February 15, 2017
Three funny stories about two fast friends.Snail and Worm return in a second picture book about their friendship in this follow-up to Snail & Worm (2016). In the three short stories, they first fret over Snail's new wings (a feather that fell onto its shell); then they gaze in wonder at what they think is a mirror with their reflections (it's a penny with Lincoln's profile); and finally, Worm assures Snail that its shell is perfectly fine just the way it is. While some of the humor is predicated on readers knowing more than the characters do, the effect isn't mean-spirited. The friends' banter is light and humorous, and their foibles and misunderstandings will provoke laughter as surely as the expressive, multimedia cartoon illustrations will. Snail's eyestalks, in particular, work overtime to convey emotion. The text is conveyed entirely in dialogue, printed in color-coded type to distinguish the speaker; Snail's is brown, while Worm's is lavender. This device occasionally varies when the type is set against a dark color. Printing it in white renders it legible, but readers dependent on the color coding will need to work to use text placement to identify the speaker. This design foible marks the book for fairly sophisticated emergent readers. Again! Again! (Picture book/early reader. 4-7)
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May 1, 2017
The invertebrate buddies of Snail & Worm (rev. 5/16) return in another series of three brief and entertaining stories. Snail's Wings presents the problem: what do you do if you think you've suddenly sprouted wings? The Mirror revolves around a case of mistaken identity (is that really Snail's face on the penny that he thinks is a mirror? Or is it Worm's?). Snail Is Sad is a meditation on what makes us each unique. The all-dialogue textcolor coded by creature to support new readersfeatures easy-to-read sentences with subtle repetition. The clean illustrations manage to bring great variety to a limited setting (a small patch of ground) without overwhelming the eye. Each story has a patter-y rhythm that sets up a humorous and rewarding payoff by poking gentle fun at the protagonists: Boy, I was NOT ready for wings, concludes Snail, as if that were ever really an option. elissa gershowitz
(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)