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Summary
Summary
When a tiny snail meets a humpback whale, the two travel together to far-off lands. It's a dream come true for the snail, who has never left home before. But when the whale swims too close to shore, will the snail be able to save her new friend?
From the creators of Room on the Broom and The Gruffalo comes this touching tale of adventure and friendship. With vibrant illustrations and rhymes that are both playful and lyrical, here is a story that shows us that even the smallest creatures can help others in a big way.
Author Notes
Julia Catherine Donaldson was born on Sept. 16, 1948 in London. She is a British writer and playwright and the 2011-2013 Children's Laureate. She is known for her rhyming stories for children. These include: The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom and Stick Man. She began writing songs for children's television but has focused on writing books when the words of one of her songs - A Squash and a Squeeze were made into a children's book in 1993. She has over 180 published works with 120 of them intended for school use and include her Songbirds phonic reading scheme, which is part of the Oxfird Reading Tree.
She has won several awards including: The Stockport Book Award for her title The Troll, The Oxfordshire Book Award for her title Zog and The Oldham Book Award for her title Jack and the Flumflum Tree. In 2015 The Gruffalo made The New Zealand Best Seller List.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's 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
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.
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.
Kirkus 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.
