This book's illustrations are STUNNING! I love that at the end they give you a couple of tasks to get you to go back and give them another look. I do have to say, that I was wondering all along why some of the other creature's on the forest floor hadn't already tried to gobble up that smug slug. 

First, let me state that contrary to what you may have read elsewhere, this book has a very happy ending. What ending could be happier than the cycle of life, a frog getting a good meal? Such a succulent slug! Slugs? Eat up your garden. Frogs? Eat up your slugs. I can tell you which critter *I* prefer!

The alliteration is great, and a wonderful way to introduce your kid TO alliteration. And the artwork is well down. However, because every sentence had to be packed with as many s- words as possible, some of the statements are a bit... non sequitur-ish. I don't think, for example, that "silly" is the best word to describe the slug's ascent, although one of the other animals seems to think so.

Still, all told, it's a very good book with a funny twist ending. ( )

A self satisfied slug chooses to ignore its friends' warnings, as it proudly climbs a slope that turns out to be a hungry toad's back.

This book is a good example of a fantasy because the reader believes that the snail is actually traveling somewhere and other animals are trying to stop the snail but in reality snails do not talk nor do other animals. This story also has a unique style where alliteration is present. The “S” consonant in the beginning of words is used throughout the entire story. For example one line is, “in spite of sinister signs, it showed no suspicion”. Age appropriate: intermediate. Media: water color ( )

Slow moving, and not all that interesting to him. He didn't understand that the slug got eaten at the end. ( )

I picked up this book when the owner of a local popular children's book store spoke at our toddler group. Boy, was she right about it being a hit. The rhythm is slow, allowing the reader plenty of time to nail the crafty alliterations. Coupled with this is the old trick of hiding something in each picture; in this book is was an "S".

Of course, the same evening this book was recommended, so were a number of others. The key to this book was that there was an instant personal connection. Our family, having moved to slug land only 2 1/2 years ago, truly find slugs strangely attractive and repelling in the same glance. What fun it is to relive a particularly sluggy hike we took with Gran and Poppa! ( )