Escargot

I have this huge affinity for snails that started when I was little.  There's a great video of my cousins, sisters, and me playing in the backyard with snails.  I think theoretically we are rescuing and clearing the garden from them.  I also remember putting them in jars and watching them kiss.  And even though I have this ancient video, there are certain moments that I actually remember too, despite being only three years old.

Suffice it to say that snails bring happy memories of my childhood. 

Escargot, written by Dashka Slater and illustrated by Sydney Hanson, is certain to create some happy childhood reading memories for you and your little one.  The featured snail is a charming, if not slightly narcissistic French snail, whose sole goal through the book is to get to his favorite type of salad.  Along the way, we find out that the snail may not be SO narcissistic, and may have some qualms of his own.

On re-read, he, in fact, reminds me of almost every 3-4 year old I've met.  Full of life, chattering away, full of courage, full of fear.  And let's not forget: fear of trying unknown foods!  Escargot is not your typical journey through a picture book and I like that I can't fully predict what's going to happen.  It's encouraging while not being overly preachy, and it's definitely, definitely charming.  It doesn't hurt that Little Lion is a bit of a Francophile right now.  She's already asking to visit Lafayette's grave when we go to Europe this summer.  "We'll see," is our typical, noncommital parental answer. 

An excerpt from Escargot written by Dashka Slater and illustrated by Sydney Hanson

Tell Dr. Bookworm!

Do you have an early childhood memory that you still can see with clarity? Let me know in the comments.

The video above was taken by my dad in the late 1970s.  We were lucky to have a video recorder/camcorder, though growing up (especially in the middle school years), I hated it.  It was not the time of smartphones so my dad would have this huge video camera, complete with a bright light.  That's great during the awkward early adolescent years....