Otherly worlds
New Spiderwick guides kids to fantastical places
By Tina Benitez -- Playthings, 8/1/2005
In the first Spiderwick book, The Field Guide (2003), the Grace children moved to the Spiderwick Estate, where they were dragged into a world of fantasy and faeries. In Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You, Simon and Schuster, New York, readers will get a guide to all the magical characters of Spiderwick, and a closure to the series.
The highly illustrated book, out this November, will be promoted through front-of-store displays, in-store read-alouds and activities for kids. Event kits will also be available to retailers so they can plan their own unique Spiderwick events.
Rick Richter, president, children's division, Simon and Schuster, says that although the Spiderwick series appeals to the fantasy-craving kid, it also reaches a broader audience because of its reading level.
New imaginings“Fantasy is hot right now,” he says. “The books are positioned below the reading level of Harry Potter, so you can pick it up and dive into the world of fantasy. For the emergent reader who is just starting to read on their own, this is a great place to start.”
In addition to in-store events, reprints of the series will be released as well as a new cycle of Spiderwick beginning fall, 2006. A Spiderwick movie is also in the works from Paramount, Hollywood, Calif., for release in 2007.
