The Spider Lady: Nan Songer and Her Arachnid World War II Army
By Penny Parker Klostermann
Illustrators
Illustrated by Anne Lambelet
Edition
By Penny Parker Klostermann
Hardcover edition
Publisher Astra House Publishing Imprint Calkins Creek ISBN9781662680359
The Spider Lady: Nan Songer and Her Arachnid World War II Army
21.24
SKU
9781662680359J
Perfect for kids who are fascinated by insects and American history, here is the story of Nan Songer, a little-known hero of World War II, who collected and bred spiders in her home and found new ways to use their silk to help the United States win the war.
Venomous spiders, delicate silk, and science experiments filled Nan Songer’s days and nights—her home in California overflowed with many-legged critters. With inspiration from a friend, Nan began to study how spider silk could be harvested. The finely woven material spiders used to create webs was much stronger than it looked, and Nan was eager to unlock its potential and hopefully help her country at the same time. At the height of WWII, she studied different spiders before landing on the poisonous black widow as the perfect spider to experiment with. Their strong silk could be used for crosshairs on rifles, which Nan used to fill massive orders for the US military. Despite the danger posed by black widows, Nan wasn’t deterred—she wanted to play her part. Using a device she built for extracting silk, Nan humanely used it on the deadly spiders to get both extra fine and super heavy silk.
Venomous spiders, delicate silk, and science experiments filled Nan Songer’s days and nights—her home in California overflowed with many-legged critters. With inspiration from a friend, Nan began to study how spider silk could be harvested. The finely woven material spiders used to create webs was much stronger than it looked, and Nan was eager to unlock its potential and hopefully help her country at the same time. At the height of WWII, she studied different spiders before landing on the poisonous black widow as the perfect spider to experiment with. Their strong silk could be used for crosshairs on rifles, which Nan used to fill massive orders for the US military. Despite the danger posed by black widows, Nan wasn’t deterred—she wanted to play her part. Using a device she built for extracting silk, Nan humanely used it on the deadly spiders to get both extra fine and super heavy silk.
Author's note, with photographs. Bibliography. Full-color illustrations were done in pencil and digital (with some scanned watercolor textures).
|
Standard MARC Records Cover Art |
Biography Elementary Plus (Grades 1-4)
Biography Elementary Plus
Biography Elementary Plus (Grades 1-4)
For Grades 1-4
This 14 book collections offers beginning readers fascinating biographies and compelling personal stories that provide a view into history or perspective on the issues of our times.
14 books per Year
$297.36 per Year
Interests
Biographies, Nonfiction, Science/STEAM
Related Products
-
Just a Girl: A True Story of World War IIBiography Elementary Plus
March 2022
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Discrimination: Racial Insensitivity/Racism,Discrimination: Religious,Language: Infrequent Use,Language: Mild Language,Violence: War/Harsh Realities of War
21.24
-
Sharice's Big VoiceBiography Elementary Plus
May 2021
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Discrimination: Racial Insensitivity/Racism
17.55
-
On the Corner of Chocolate Avenue: How Milton Hershey Brought ...Biography Elementary Plus
December 2022
21.24
