Snail's Birthday Wish

by Fiona Rempt, Noëlle Smit (Illustrator)

It’s Snail’s birthday! All his forest friends have gathered to here come Beaver, Squirrel, Duck, Mole, Frog, and Ant, all carrying colorful balloons and brightly wrapped presents. Soon, everyone’s having a good time…except Snail. He just isn’t fast enough to keep up with everyone as they race, jump, climb, and swim. And when he opens his gifts, he’s even more confused. A chair? A pile of smooth wood? Snowshoes? Wheels?Though Snail can’t imagine it, his fondest birthday wish is about to come true…Fiona Rempt’s heartwarming story and Noëlle Smit’s vibrantly drawn animals combine to create a picture book kids will want to read again and again.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens

25 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2007

Reviews

[Ellee Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Copyright date: 2006
Star rating: 4
Award: N/A
Genre: picture book
Summary w/ themes: This book is about a snail who is celebrating his birthday. His friends got him a lot of gifts, but he doesn't know what they are for until the end. This book has a theme of friendship.
Use for future classroom: This would be a fun book to give to students to read on their birthdays.
Thoughts of book: I thought this was a cute book and I enjoyed that snail's birthday wish came true.

[Ginna]

Its a good book, you could talk with your students besides B-Days,about team work, effort, friendships and more.
It is also a good book to talk about differences and uniqueness of each student.

You could do an activity where each children in the class will bring a item to build or decorate a house for the new class pet - Let's say you will bring a fish and a fish tank, each child will bring something to decorate the tank, or you could encourage them to write a B-Day card for the new class pet on its B-Day.

You could select a specific class project and give each child a piece so they will show responsibility and teamwork skills.

[The Library Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

My "uh-oh" sensor goes off when the jacket copy touts it as a "touching and heart warming tale of friendship where we see the value of giving to others". That tends to indicate a message driven home with a sledge hammer.

Happily, the message is underplayed here. And the story is cute--all Snail's friends give him strange birthday presents. Then they combine the presents to build his REAL present--a car, so he can get around as quickly as his friends. Kids will enjoy this--with or without a message.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a clever way to introduce children into the concept of deducting the purpose of an object by looking at its parts. All of the animals give snail odd pieces and parts, but when you put them all together, they fulfill his birthday wish. It's a fun story to read aloud and the illustrations are colorful and expressive.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute story about friends helping another.

[Laila · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute and sweet story perfect for storytime!

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

colorful, fun art and a neat story with an unexpected ending! Good for preschool storytimes

[Andrea M · Rating 5 out of 5]

What would a snail want for his birthday? Each gift is a clue and each friend gives something to help snail get his wish. I found the pictures quite entertaining and the ending delightful.

[Tina B · Rating 3 out of 5]

"friendship, birthday, car, presents, all presents seem useless but snail says thank you, then friends put the pieces together to make a car so snail can keep up"

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Snail's birthday wish is that he is faster...and the gifts of his friends help him achieve his dream. Fun!

[SBPL Storytime]

great birthday gift from friends, tender and cute