The Snail and the Whale

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Magnet fun with The Snail and the Whale! Explore the deep sea and the wide world in this great magnetic book! Contains over 80 Snail and the Whale magnets, a special mini edition of the bestselling story, plus play scenes and fun activities, including Mixed-up Beasts, Match the Shadows and a Snail and the Whale quiz. With a neat clasp and sturdy carry handle, you can take the fun with you wherever you go! A perfect gift from the creators of The Gruffalo!

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

In a starred review, PW wrote, "Along with providing a resonant environmental message, this story of a sea snail with an itchy foot lightly demonstrates that friendships come in all shapes and sizes." Ages 3-up. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 3-A tiny mollusk that longs to see the world hitches a ride aboard a humpback whale in this charming picture book. After seeing far-off islands, underwater caves, and storm-filled skies, the snail feels impossibly small-until the whale is beached in a harbor, and she saves the day by writing a note on the blackboard of a nearby school to summon help. The message that even the smallest among us can help others will not be lost on children, and neither will the poetic language: "A humpback whale, immensely long,/Who sang to the snail a wonderful song/Of shimmering ice and coral caves/And shooting stars and enormous waves." Donaldson's smooth, sprightly rhyming scheme buoys the story and never falters. The flat, cartoonish look of Scheffler's multimedia illustrations perfectly complements the tone of the text. The rollicking language and bright pictures make this a great choice for reading aloud.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Horn Book Review

In rhyming text, an enterprising snail hitches a ride on a whale. After touring icebergs and golden sands, the whale gets confused by speed boats and swims into the danger of shallow water. Thanks to the smaller creature, the larger one is rescued. The lilting and carefree story, accompanied by pleasant illustrations, is at odds with the heavy-handed message. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Book Review

Like an ocean-going "Lion and the Mouse," a humpback whale and a snail "with an itchy foot" help each other out in this cheery travelogue. Responding to a plaintive "Ride wanted around the world," scrawled in slime on a coastal rock, whale picks up snail, then sails off to visit waters tropical and polar, stormy and serene before inadvertently beaching himself. Off hustles the snail, to spur a nearby community to action with another slimy message: "SAVE THE WHALE." Donaldson's rhyme, though not cumulative, sounds like "The house that Jack built"--"This is the tide coming into the bay, / And these are the villagers shouting, 'HOORAY!' / As the whale and the snail travel safely away. . . ." Looking in turn hopeful, delighted, anxious, awed, and determined, Scheffler's snail, though tiny next to her gargantuan companion, steals the show in each picturesque seascape--and upon returning home, provides so enticing an account of her adventures that her fellow mollusks all climb on board the whale's tail for a repeat voyage. Young readers will clamor to ride along. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.