The Gift of the Christmas Spider
A Ukrainian Tale
Based on an old Ukrainian story, acclaimed writer Trinka Hakes Noble crafts a heartwarming tale of kindness that embodies the spirit of Christmas and celebrates the resilience of the heart.
Long ago in the land of old Ukraine there lived two mothers. One, a humble peasant woman who struggled to provide for her children. And the other, a mother spider who also worked hard to care for her family. One bitterly cold, bleak Christmas their two lives come together in a chance encounter. When the peasant woman goes to the forest to get a small tree on Christmas Eve, she doesn’t notice that someone has made a home among its branches. During the night the mother spider repays the gift of shelter in an extraordinary way.
Lush artwork from artist Stephen Costanza brings the holiday story to life in this enchanting new edition.
| Interest Level | Kindergarten - Grade 3 |
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| Reading Level | Grade 1 |
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| Publisher | Sleeping Bear Press |
| Language | English |
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| Available Formats | Hardcover (9781668972298), PDF (9781668979365), ePub (9781668979259), Hosted ebook (9781668979471) |
| Copyright | 2026 |
| Number of Pages | 32 |
| Dimensions | 8 x 10 |
| Graphics | Full-color illustrations |
Author: Trinka Hakes Noble
Trinka Hakes Noble is the award-winning author of numerous picture books including The Orange Shoes (2007 National Parenting Publications Awards Honors Winner), The Scarlet Stockings Spy (2005 IRA Teachers' Choice), The Last Brother, and The Legend of the Cape May Diamond. Ms. Noble also wrote the ever-popular Jimmy's Boa series and Meanwhile Back at the Ranch, both featured on PBS's Reading Rainbow. Her many awards include ALA Notable Children's Book, Booklist Children's Editors' Choice, IRA-CBC Children's Choice, Learning: The Year's Ten Best, and several Junior Literary Guild Selections. Ms. Noble has studied children's book writing and illustrating in New York City at Parsons School of Design, the New School University, Caldecott medalist Uri Shulevitz's Greenwich Village Workshop, and at New York University. A member of the Rutgers University Council on Children's Literature, she was awarded Outstanding Woman 2002 in Arts and Letters in the state of New Jersey for her lifetime work in children's books. Ms. Noble currently lives in the historic Jockey Hollow area of Bernardsville, New Jersey.
Illustrator: Stephen Costanza
Stephen Costanza is the author and illustrator of several picture books for children, including A Christmas Spider’s Miracle. His latest book, King of Ragtime: The Story of Scott Joplin, received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist, and went on to win the Golden Kite Award in 2022 for picture book illustration. For several years he played the piano professionally alongside a violinist, performing ragtime, jazz, and classical music. He lives and works in North Haven, an island in Maine.
| Afterword |
| Author/Illustrator biography |
| Original artwork |
| Full-color illustrations |