Neil Clark

In a Nutshell: A cute though farfetched story about a little snail with big dreams.

Walter is no Turbo the speed-racing snail from the Dreamworks movie, but he still is a wonder snail in his dreams and his determination. He is fed up of his life amid the leaves and wonders if he should explore more. The other snails dissuade him with their constant refrain of “But that’s not what snails do!” Walter, however, knows what is best for himself and sets out of a journey into the unknown. With show more the help of some animal friends, he soon discovers that the world is indeed much more than leaves.

If you notice the cover page of the book, you will see a tagline that declares, “Be brave, be curious, be Walter!” That covers the essence of the book. Walter explored the unseen terrain with bravery. Walter knows that there’s always something more to explore and one needn’t settle for what people tell you is enough. But most importantly, Walter knows that it is okay to rely on friends for help, and that even after the bravest and most curious of journeys, one shouldn’t forget one’s roots, or one’s home.

There are plenty of great messages that come out through this book – whether directly through Walters’ friends who help him on his journey, or the indirect ones that we can gauge from Walter’s experiences.

Why not 5 stars then?

Well, as a child, I sure would have loved a snail going so much out of its way and being what it is essentially not. As a parent though, I could see the myriad dangers Walter puts himself into. He was lucky enough to find helpful animals at the right time. Without the bird or the frog for example, there was no way Walter alone could have travelled through air or into water. At the same time, notice the danger in accepting this help. Some birds eat snails, so Walter could have put his life at risk by accepting help from a bird. Similarly, by exploring inside the pond, Walter could have drowned by not knowing how to swim. Though it is just a picture book, I would have appreciated a word of caution. The world is not full of do-gooders, and kids also need to learn that exploring goes hand in hand with caution.

Also, the fact is that simply saying ‘I can do whatever I set my mind to’ doesn’t actuate itself in every life situation. I wish Walter’s sojourn had been a little more realistic, so that children could learn to take disappointments too in their stride. This book was too simplistic!

The story is written in a simple prose style with easy vocabulary. There are not more than 3-4 sentences on most pages, and every sentence carries the story ahead with a wonderful imagery, not something I can say for most picture books. I loved the use of the ‘sound’ words. Onomatopoeic effects add so much fun to children’s books!

The illustrations are lovely. Every page is bright and filled with the colours of nature. And snail with a little leaf hat – adorable!!!

Recommend to little ones aged 3-6 years, preferably to be read with an adult companion to get a complete picture of Walter’s travels.

4 stars.

My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for the DRC of “Walter the Wonder Snail”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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(A copy was provided to read and review.)

I'm a total fan of picture books with "sounds". Children engage much better with a story, when they can get involved and one of the best ways to achieve this, you'll find here, Rusty the Squeaky Robot is a lovely book about being perfect, just the way you are.

Rusty is a little robot who lives on Planet Robotone, which is actually a very clever name for his world as the reader will quickly understand.
As our Rusty is, well, a little rusty, he squeaks show more when he moves and he doesn't like it one bit. He feels ashamed of all the noise he's making and as he dislikes himself for who he is, he keeps himself to himself and is lonely and sad.

Suddenly there's Belle and she sure got her name for a reason as a tiny bell is attached to her and every time she moves there's a DING. Next there's Hoot who can produce the most wonderful HONK and Twango's TWANG sure has him stand out.
All these cheerful robots who rattle and shake and make the most special noises, show our Rusty, there's no need to be alone and to feel low, we are all special.
And together as friends, they can create even more sounds and with the help of Boom-Bot who's speciality is a fabulous BOOM, they can even dance along.

This book is huge fun with a strong message to embrace individuality. A lovely rhyming story enhanced by cheerful and colourful illustrations, which will help kids to feel more confident about who they are and accept, that we are all special in our own way and that it's OK to be different.

As Rusty would say:
"It's OK to be different. It's OK to be me.
My Sound makes me special. That's how we should all be."

My preschoolers absolutely love the book and so do I. Highly recommended. show less

There are lots of picture books for children featuring cars and trucks, from talking vehicles to racing vehicles, photographs to drawings. This is the first I've seen that shows how these vehicles work in a way that's simple enough for kindergarteners to understand!

Clever Cogz is a robot and along with their sidekicks, mice Nutty and Bolt, they take the reader on a trip to learn all about different kinds of cars and trucks. There is a table of contents, which is more like an index than a show more list of chapters, since each section is only one or two pages. The first page shows a cut-away picture of a car and labels the different parts - wheels, engine, license plate. The next page shows how the wheels connect on the axle, then how the tires are made to grip the road. The book continues through the controls, how the engine and battery work, and how the car is designed for safety and efficiency.

The second half of the book profiles some different vehicles, a racing car, camper, truck, dump truck, and fire engine. The last page has a quiz on some of the facts in the book. The book itself is a trim size, about 8x8, and the pictures are bright and cheerful, showing Cogz and their sidekicks driving, investigating, and exploring vehicles. This was originally a British series and includes books on "flying machines," "rocket ships," and more.

Verdict: It's not as complete as, say, Science Comic's Cars, but it's a great introduction for young children, even if they don't grasp all the words. Sure to fly off your shelves for the little ones who love vehicles and big readers who want the basics!

ISBN: 9781786036308; Published May 2019 by QED Publications; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

This is a great book to read to children who are worried that they are different or that there is something wrong with them. It would also assist with other children about how they can help when someone else is feeling this way. It is a very simple story with bright, colorful illustrations and a great message.

Rusty is a bright orange, square-headed robot who hates the sound he makes. He squeaks and he can not stop doing it. As he is bemoaning his noise, along comes Belle who makes a show more Ding-Ding noise. When they put their sounds together, they sound good. As they continue along their way, they meet up with other friends that make various sounds. At the end of the book they put all their sounds together and with a squeak, ding, honk, twang and boom, they make wonderful music that they can jump and dance to.

Not only does this book have a great message, but it is just fun. Young kids will love copying the sounds when they learn what kinds of noises these contraptions can make. A story that could also be used in a music class. My grandchildren and their cousins had fun trying to make them all and decide who was the loudest. My ears, were not having as much fun as they were. A great book for family, school, class and public libraries. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. show less