Slugs in Love

With its irresistible illustrations and comical plot, this story of two slime-crossed lovers is bound to delight sweethearts young and old. "Marylou loved everything about Herbie—how his slime trail glistened in the dark, how he could stretch himself thin to squeeze inside the cellar window...." Herbie keeps finding Marylou's poems, etched in slug slime and full of devotion, but Marylou keeps missing the longing letters he writes in return. While she watches his every move, he can't find anyone who knows where she is so he can meet her. Herbie finally decides to leave a note where Marylou just can't miss it ("All slugs like tomatoes!" he thinks). When Marylou realizes at last that her affections are returned, Pearson doesn't stint on the happiness that ensues—"What joy! What gladness!" Both the book's title and the heart that encloses the happy pair on the jacket seem to be defined in shiny red slug slime. O'Malley makes the most of the diverse poems—they appear on a watermelon, a garden hoe, a scarecrow's hat—and he endows the community of slugs with a variety of expressions both whimsical and witty. Marylou sports two pink bows on her stalk eyes and Herbie's Mr. Dreamy eyes sparkle with fun. Full of humor and charm, this story of love requited is as satisfying as a box of Valentine chocolates. Ages 4-8. (Nov.)