Escargot

  

  Books with animal protagonists sometimes seem to come a dime a dozen--on our shelves we have books featuring bears, dogs, lions, ponies, unicorns, cats (oh so many cats) and even an assortment of insects such as fireflies, bees, and ladybugs.  

    Precious few books, however, recount the adventures of the humble (or not-so-humble) snail, and this is a matter of great sorrow to Escargot, the dashing French snail we meet in the pages of this book.  No one chooses the snail as their favorite animal, Escargot laments--they choose instead the dog, the cat, the platypus, the wildebeest, or the lemur.  To Escargot this is a great injustice--are snails not beautiful?  Are they not fierce?  Is Escargot not magnifique?  

    And so Escargot sets off on a journey to the end of the book, where he assures us a salad with a few croutons and a light vinaigrette awaits.  Along the way, Escargot employs all of his considerable powers of charm to convince the reader that the snail should indeed be our favorite animal, relentlessly tearing down every objection the reader might bring--

    "Perhaps you think, 'Snails are shy, Escargot!  You are too shy to be my favorite animal.  Au contraire!  I am quite fierce!  This is the face I make to scare a lion or wild boar or a carrot that sneaks into my salad!  

    Every word of Escargot is an absolute delight to read.  I love the way that Escargot interacts with the reader--now he asks for a kiss, now he is sad (at the thought that a snail might not be your favorite animal) and wants you to stroke his shell until he feels better, now he is terrified of your fierce face and needs you to coax him out of his shell once more-- "Then you must say, 'Come out, Escargot!  Come out and I will never put a carrot in your salad!'"  And, of course, my most important audience loves to play along, petting Escargot when he is sad and showing him her fiercest face and loudest roar when requested.  It brings the book to life in a way that is truly magical for parent and child--because as a parent, what can be more magical than to read something that completely immerses your child?  

    And so reader and Escargot stand united at the climax of the book when Escargot discovers that a carrot has indeed sneaked into his salad, and he and the brave reader must join to face this greatest of challenges (which might turn out to be delicious).  The book is witty, lively, engaging, and beautifully illustrated.  But I would be remiss if I failed to mention the greatest delight of this book--it offers me almost unlimited scope to speak in a French accent that delights my children, leaves my wife wincing, and would surely lead to me being stoned on the streets of Paris.  But what do I care?  I, like Escargot, am magnifique.