The Snail House

What if one day you and your siblings shrunk down to a tiny, tiny size, crept out under a crack in the door, and went to live in a snail house... on the back of a moving snail? That's precisely what happens in Allan Ahlberg and illustrator Gillian Tyler's quiet, lovely picture book The Snail House, told in a folksy, story-time voice by Grandma to her grandchildren Hannah and Michael and their baby brother. ("'It have a TV?' Hannah said. 'No TV, sweetheart, not in those days. But a radio, yes.'")

Young children will adore poring over every delicate detail of Tyler's exquisitely drawn snail's-eye view of the world, a universe where falling apples cause earthquakes and babies can be lost in a forest of grass. The snail house--complete with doors, windows, porch railings, tiny furniture, and toys--provides fodder for hours of close examination. Scary moments like the arrival of a giant snail-eating thrush ("'No!' cried Hannah") contrast with peaceful times, such as stretching a clothesline between the snail's eyestalks, reading books, and washing windows. All in all, this fine book is a visual feast with the miniature-world appeal of The Borrowers. Preschoolers can revel in the fascinating picture story without having to read a word. (Ages 3 to 7) --Karin Snelson