Snail and Worm, written by Tina Kugler, reviewed by Bethany Bratney

Summary: Snail and Worm is a sweet collection of three short stories that are sure to delight young readers. In the first tale, old friends Snail and Worm attempt to include new friends (inanimate objects) rock and stick into their game of hide and seek. In the following story, Snail receives encouragement from Worm to climb a very tall flower. He is proud of his success and celebrates his accomplishment by describing the view from his new elevated perspective. Readers and Worm are amused and baffled to see that Snail’s weight has bent the flower nearly to the ground. In the final tale, Snail and Worm talk about their pets, mistaking a dog for a spider and vice versa. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: These simple stories are just clever and funny enough to be an easy sell for both preschoolers and early readers. The text has a simplicity that a beginning reader can grasp, providing a new entertaining option among the Level 1 reader sets, but the stories are appropriate for preschool listeners. The illustrations are colorful acrylic and collage, and provide easy connections to the text without overwhelming or distracting the eye. Snail and Worm misunderstand their circumstances or environment frequently, but the reality is clear to readers. This provides young readers with a precious opportunity to access expert understanding and “know better” than the characters themselves. Paired with the simple text, this wisdom that we feel as readers is likely to provide a significant dose of confidence to a beginning reader. Snail and Worm has a classic feel and is likely to become a staple in any collection for young children and early elementary students.