The Snail and the Whale

Thoroughly enjoyable -- this was given to us by friends and has become one of the favorites in our household. The text has a fun cadence that makes reading it fun, and my one year old enjoys listening to it. Eventually, I think she will enjoy the story, too. The graphics are rich, and we find something new on each page each time we read it.

This book has a nice story. Easy reading to keep a young child attention and I love the artwork. This is a Christmas present for my 3 year old grandson and I think this will be another favorite to add to his library. Glad I found this book on your website.

We have almost all of the books from this author/illustrator team and they are an amazing talent. Every book they come out with is sooo clever and beautifully illustrated. This one is no exception. It is a great rhyming "read-aloud" and the moral of the story is not lost on the reader. My 18 month old son has not grown tired of having this read to him on a daily basis...and I have not grown tired of reading it to him.

My family is very fond of all of Julia Donaldson's books, but The Snail and the Whale is our very favorite. Axel Sheffler's illustrations are whimsical (My son has noticed that most of the insects he draws have noses)and beautiful. I am especially fond of its rhyming, making it a delight to read. Most of all, I love the messages it contains. One of which is that the world is vast and wonderful and we should get out and experience it. Also, it stresses the importance of helping one another, and being kind to our environment. A big nod goes out to The Snail and the Whale and its creators for giving us a book which is not only wonderful to look at and read, but has a valuable message. Thanks!

This is one of those books that I could read every night and not get sick of. In fact, over the past three years I HAVE read it every night for weeks at a time and still love the flow of the text.

My favorite lines include, "And she gazed at the sky, the sea, the land, The waves and the caves and the golden sand. She gazed and gazed, amazed by it all, And she said to the whale, 'I feel so small.'" The word "small" is in a smaller font than the rest of the text and is so appropriate for the two page spread that includes the tiny snail (barely visible) amidst a scene of snowy mountains, forests, bears, bald eagles, the sea.

Perfect for teaching the concept that it doesn't matter how big or small you are, you ARE important and CAN be successful. As the snail sets off on his mission (I won't spoil it), the text reads "'I must not fail,' said the tiny snail." GREAT lesson!

Can you tell that we love this book?!?!?