Kevin Hawkes
LUIGI
The Spider Who Wanted
to Be a Kitten
Written by Michelle Knudsen
Written by Kevin Hawkes
Candlewick Press 2024
ISNB: 978-1536-2191-11
A big hairy spider was hiding in a new home when he hears a voice say “I have always wanted a kitten. I will call you Luigi”. He finds that kittens live rather magical lives. How long can he keep it up? Will he be loved if he shares his true identity? From the creators of NYT bestselling Library Lion comes another classic tale.
Awards
Maine Chickadee Award 2026 (Children’s Choice Award)
New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Picture Book of the Year 2024
Reviews
“Anybody who thinks spiders can’t be cute will be proven wrong with this charmingly illustrated story about identity and honesty. With acrylics and pencil, Hawkes uses both shadows and Luigi’s long spider legs to expertly convey his kitten-ness.”
Book Page
“The hearts of even the most strident arachnophobes will melt at this story of unlikely pals, and the ultimate message of loving oneself and one’s friends.”
The Bulletin of the Center of Children’s Book
Insider's Scoop
The tricky part about this book was figuring out how Luigi would transform himself to look like a kitten. I decided to use each of his legs to form different parts of the kitten. Two legs for his ears. One leg for a tail and four legs for paws. . . .Hmmm . . ? That leaves one leg. What should I do with it? I tried many different solutions but finally decided they all looked confusing. So Luigi looks like a kitten, but with a very subtle fifth leg!
