Ping Zhu

The Snail with the Right Heart is a story about time and chance, genetics and gender, love and death, evolution and infinity—concepts often too abstract for the human mind to fathom, often more accessible to the young imagination; concepts made fathomable in the concrete, finite life of one tiny, unusual creature dwelling in a pile of compost amid an English garden. Emerging from this singular life is a lyrical universal invitation not to mistake difference for defect and to welcome, show more across the accordion scales of time and space, diversity as the wellspring of the universe’s beauty and resilience.

This boldly illustrated book about evolution for children features a large gatefold that opens up to immerse readers in the story and will help kids understand that nature is all about differentiation and that being different is beautiful. show less

The Snail with the Right Heart is a story about time and chance, genetics and gender, love and death, evolution and infinity—concepts often too abstract for the human mind to fathom, often more accessible to the young imagination; concepts made fathomable in the concrete, finite life of one tiny, unusual creature dwelling in a pile of compost amid an English garden. Emerging from this singular life is a lyrical universal invitation not to mistake difference for defect and to welcome, show more across the accordion scales of time and space, diversity as the wellspring of the universe’s beauty and resilience. show less

Popova's The Snail with the Right Heart has a little bit of everything beautiful in it. A lovely story about how both physical and gender diversity is an amazing part of our natural world.

Jeremy is a land snail and as such is a hermaphrodite. Super cool but perhaps more compelling is that Jeremy has a rare gene causing a mutation of 'situs inversus'.

Do read The Snail with the Right Heart to benefit from Popova's knowledgeable, sweet and optimistic outlook on our world. And to experience show more happiness from Ping Zhu's bright, warm, welcoming and friendly illustrations. show less

The Strange Birds of Flannery O'Connor by Amy Alznauer and Ping Zhu is a fascinating book that will appeal to children and to fans of O'Connor.

As a children's book the story is both interesting and empowering. I am assuming that a parent or adult reading this to small children use books to educate which means there will be context given to anything out of the norm for that child. Someone mentioned the chicken being killed, it isn't exactly graphic and there are far worse things taking place show more in Disney stories, so as long as this isn't being used in place of interaction but as a supplement to interaction, there is nothing here to be worried about. Put the bubble wrap away, your kid will be fine.

While you won't want to find O'Connor's stories and start reading them all to your 6 year old, this may just put the idea of reading stories into their mind. O'Connor's childhood makes for an interesting and positive story that can speak to children (and many of us adults). Different is just that, different. Yet even in our differences we share many similarities. What we do may be different but why we do them is usually a common motivator for all of us. We can find many lessons here to expand on, and the story will keep the child's interest.

I recommend for those who take the time to read to/with their children and, even more important, talk with their children. Knowing that someone who became famous and successful had an early life like this can only be an empowering concept for a young mind. Unless we as adults find ways to soil it.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss. show less