The Slug and the Snail

After encountering discrimination, an Irish Traveller child is offered comfort through the bedtime story that forms this lilting, nature-steeped work. In melodic prose, DeBhairduin weaves a tale about a time when no snails existed in the world, while slugs “lived wild and free, with no shell to bind them.” Roaming the world, “they knew they were on the way to where they needed to be.” One day, two slug brothers meet a crow who inquires about their home. Ashamed, the younger brother determines to make an abode “round and winding... like the roads he had travelled,” and begins to inhabit a shell, while the older brother considers the world his home. Anima’s radiant illustrations illuminate fine details within vast landscapes in a gentle work about perspective and connection. A note about Travellers concludes. Ages 4–7. (Mar.)