  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 01/01/2017 Say bonjour to your new favorite animal, the garden snail! Escargot, wearing a chic beret, is very proud of his gastropod features, but he’s forlorn that no one picks snails for their favorite creature. While making his way across a picnic toward a tasty salad, the snail makes pleasant conversation with the reader. “While we are traveling, we can talk. Tell me, what do you think is my most beautiful part?” Over the course of the journey, Escargot makes a powerful case for the value of the common snail, from their slimy trails (“more like shimmery trails of . . . shimmery stuff”) to their supposedly shy natures (“This is the face I make to scare a lion or a wild boar or a carrot that sneaks into my salad!”) to their slow pace (“A French snail likes to relax”). In Hanson’s soft, cartoonish illustrations, Escargot’s hammy expressions are perfectly in keeping with his gently boastful narrative. Give this charming read-aloud a little extra joie de vivre by reading it in your best French accent. - Copyright 2017 Booklist. School Library Journal - 06/01/2017 PreS-K—Meet Escargot, a French snail, complete with black beret, striped shirt, and red kerchief. He is on a journey to the end of the book, where there is a delicious salad, "with croutons and a light vinaigrette." Escargot invites a child reader to join him and asks the child to name a favorite animal, before he shares "a very sad thing: Nobody ever says their favorite animal is the snail." Escargot uses his persuasive powers to challenge the reader to view his qualities in a new light and choose him as a favorite pet. For example, the trails he makes are "shimmery" instead of slimy, and his shyness masks a ferocity that he uses to scare away unwanted carrots in his salad. Once Escargot and the reader reach the salad, there's a dreaded carrot in it! Escargot suggests that "on the count of three we will take a very, very, very small bite of the carrot." The snail finds it surprisingly delicious (it's assumed that the reader might, too), and with panache, he declares the reader his favorite animal. With soft, muted colors and a charismatic main character, this title will win many fans. VERDICT A magnifique read-aloud that will charm and delight preschool audiences.—Ramarie Beaver, Plano Public Library System, TX - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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