Snails are Just My Speed!

By Kevin McCloskey. Published by Toon Books. 

Hardcover, 40 pages, Colour, 2018. 

What’s the scoop behind all the mucus? Did you know snails build roads like engineers and go undercover in camouflage like spies? Did you know they can be smaller than a seed or bigger than a grown-up’s hand? Kevin McCloskey mixes snail science, art, and hilarity for the newest book in his Giggle and Learn series, praised by The New York Times as “a winning combination of facts and gross-out fun.”

Kevin McCloskey is the author of the critically acclaimed TOON Books Giggle and Learn series and an illustration professor at Pennsylvania's Kutztown University. After writing this book, Kevin is practically a snail expert, but he can't tell us whether the snails served in restaurants are tasty – he's never eaten one. What's the closest he's come to trying snails? Kevin says, "Sometimes, when I cook artichokes, I put a clove of garlic in the leaves. Then when they're cooked, I forget I put the garlic in and I think there's a slug in my food."

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

"With hip and fun graphics, just enough 'ick' factor, and plenty of facts, this title offers beginning readers a great deal of information about snails and slugs...What a delight!"
--School Library Journal STARRED REVIEW ★

"McCloskey’s series continues to deliver an offbeat blend of science, humor, and a dynamic interplay between words and pictures."
--Publishers Weekly

"Savvy educators will appreciate the book's versatility: It would be the star of an intimate gross-book-themed storytime...or may be used as the inspiration for a pre-K lesson plan on anything from wildlife and nature to gardening to body fluids. Overall, a fun read and a smart selection for any elementary nature shelf."
--Kirkus Reviews

"As slugs with shells, snails perhaps lack charm. One look at McCloskey’s affectionate portrayal quickly changes minds...This will be a particular joy for the science-minded, but between spotting the snails hidden among rocks and taking a cue from the drawing lesson in back, there’s plenty of fun here for casual readers, too."
--Booklist

"Fascinating...facts are shared about how snails move (slowly); the variety of snail species, sizes, and habitats; and even snail courtship rituals."
--Horn Book Magazine

"In this fourth installment of TOON Books’ early reader science series, Kevin McCloskey once again creates an engaging work of nonfiction that will have kids screaming, 'Gross!' and, like the series title says, 'Laugh and Learn.' "
--School Library Journal's Good Comics for Kids

"I never expected to be interested in snails (and their cousin slugs) but McCloskey makes any animal interesting. His books are light reads that inspire learning."
--Comics Worth Reading

"There’s a quick drawing lesson at the end – great way to end a storytime or science group session! Kevin McCloskey is aces in my book!"
--Mom Read It

"Kevin McCloskey introduces us to a whole load of fascinating snail facts that are sure to entertain curious readers, no matter how old they are."
--Orbital Comics

"By the time you turn the last page of Snails are Just My Speed!, you'll be reminding yourself that this book is a beginning reader."
--Books4YourKids