The Amazing Trail of Seymour Snail

November 1, 2009
Gr 1-3-Shy Seymour is a closet artist, specializing in puddle paintings, leaf prints, and mud sculptures. After his friends discover his talents, they encourage him to make a career of his art. A few phone calls later, Seymour lands a job at the Speedy Arts Gallery. "I'd better get going," he says. "I start tomorrow. And it's a whole block away!" But Seymour finds his duties disappointing: sealing envelopes and delivering packages are not what he had in mind, and his new boss, Mr. Stink Bug, seems impossible to please. Even worse, Seymour is working so hard that he can't find time to look at the work created by a mysterious new artist. With only a few sentences and at least one illustration per page, this title is perfect for students transitioning to chapter books. Some of the story's humor seems aimed more at adults than kids (a spider tells Seymour he's onto something bigthe World Wide Weband an earwig tells him, "the job market is sluggish"). However, Cushman's black-and-white cartoons delineate the characters and add humor and perspective. Readers will enjoy seeing how Seymour uses the phone and understand why a flight of stairs is such an obstacle for him. Suggest this for readers not quite ready for Katie Speck's "Maybelle in the Soup" (Holt, 2007)."Jackie Partch, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2009
Grades 1-3 Seymour Snail hopes to be a great artist someday, but he feels shy about showing his work. He is thrilled to get a job in an art gallery, but he is bullied by his new boss, Mr. Stink Bug. At last, though, Seymours slimy glitter art is recognized by Mr. Stink Bugs client, Lady CocoLaRoche, and the snail becomes a star. Some of the humor in this early chapter book, illustrated with lively cartoon drawings, may be more for adults who know the pretension of the creative world and the meaning of escargot. But young grade-schoolers will enjoy all the talk about slime and goo, as well as the puns about a friendly spider, who is working on something bigthe World Wide Web. Children will also cheer for small Seymour, who oozes along at a snails pace but triumphs in the end.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)