Children's books can supply deep insight by elevating the everyday into classic, memorable moments. The characters and their words in these books become a part of shared conversations with readers and listeners. Hopefully, there will never come a day when Let the wild rumpus start won't call to mind the name of a boy and the book he calls home.
Children's books portray what normally would be impossible or absurd and make it believable. They alter your perspectives so you can share the comedy of a talking worm and talking snail being best friends. Several years ago we met two hilarious creatures who rarely stray far from the ground in Snail & Worm: Three Stories About Two Friends (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, May 3, 2016). They returned to delight us in Snail & Worm Again: Three Stories About Two Friends (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, March 28, 2017) which garnered a Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor Award in 2018. For the sake of readers who've fallen in love with this humorous duo (and those who've just met them on a recent Sunday afternoon), Snail & Worm All Day: Three Stories About Two Friends (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, September 24, 2019) written and illustrated by Tina Kugler is a joyful respite.Best Day Ever
Hello!
Hi!
Guess what?
It is the best day ever!
When Snail starts to list all the reasons this is the best day ever, Worm is puzzled. Those three events are not good things. Snail proceeds to clarify. It's not his best day ever but three other animals are having best days ever for a variety of developments. These explanations make a lot more sense to Worm, then Snail delivers a punchline certain to have readers bursting out laughing.
In the next story Snail is sauntering along at well . . . a snail's pace. He comes upon a large mound with a dark opening. In his mind, it's a cave. With his usual innocence, he calls out a greeting. Four legs and a head appear.
Snail panics, thinking it's a dragon about to consume him. All the turtle wants to do is sleep, so he withdraws into his shell. Snail is yelling for help when Worm appears. No matter what Worm says, Snail does not understand. What he says and does continues the comedy. Worm, like a true friend, is ever the patient pal.
Night descends in the third story with Snail asking Worm to tell him a story. He can't get to sleep. In the course of their conversation, a give and take of questions and answers, the last tale is told. Doubts are alleviated and friendship wins the day.
Good night.
By the second page turn readers' hearts are filling up with mirth at the verbal exchange between Worm and Snail, even if this is the first time you've met them. Tina Kugler continually exhibits a masterful skill in her word selection and pacing. We are constantly engaged in the conversations of these two friends, but we are also questioning Snail's thought processes and admiring Worm's dedication and capacity for compassion. These three stories, told entirely in dialogue, exhibit the depth of their friendship and reveal their very distinct personalities. Here is a passage.
Are you in the story too?
I will be lonely if
I am in a story
all by myself.
All right.
I will be in the story too.
How can you tell the
story if you are also
in the story?
Maybe we can tell
the story together?
When you open the dust jacket and look at the matching book case underneath, you know, without a sliver of doubt, the book is brimming with happiness. First the color palette mirrors our natural world at its vibrant best. The rich golden yellow background helps the varied greens, orange of Snail's shell, the red shades, the rich plum and of course, Worm's pink, pop off the pages. The design on the front and back of the dust jacket extends to the edges of the flaps.
To the left, on the back, artist Tina Kugler has placed large tree and plant leaves with the etching of a delicate series of leaves in red. Worm peeks out from the ISBN, as if in greeting. Snail is tucked into the lower corner of the left book flap edge.
A gorgeous teal canvas covers the opening and closing endpapers. White outlines of leaf blades, stems and flowers are intricately drawn across both pages. It's as if they've been preserved between pages after a walk in the world of Snail and Worm, so we can view them again and again.
The illustrations rendered with acrylic on pastel paper, collage, and digital media are a cheerful mix of color and comedy. The ability of Tina Kugler to convey a mood or thought with the eyes of Worm or Snail, circles with dots, is uncanny. The title of each story is embedded in the first image.
The picture sizes vary from full-page pictures with white space as frames to ovals or rectangles, two or three to a page, full-page visuals, edge to edge or double-page images. Each one contributes to the pacing. Many times, elements will break the framing to add balance and appeal.
One of my many, many favorite pictures is on a full page, edge to edge. Snail is speaking about the best day ever for Frog. On a pale, pale blue sky a bunch of cattails branch from the upper, right corner. On one of them sits a frog watching the water. On another leaf over the water in the lower, left corner is Snail and Worm is below him. They, too, are looking at the water. Fish are swimming as Frog blows bubbles under water. It's her best day ever for learning how to do this.
When you open a book with Snail and Worm as characters, you know you're about to laugh and have your heart swell with the goodness of their friendship. In Snail & Worm All Day: Three Stories About Two Friends written and illustrated by Tina Kugler we encounter their trademark comedy and the endearing warmth of their attributes. You'll definitely want a copy of this title (along with the previous two) in both your personal and professional collections.
To discover more about Tina Kugler and her other work, please visit her website by following the link attached to her name. Tina has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. There are wonderful sneak peeks at her artwork on her Instagram feed.
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