The Snail and the Whale facts for kids
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| Author | Julia Donaldson |
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| Audio read by | Imelda Staunton (on the audio cassette release) David Tennant, (on the compact disc release) |
| Illustrator | Axel Scheffler |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Genre | Children's fantasy |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
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Publication date
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5 September 2003 |
| Pages | 32 |
| ISBN | 978-0-330-51734-8 |
| OCLC | 51898638 |
The Snail and the Whale is a 2003 children's picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. It won the 2004 Early Years award for the best pre-school book, the 2005 Blue Peter award for Best Book to Read Aloud, and the 2007 Giverny award for Best Science Picture Book. The Snail and the Whale has also been adapted into an unabridged audiobook, a stage play and translated into British Sign Language. In 2019, The Snail and the Whale (film) is released.
Donaldson has said that it is one of her favourite books, due to its similarity in rhyming style to the works of Edward Lear, of which she was fond of as a child.
Plot
A sea snail lives alone with a snail flock, on a smooth black rock by the docks, and longs to see the big, wide world. After she writes an advert for a "lift wanted around the world" using her trail, a kind black humpback whale arrives one moonlit night and offers to take her travelling around the world. The aquatic duo see many sights along their way until one sunny Summer's morning, the humpback whale, confused by the sound of a group of racing speedboats, swims into a bay and is unfortunately left beached by the retreating tide.
In an effort to help her only aquatic friend, the snail herself crawls to a nearby school in the bay, and writes "Save The Whale!" in her slimy trail on the blackboard. The school's children and teacher immediately fetch the emergency services, and the local people and the fire department help to keep the abandoned whale wet until the tide finally turns, and the snail and the whale themselves are able to refloat and swim safely away from the villagers.
Together, the snail and the whale return to the snail's home in the dock, where the other members in the snail flock are impressed by the two travellers' tales. The whale holds out his tail, allowing the other snails to crawl on board. Then, as the sun sinks behind the surface of the ocean, the kind humpback whale takes the entire snail flock away to travel around the world. As the kind whale swims on the surface of the water, all nine snails hanging onto his tail sing out loud to the sea.
Recognition
The book won the Early Years award for the best pre-school book in 2004, the Blue Peter award for Best Book to Read Aloud, 2005, and the Giverny award for Best Science Picture Book 2007.
The audio book won the 2004 Spoken Book gold award for best audio for ages six and under.
Adaptations and editions
The story is available as a paperback, a board book, a jigsaw puzzle book, a colouring book, an activity and sticker book, an audiobook with an accompanying audio CD, a magnetic book and a "Read Along" book with an accompanying magnetic audio tape. The paperback edition is dedicated by Julia Donaldson: "For Everyone at Hillhead Primary School, Wick"
The audiobook with an accompanying audio cassette, is narrated by English voice actor Imelda Staunton, while the audiobook with an accompanying compact disc is narrated by Scottish voice actor David Tennant.
The Snail and the Whale was adapted for the stage by the theatre company Tall Stories in 2012, and has been on tour around the United Kingdom and the rest of the world.
On 6 November 2018, it was announced that BBC One and Magic Light Pictures would bring audiences The Snail and the Whale for Christmas 2019. The music is supplied by French composer and musician Rene Aubry, and the animation was provided by Triggerfish Animation Studios. The 26-minute production aired on BBC One at 2:30 pm on 25 December 2019, and again at 2:05pm on 1 January 2020. It was released on DVD on 10 February 2020 in the United Kingdom.
Voice cast
- Diana Rigg as the Narrator.
- Sally Hawkins as the Snail.
- Rob Brydon as the Whale.
- Cariad Lloyd as the Teacher.
- Arnold Brown and Emma Tate as the snail flock.
- Max Lang as the Fish in the Sea.
- William Barber, David Cummings, Charlotte-Davis Black, Emmy Dowers and Mia Wilks as the school children.
