Bonjour! Escargot is a beautiful French snail who wants only two things:
But when he gets to the salad, he discovers that there's a carrot in it. And Escargot hates carrots. But when he finally tries one--with a little help from you!--he discovers that it's not so bad after all!
A charming and interactive picture book ideal for picky eaters and animal lovers alike.
Give this charming read-aloud a little extra joie de vivre by reading it in your best French accent.
An unusual, tongue-in-cheek aid to getting children to eat a disliked food--even the dreaded carrot.
PreS-K--Meet Escargot, a French snail, complete with black beret, striped shirt, and red kerchief. He is on a journey to the end of the book, where there is a delicious salad, "with croutons and a light vinaigrette." Escargot invites a child reader to join him and asks the child to name a favorite animal, before he shares "a very sad thing: Nobody ever says their favorite animal is the snail." Escargot uses his persuasive powers to challenge the reader to view his qualities in a new light and choose him as a favorite pet. For example, the trails he makes are "shimmery" instead of slimy, and his shyness masks a ferocity that he uses to scare away unwanted carrots in his salad. Once Escargot and the reader reach the salad, there's a dreaded carrot in it! Escargot suggests that "on the count of three we will take a very, very, very small bite of the carrot." The snail finds it surprisingly delicious (it's assumed that the reader might, too), and with panache, he declares the reader his favorite animal. With soft, muted colors and a charismatic main character, this title will win many fans. VERDICT A magnifique read-aloud that will charm and delight preschool audiences.--Ramarie Beaver, Plano Public Library System, TX
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Dashka Slater has written many picture books, including Escargot, which won the Wanda Gag Book Award; A Book for Escargot; Love, Escargot; Escargot and the Search for Spring; Baby Shoes; and The Antlered Ship, which was a Junior Library Guild Selection and received four starred reviews. Her New York Times-bestselling nonfiction young adult novel The 57 Bus won several accolades including the Stonewall Book Award and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Nonfiction Book Award. She lives in Berkeley, California.
Sydney Hanson is a children's book illustrator living in Sierra Madre, California. She works in a combination of traditional and digital media to create her illustrations--her favorites are watercolor and colored pencil. She loves the outdoors and is a certified naturalist who spends most of her spare time poking around the woods with her Labrador retriever, Cash. To see all of her latest animals and illustrations, follow her on Instagram.