SNAIL & WORM ALL DAY

All day, every day, is a good time for reading about Snail and Worm.

Geisel honoree Kügler returns with her third hilarious early reader in this series about odd-couple pals Snail and Worm. Three stories, “Best Day Ever,” “The Spooky Cave,” and “A Bedtime Story,” make up the book and deliver laugh-out-loud moments courtesy of affable, daffy Snail’s antics. Worm is a loyal and supportive friend who never condescends to Snail despite misunderstandings and blunders, instead appreciating Snail’s generous, guileless, big heart. And what’s not to appreciate? When Snail declares it’s the “best day ever,” it’s on a day of small personal disasters that are overshadowed by others’ good fortune. When Snail mistakes a turtle in its shell for a spooky cave with a dragon inside, their first thought is to save the turtle Worm mentions. And when Worm offers to tell a bedtime story about Snail, Snail frets about being lonely without Worm in the story, too. Expressive watercolor-and-ink illustrations make particularly great use of Snail’s eyestalks and Worm’s coiling body to ratchet up the humor and heart of every single scene. “I like everything you do,” the friends affirm to each other at book’s end, a sentiment readers will share about Kügler’s work.

Run (faster than Snail ever could) to get a copy of this winning early reader.