This is a very fun book about spiders because it lets the reader get involved. Rate these spiders, tell us which one looks the most dangerous, and then learn more about them like what it is that actually makes some spiders dangerous. The pictures are bright and fun, and the writing is engaging. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

Beginning a new non-fiction series "The Deadliest: Spider" lists six highly venomous spiders and asks readers to guess who is the deadliest one. The illustrated pictures may disappoint some kids used to highly detailed real photos from National Geographic books, but they help soften the more tenderhearted and arachnaphobic readers. The illustrations by Max Temescu straddle the line between accurate and not too scary, not veering into anthropomorphized cartoons. Eleanor Spicer Rice's humorous tone matches well with it, especially when they veer into humor like imagining what a "mouse spider" should look like.

In terms of weaknesses, the formatting could have used more thought. The gold standard of the "Who Would Win?" series clearly lays out the stats for each animal for kids to visualize. This version waits until the penultimate page spread for a "death-o-meter" to set the spiders in order, and not with any clear explanation for why one is deadlier than the other. Other aside facts are placed in the middle of the narrative panels, breaking up the flow.

Verdict: a good addition for kids who might be too young for "Science Comics" and have already burned through all the "Who Would Win?" books. Its appeal is in how it softens the pictures and descriptions of the spider venom, but doesn't provide the concrete statistics and gruesome details older kids may love in these kinds of books.

I hate spiders but I love this book. It was fascinating, informative and entertaining. I want lots of books like this!! Amazing.

Okay if you have an elementary library or classroom you need this book! The Deadliest: Spider is such a fun and engaging book and I didn't expect that it was a graphic novel which makes it SO MUCH COOLER! I loved how it had key vocabulary words pulled out and defined. Kids will absolutely eat this up as it talks about the features of different spiders and how deadly their venom is. Plus it's a competition of which one is the deadliest and kids love to pick a winner. My five year old was enthralled and didn't want to stop reading. This would be great for K-5 and would be fun to read aloud a bit at a time. This is an incredible example of how exciting and engaging non-fiction can be! I think even older struggling readers will enjoy this one. Absolutely 5 stars and beyond!