Spid the Spider Joins Sir Francis Duck and his Pirates Paperback / softback

Spid decides to spend a day fly fishing with his friends, but the ferry isn't running because of bad weather.

So when a kindly stranger offers them a free ride on his big ship, Spid's delighted.

However, nothing is as it seems. And as a fog rolls in across the sea, Spid and the gang find themselves in very deep water ... The story features two songs 'Sir Francis Duck' and 'The Trip'.

Each song has an accompanying QR code to take the reader to a musical version of the song, thus allowing readers to further engage with, and understand the stories. 'The Trip' echoes a traditional 4:4 time hornpipe that sailors have danced to for hundreds of years.

It also has a quirky chorus with fun rhymes. Sir Francis Duck is a fast-paced song with a 'quacking' chorus! "Sir Francis Duck, Sir Francis Duck, quack, quack, quack, sailing the seas and chancing your luck." You can also find music videos of the songs at https://spidthespider.com and https://www.youtube.com/spidthespider. Spid is a lowly spider, who wants to better himself, write songs, and marry his girlfriend Bid, though he is prone to hilarious mishaps mostly of his own making.

He is hard-working, cool, and a role model for young children.

With very creative prose, Spid's adventures are fun for parents, and teachers to read to, and with, their children.

They present lots of opportunities to invest dramatic licence thus helping adults and children interact and engage.

The humour also works at multiple levels from silly and slapstick to more sophisticated wordplay and concepts.

Thus, children will discover more and enjoy reading the stories multiple times.

As well as encouraging children to read and love books, Spid's adventures also teach valuable life lessons, including determination and what psychologists call a 'growth mindset' (desire to better oneself and succeed), the importance of friendship, and sustainability.