ITSY-BITSY SPIDER WISDOM

“THE ITSY-BITSY SPIDER WENT UP THEWATERSPOUT,” I hear faintly through a brick wall, acacophony of children's voices from the preschool next doorto my husband's art studio. The words catch my attentionbecause they are lodged deep in my memory alongsiderecollections of Charlotte's Web by E.B. White, both of whichhave influenced my perspectives on arachnids.

- SARAH A. BOWEN

“THE ITSY-BITSY SPIDER WENT UP THE WATERSPOUT,” I hear faintly through a brick wall, a cacophony of children’s voices from the preschool next door to my husband’s art studio. The words catch my attention because they are lodged deep in my memory alongside recollections of Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, both of which have influenced my perspectives on arachnids.

“The Spider Song” describes a tenacious eight-legged creature—the Sisyphus of the animal world—eternally climbing up and down. Her travels are seemingly known worldwide, with linguistic and cultural distinctions. She’s Incy-Wincy in the U.K. and Australia, Peter in Norway, and Hämä-hämä-häkki in Finland. In the Philippines, she climbs a branch instead of a spout. When the sun comes out and the branch dries, the song lyrics assert, Maliliit na gagamba Ay laging masaya: “The itsy-bitsy spider is always happy.”