The Spider

Edderkoppen

A gem of a picture book for all ages by Jesper Wung-Sung and John Kenn Mortensen with a poem by Hans Christian Andersen.

Jesper Wung-Sung (b.1971) is an award-winning Danish author, who writes for both adults and children, and whose books are sold in translation to USA, Germany, Finland, France, Holland, Italy, Norway, Russia, Serbia and Sweden. He lives with his family in Svendborg, Denmark.

John Kenn Mortensen, the Danish cult illustrator, celebrated by fans around the world for his incredibly detailed illustrations of monsters.

The Spider

Edderkoppen

A gem of a picture book for all ages by Jesper Wung-Sung and John Kenn Mortensen with a poem by Hans Christian Andersen.

Jesper Wung-Sung

John Kenn Mortensen

John Kenn Mortensen, the Danish cult illustrator, celebrated by fans around the world for his incredibly detailed illustrations of monsters.

Synopsis

A small spider sits in its empty web. It's been so long since it has caught anything. Wind and weather are ruining its work. The spider feels dead tired. But then it finally senses something big...

As a young writer - on 25 May - Hans Christian Andersen saw a spider in a tower in Goslar, Germany, and wrote a poem - from the spider to the fly. In Jesper Wung-Sung and John Kenn Mortensen's picture book, the spider has grown old. It has spun its last web and the end is nearing.

Shortlisted for the Danish Cultural Ministry's 2024 Children's Book Illustrator of the Year Award.

Reviews

"When Wung-Sung allows himself to be caught in Andersen's net, it sets the stage for an infectious dance of life that suits them both." – (Folkeskolen (Industry magazine for teachers)

"Beautiful and thought-provoking story (...) The beautiful pictures complement the slow and somewhat poetic tone of the book's text (...) Recommended." – (Lektørudtalelse (Library review)