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The Snail and the Whale Audiobook
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(4.02) - 849 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
From the creators behind The Gruffalo is a delightful tale of adventure and friendship with Julia Donaldson's trademark rhyming text and Axel Scheffler's brilliant, characterful illustrations When a tiny snail meets a humpback whale, the two travel together to far-off lands. It's a dream come true for the snail, who has never left home before. But when the whale swims too close to shore, will the snail be able to save her new friend?
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"I love the idea of this book: the little snail, living on a rock with lots of other snails, yearns to cross the ocean and have adventures, but has no means to do so. Along comes a friendly whale and the snail catches a ride on his tail. How they marvel at what the vast world offers, and how the little snail, in the end, saves the life of his much larger friend, makes a satisfying story. I could relate to the little snail, wishing to experience the wonders of this big world. When the pair of friends return to the snail's rocky home, their tales persuade all of the other snails to hitch a ride with the whale. The rhyming text lends itself to being read aloud."
— Caren (4 out of 5 stars)
The Snail and the Whale Listener Reviews
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" A fun kids book with a great rhythm to the read. A regular bedtime favorite in our house. Great for boys and girls. "
— zoe, 2/3/2014 -
" Beautifully structured story of an adventurous snail, and how his brains triumph to save the brawn of the whale. I love the fact that as is so often the case with JD's books the little hero triumphs in a big wide world. "
— Sonia, 1/30/2014 -
" I love reading this book to my children. Highly recommend it for the little ones. "
— Shanti, 1/18/2014 -
" Great book for teaching a lesson on rhyming. As far as the story line goes, this would be a great book for teaching the importance of working together. "
— Michaela, 1/17/2014 -
" I love this book so much! I guess I really relate to the snail with the itchy foot. "
— Tippy, 1/16/2014 -
" The Snail and the Whale is a beautifully illustrated book, with tongue twisting rhyme and strong themes. The snail wants to explore the world and does so by making an unlikely alliance with a humpback whale. After exploring far away and vast lands, the snail concludes that he feels very small indeed. The snail symolizes young children who are curious about their world, and how they can feel insignificant in the world. However, the smallest creature can make a difference, as in the story the small snail helps his friend the whale and in doing so draws attention to the plight of endangered species and how each individual can make a difference to the world. "
— Umbreen, 1/11/2014 -
" Love it! My students were very mesmerized by the illustrations too! "
— Iziesaz, 1/10/2014 -
" I'm partial to a protagonist with an itchy foot. My favorite Donaldson / Scheffler collaboration. "
— Rachelle, 1/1/2014 -
" Love it. Great read-aloud! "
— Amy, 12/27/2013 -
" Great fun. Wonderful story with fun rhyme. "
— Greta, 12/18/2013 -
" Beautifully written and a joy to look at. Lovely bed time read. "
— Jo, 12/16/2013 -
" Another Storytime possibility that never made it to the event. Bit to wordy for a 30 minute story session with preschoolers. A fab read though! "
— Gemma, 12/10/2013 -
" I just read this book to my 2 yr old daughter for bedtime. It is such a sweet book. The snail hitches a ride on the whale's tail, and they have adventures. I Love the illustrations! "
— Michele, 12/9/2013 -
" Yet another picture book about how the smallest of us can save the day, and how we shouldn't discount the efforts of those who we may think are too small. "
— Sarah, 12/9/2013 -
" Wonderful children's book and I enjoyed it even more I think! "
— Ddgarcia1861, 10/4/2013 -
" What a delightful way to begin a new year of books! "
— Elisabeth, 9/12/2013 -
" It's a lot like Amos & Boris but not as dark and with rhymes. "
— Christa, 7/11/2013 -
" We gave this book to our whale loving 2 year old for Easter. It is a pleasure to read--especially considering he normally picks and sleeps with non-fiction books about sea life. I like the rhyme when I am sometimes lulling myself to sleep as well. "
— Stacey, 6/30/2013 -
" I can't read this book without getting the shivers and feeling like I can conquer the world. Read it to your children! "
— Sara, 12/24/2012 -
" This author/illustrator team is pure magic. The verse in this one isn't quite as fun as Gruffalo, IMHO, but the story is very cute and I think my son enjoyed it. "
— Amanda, 11/29/2012 -
" This is again another classic Rhyming story book by Julia Donaldson. I first read this book with a family friends child. We were both drawn in by the fantastic illustrations and exciting story line. I will definitely be reading this book to my reception class :) "
— Sophie, 10/23/2012 -
" This is such a cute book! I would use this book to teach students about acceptence. I would also emphasize how you are never too big ortoo small to be a hero and help someone out. This story is such a good example of what that means and looks like. "
— Becca, 9/2/2012 -
" Love the message of this book - no matter how small you are, you can make a difference. "
— Janice, 7/30/2012 -
" I think this is our favorite Julia Donaldson book now. It is a beautifully written story about a the friendship between a small snail and humpback whale. They go on quite and adventure together! A wonderful story about the power of one person to make a difference. "
— Joelle, 5/4/2012 -
" This is mom's favorite book to read to her son. Right now at least. "
— Maureen, 5/1/2012 -
" Love it. So sweet! :) "
— Candycloud, 11/4/2011 -
" We like this book that we got in Ireland. Cole likes the lightening and the snails, especially. Hesees a cow in the water.... "
— Cole, 10/29/2011 -
" Beautifully written and a joy to look at. Lovely bed time read. "
— Jo, 4/25/2011 -
" This is such a cute book! I would use this book to teach students about acceptence. I would also emphasize how you are never too big ortoo small to be a hero and help someone out. This story is such a good example of what that means and looks like. "
— Becca, 4/10/2011 -
" A cute story with wonderful illustrations. Fun to read aloud. <br/> "
— Cheryl/Aradanryl, 1/12/2011 -
" as kids books go this is a great one to read over and over. fun rhymes and nice art "
— Sandyboy, 12/10/2010 -
" This author/illustrator team is pure magic. The verse in this one isn't quite as fun as Gruffalo, IMHO, but the story is very cute and I think my son enjoyed it. "
— Amanda, 9/1/2010 -
" Yet another picture book about how the smallest of us can save the day, and how we shouldn't discount the efforts of those who we may think are too small. "
— Sarah, 8/6/2010 -
" This is mom's favorite book to read to her son. Right now at least. "
— Maureen, 5/28/2010 -
" We like this book that we got in Ireland. Cole likes the lightening and the snails, especially. Hesees a cow in the water.... "
— Cole, 3/3/2010 -
" A fun kids book with a great rhythm to the read. A regular bedtime favorite in our house. Great for boys and girls. "
— zoe, 1/25/2010 -
" I liked the illustrations and the story. If you help someone you make friends. It doesn't matter how small you are. You can still help. "
— Anshuman, 11/1/2009 -
" This sing song story teaches young readers that even an unlikely pair can become the best of friends. The snail and the whale explore the coeans together. The snail feels too small to help the world but proves size does not matter when the whale needs rescueing. "
— Nicki, 10/29/2009 -
" Nice rhyming book about a snail who longs to travel and a small environmental message included. "
— Stephanie, 10/29/2009 -
" Fun, and worth checking out from the library, but not my favorite book from the fabulous duo. "
— Emily, 8/12/2009 -
" I can't read this book without getting the shivers and feeling like I can conquer the world. Read it to your children! "
— Sara, 8/7/2009 -
" A snail longing for adventure hitches a ride on a whale's tail. "
— Aspasia, 8/5/2009
About Julia Donaldson
Julia Donaldson was brought up in London and studied Drama and French at Bristol University. Along with being a brilliant children’s author, Julia enjoys singing, songwriting, and performing. Julia is currently the Children’s Laureate and best known as the author of the modern classic The Gruffalo. The Gruffalo has sold more than four million copies and been translated into more than thirty different languages. She lives in Glasgow.