Harry the Clever Spider

Collins Big Cat is a guided reading series for ages 4-11 edited by Cliff Moon. Top children's authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that your children will love to read, banded to help you choose the right book for every child. Practical ideas for guided reading are included at the back of each book.

When a young girl adopts Harry the spider as her new pet, no one is very impressed - not Mum, not Dad, and certainly not her big brother (could it be that he's afraid of large, hairy spiders?)... But when Mum needs to go to the dentist and no one can find the car keys, Harry saves the day.

This gently humorous tale is beautifully supported by Charlie Fowkes' cartoon-style illustrations.

The story is followed by a poster advertising Harry's skills as a helpful spider, which is a great way to recap and discuss the story with children and gives an opportunity to extend into further work outside the reading session.

Turquoise (Band 7) books contain paragraphs of approximately four or five sentences, supported by illustrations or photographs. Literary language and extended descriptions are used, with a wider range of unfamiliar terms.