Small Green Snake [Hardcover]

Libba Moore Gray (Author), Holly Meade (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

While his sisters and brother are quick to heed their mama's advice and stay close to home, Small Green Snake's curiosity gets the best of him, and he soon finds himself trapped in a glass jelly jar. Playful sounds, toe-tapping rhythms, and strikingly bold illustrations in torn paper make this an irresistible read-aloud. Full color.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this Peter Rabbit-esque cautionary tale, a mischievous young snake learns the hard way that wanderlust can be hazardous to his health. Gray (Fenton's Leap; Dear Willie Rudd) rouses the reader with her rhythmic, punched-up prose: "I'm a grassy grassy/ garter snake/ a sassy sassy/ flashy flashy/ tail twisting/ tail turning/ tail snapping/green snake/ hiss a hiss/ a hiss a hiss/ a hisssssssss..." Key words and phrases are rendered as part of Meade's (This Is the Hat) vibrant torn-paper collage artwork, accenting the book's bouncy beat. Bright green, blue and purple swatches, used to depict the garden and its activity, are outlined in white for dramatic visual effect. After an even more curious cat unwittingly frees the little snake from the glass jar in which a human has trapped him, the unrepentant serpent quickly convinces his siblings to slither off to new adventures across the garden wall. Despite some occasionally clumsy turns of phrase, the abundant use of onomatopoeia and bold, graphic artwork make this sibilant storybook a natural candidate for read-alouds. Ages 3-6.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-A squiggly, wiggly, truly adventurous Small Green Snake disobeys his mother and goes off exploring on his own. Just as she warned, he is caught and put in a glass jelly jar. A curious cat accidentally frees him, and he returns home, shares his travel tales, and lures the whole family out on his next outing. This is a romping, rhyming delight of a story that must be read aloud so that the many S's and the great words and catchy phrases can be fully enjoyed. The fresh and funny torn-paper collages are a perfect complement to the spirited text.
Jody McCoy, Casady School, Oklahoma City
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 1 pages
• Publisher: Orchard Books (September 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531068447
• ISBN-13: 978-0531068441
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 9.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,945,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Children's Story, June 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Small Green Snake (Orchard Paperbacks) (Paperback)

Looking for a great book to read to a child? I've been reading this one since my son was 1! Great fun to read and lots of lessons to learn. Beautiful illustrations.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read Aloud Book For Ages 2-6, November 8, 2005

By 

Noel (Kansas City, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Small Green Snake (Library Binding)

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to read to young children. The snappy, rhyming text, alliteration, spunky illustrations and mildly mischievous main character make it a book that young children ask to hear over and over again!