May 1, 2008
Gr 3-4-The star of this slim volume is not your common land snail, slipping along its slimy path in search of succulent salads. This is a fierce, speedy (for a snail) predator seeking smaller vegetarian snails and slugs to feed its voracious appetite. Campbell's terse, conversational text follows one such hunt on a damp spring day as a wolfsnail detects, tracks, and engulfs its prey, using its mustachio-style lip extensions as ultrasensory devices. Large, crisp photos record the activity, from the wolfsnail's morning awakening to start the hunt to the denouement of a return to rest. Two additional pages provide further fodder, including mating facts (and a small photo of these hermaphrodites caught in the act). Pair this title with Allan Fowler's more general "A Snail's Pace" (Children's Press, 1999; o.p.) for an interesting glimpse into a slow-motion world."Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY"
Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
April 1, 2008
As shivery and slimy as a snake, the tiny wolfsnail eats garden snails and slugs. This dramatic photo-essay, with close-up color photos and one or two sentences on each page, shows the predator stalking its prey, following a trail of slime, using its tentacles to search for food, and then grabbing the victim, eating it, and leaving the empty shell behind. The back matter includes a small photo of the tiny wolfsnail at its true size and lots of fascinating facts about where the snails live, how they mate, and more. Even the glossary is fun, with words ranging from cannibal and mollusc to mucus and slug. In their first book, the Campbells tell a survival story that will help youngsters discover exciting nature in their own backyards and help them understand the role of predators in the natural cycle.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2008
As a gentle rain falls, a wolfsnail wakes up and begins the search for food. Unlike most land snails, this one is a predator, and it slowly but surely tracks an unlucky garden snail. The pacing of the spare text moves, appropriately, at a snail's pace, conveying with a phrase or sentence per page the wolfsnail's deliberate and single-minded focus on food. Each step is illustrated with an exceptional close-up photograph that brings into sharp focus the glistening snail body, the ridges of its shell, and every nook and cranny of the hosta leaves on which the attack occurs. There are no punches pulled in this account -- the victim succumbs in slow motion over four pages, and all that remains is an empty shell. The additional factual information at the end of the book describes wolfsnail habits and life cycles and discusses how the wolfsnail was introduced unnaturally into Hawaii by humans, wiping out many native snail species. Glossary.
(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
July 1, 2008
A predatory wolfsnail tracks an unlucky garden snail. The spare text conveys with one phrase or sentence per page the wolfsnail's single-minded focus. Each step is illustrated with an exceptional close-up photograph. There are no punches pulled--the victim succumbs in slow motion over four pages. Appended information describes wolfsnail habits and life cycle. Glos.
(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)