Escargot by Daschka Slater

Abstract

Reviewed by: Escargot by Daschka Slater Deborah Stevenson Slater, Daschka Escargot; illus. by Sydney Hanson. Farrar, 2017 [34p] ISBN 978-0-374-30281-8 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R* 4-6 yrs Our self-assured narrator may have no shortage of ego (“I am such a beautiful French snail that everybody stares at me”), but one thing makes him very sad: “Nobody ever says their favorite animal is the snail.” Escargot hasn’t given up hope, though, trying to convince the listener of his suitability for favorite via flattery, unexpected ferocity, and a swift race to the salad at the end of the book. Escargot’s voice is parfait, an airy blend of ego and need masterfully balanced in witty and well-turned sentences that leave plenty of room for audiences to get the joke. Cues for interaction (“Can you also make a fierce face to scare away the carrot? Maybe we should roar at it, too?”) are unexpected yet playful, with additional humor in the snail’s engaging responses. Trim, controlled pencil and watercolor art gives Escargot the inevitable French sailor’s shirt, neckerchief, and teeny beret, but the jaunty guy’s wide, sincere eyes reveal the depth of his yearning snail soul—and make for some great comic faces. The neat regularity of the art mirrors the tonal control of the text while adding some clever touches, such as the snail’s loving gaze at himself in a glass tumbler or his casual recline upon a wine cork. Haul out your best Pepe Le Pew cartoon French for this gastropod confectionery. Copyright © 2017 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois