words, don’t be tricked into doing something you shouldn’t.”
My take on this classic has been optioned for the silver screen several times but never made it past development. Scripts have been written by the likes of Brad Peyton and Tim McCanlies. A simple animated version was created in 2010 for the beloved UK show, Bookaboo, and read by actress Emilia Fox.
I returned to The Spider & The Fly in 2012 to celebrate its 10-year anniversary.
A new dust jacket was created with a reversible poster on the inside, inspired by silent movies posters of the 1920s. Maybe I can update the jacket once more for its 25th anniversary in 2028…
The Spider & The Fly changed my career in children’s publishing. Its success opened the doors for The Spiderwick Chronicles, and it is still read in schools and libraries every Halloween. I am grateful to Kevin Lewis and the team at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers who’ve supported me and took a chance on creating this spooky cautionary tale for young readers. Here’s yours truly reading it during the 2020 lockdown. Enjoy sweet creatures!
