The Snail and the Whale

Product Information

The story and pictures describe their travels past icebergs, volcanoes, islands and coral caves, until the whale loses its way and becomes beached on land. And the whale and the snail Told their wonderful tale Of shimmering ice and coral caves, And shooting stars and enormous waves, And of how the snail, so small and frail, With her looping, curling, silvery trail, Saved the life of the humpback whale. Tell the story Using the pictures in the book to help them, children can turn the pages and tell the story in their own words. The whale provides her with the answer; seeing her advertisement on the rocks, he says to her, 'Come sail with me. The audiobook with an accompanying audio cassette, is narrated by English voice actor Imelda Staunton, while the audiobook with an accompanying compact disc is narrated by Scottish voice actor David Tennant.

If it seems strange that these two would be travelling companions, we will learn as we read this story, that this snail and whale each play an important role in each other’s lives.

Age 3-7 A very tiny snail seeking adventuresails around the world balanced on the tail of a huge, humpback whale. I also like how the moral isn't "The whale got beached, so the risk-averse snail flock was right all along" but, rather, "Risk-taking individualist thinking is worth it, even if there are occasional failures along the way. The snail and the whale are able to refloat and swim safely away from the villagers, who wave and cheer them on.

He was the illustrator for Julia Donaldson's first picture book, A Squash and a Squeeze - the start of a hugely successful partnership. Great story, great illustrations and great for the children to enjoy Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. This is a story about a snail with an itchy foot and a humpback whale who helped the little snail to travel around the world. The pair endured thunderstorms and zigzag lightning and the snail was amazed by everything she encountered and everything she saw and when she gazed at the sky, the sea, the land and the waves she was often heard to say, 'I feel so small. She lives in Glasgow and spends a lot of time on stage performing her brilliant sell-out singalong shows!Finally, drawing those little lichens that stick to beach rocks is almost impossibly difficult, and I tip my hat to Axel Scheffler for pulling it off. The snail still wants to sail and see the world and the whale is still prepared to take him/her on his journey after he sees the advertisement 'Lift wanted around the world' written in a silvery trail on a black rock.

I liked many things about this engaging story about a little snail who longs to see the world, and the kindly whale who agrees to give her a ride on its tail. This prompted me to unearth some plays I’d written for a school reading group, and since then I’ve had 20 plays published. There are lots of adjectives and other descriptive words in the story which describe different things. This is the sky So vast and high Sometimes sunny and blue and warm, Sometimes filled with a thunderstorm, With zigzag lightning Flashing and frightening The tiny snail On the tail of the whale. Icebergs, fiery mountains and golden sands, caves beneath the crashing waves, and storm tossed seas are all part of the adventure.

The school's children and teacher immediately fetch the emergency services, and the local people and fire department help to keep the abandoned whale wet until the tide finally turns. The Snail and the Whale has also been adapted into an unabridged audiobook, a stage play and translated into British Sign Language. Together they go on an amazing journey, past icebergs and volcanoes, sharks and penguins, and the little snail feels so small in the vastness of the world.