The Journey of A Snail
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About the Book
One summer day the snail is fed up. He’s tired of carrying his house around on his back. After the eggs are laid, the babies hatch out by themselves and leave. He decides to travel, see how other snails live.
He finds snails living all over the world. They live in the jungle, the tundra, near salt water and fresh, in city gardens and wilderness preserves. He has only one worry. He’s seen a famous chef working in the kitchen and he was cooking snails.
He continues on his travels. When he stops to rest under a tree, he spots an eagle on a branch high above him. He watches the eagle as it circles, soars and plummets. He thinks that must be the ideal life. Besides, nobody wants to eat an eagle.
He decides to pay him a visit, maybe take flying lessons. It takes a long tine to reach the eagle’s nest. As he travels along, he tries to develop wings by rubbing his foot against the plants he passes, but nothing comes of it.
When he finds the eagle’s aerie, he is surprised to find the nest a hodgepodge of sticks jutting out at all angles. He thinks his shell is a much better house. It’s very tidy, with a beautiful spiral on either side.
He peeks inside the nest and sees nothing but a confusion of fuzz and feathers. Then he notices that the eagle spends every minute hunting and fishing to satisfy the squawking eaglets. Not for him.
He was heading home. He had explored a great idea, but now he’d return to his own garden. It would take a long time, but once he got there, he’d have more ideas–and he’d be safe.
About the Author
Since her retirement as a teacher and counselor, Virginia Thayer has been writing, drawing and painting. She’s published three books of poetry and her children’s story, Dad’s Folly, was published by Cricket. She lies in Arlington, Massachusetts and has three children, one grandchild and one great-grandchild. Rita Robinson, a teacher and friend, invited her to read The Journey of a Snail to her third grade class. Afterward the children wrote letters to the author. Here are some of their unedited responses: I love your story. I hope you rite more. I really liked your Book with all those detales. We learnd what plumet means! I loved your story write some more! Honest! I liked your story. Please pilbishp it. I liked your pictires. I think that your book is increadable. I like your words. I loved your book aboat the snail. Our class had an interesting discussion about eatin snails. I want to read your book of poems.