PRESCHOOL
Tabor, Corey R.

Snail Crossing

(2) PS Snail sees an enticing field of cabbages across a road and heads for it. He is too small to recognize the automobile that barrels over him for what it is--"Some things are too big and fast for snails to ponder"--but, luckily, the wheels miss him. When rain derails Snail, as well as some determined ants he meets on his journey, Snail invites them into his cozy, snug shell so they won't drown, and serves them tea. After this brief respite, Snail resumes his trek (the repeated refrain: "Nothing could stand in his way!"), but while avoiding a crow, he unknowingly makes a U-turn and ends up back where he started. Never fear: his new ant friends prove to be true blue--and they help to deliver Snail his hoped-for snack. Tabor uses scale to emphasize Snail's helplessness; viewers may gasp at the oncoming vehicles and Snail's vulnerability in the face of danger. Yet cheerful Snail never despairs. A glass-half-full tone pervades the story, and Tabor creates an endearing character in Snail, with his big eyes and determined spirit. A moment of larger vocabulary--"Evasive maneuvers!" Snail declares as he changes direction to avoid a crow--will have children putting context clues to work to learn new words. An appealing story about friendship and how little characters can overcome big obstacles.

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