Young Children

Bonjour! Escargot is a beautiful French snail who wants only two things:

To be your favorite animal.

And to get to the delicious salad at the end of the book.

This story and illustrations are just so cute I could squeal. I love snails. I don’t know why but I love them. They’re just so slimy and small and cute in a weird way. Escargot is especially adorable with his little beret and big eyes (Note: This is not correct snail anatomy. Their eyes are at the end of their tentacles, also known as eyestalks).

When I was little, I kept two pet snails that I had found in a special container. I liked to put them in my dollhouse and watch them crawl around. I let them go after a while because they looked sad. In middle school, there was a grassy area near one of my classes that when it was damp out was covered with snails. Big fat snails and tiny baby snails. I would pick them up and put them in a nearby bush, so no one would step on them. The thought of someone stepping on a snail breaks my heart.

Whenever it rains (since I live in California this doesn’t happen much), I go outside and try to find some snails. Here are some pictures from my last snail finding quest.

As you can see, I’m not afraid to hold them in my hand. Don’t worry, I wash my hands when I’m done.

I read it aloud to my mom using a very lame attempt at a French accent. She thought it was cute though. I suggest trying to read this book with a heavy French accent. Even if your accent is terrible, it’s still fun.

As an ending note, here is a Baby Bluescomic where Zoe argues her point about snail sounds.

This weeks’ Weird but True Fact about Snails

A snail can crawl along the edge of a razor without cutting itself.