Have you ever wondered what happens under the sea when no one's watching? In Don Jordan's new book, "The Great Snail Race," two-year-old Luca is encouraged by his mother to take a look at the happenings under the water at the end of his dock in Latimer Bay. At first, he sees nothing, but eventually what he finds on the bottom of the ocean floor is one very slow snail determined to prove a point — that he, Snappy the Snail, is the fastest slowest creature in the sea.
Jordan's book is a fun, silly, and creative trip into the imagination of a young child, and his view of what might be happening in the depths of the ocean. Readers are also introduced to a few other ocean creatures — eels, a blue crab, a horseshoe crab, and a fish or two — during the story, and learn the results of never giving up even when hope seems to be lost. The story is enhanced by colorful illustrations of various sea creatures, on a very realistic looking ocean floor background, by Juliana von Haubrich.
I can't wait to read"The Great Snail Race" with my nephew, because as I was reading it all I could think of were his infectious giggles that would ensue, as Snappy encountered a very big obstacle during the race, that threatened to derail his chances at becoming the fastest snail under the sea. I can also imagine the stories to come from my niece and him this summer as they look off the end of our dock on Ashmere Lake and create their own stories of life on the bottom of the mucky lake floor.
I've always been a big supporter of local authors, and encourage you to check out "The Great Snail Race." It's a fun read and there are even a few snail facts at the end of the book. You can find it amazon.com or The Bookloft in Great Barrington. You could win a copy of "The Great Snail Race" in an upcoming giveaway. Stay tuned ...
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If you are a children's and/or young adult author living and/or working in Berkshire County and would like to be featured in our monthly Berkshire Book Bag column, please shoot us an email at kellym@macaronikid.com.
Disclosure: I received two free copies of 'The Great Snail Race' in exchange for this review — one to keep and one to give away to our readers. This in no way influenced the quality of my review. All opinions are my own.
