Customer Reviews

Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator

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A "day in the life" of a cannibal snail or wolfsnail, Euglandia rosea, is the topic of this children's book. Authors and photographers Sarah and Richard Campbell bring this day to life with clear text and crisp photos.

What is this Euglandia searching for? "The wolfsnail eats meat" (p. 9), and by meat, the authors mean other snails and slugs, hence the "cannibal snail" moniker.

The search is on for prey, and "The wolfsnail leaves behind an empty shell" (p. 24). It's then off to a safe hiding place to rest until another day.

Pages 30 and 31 contain facts and factoids about Euglandia, and page 32 is a glossary of "snail words" (vocabulary used throughout the text and the descriptions of its natural history).

The text and story is written for both pre-readers (children being read to) and readers probably to the 2-4 grade level. The factoid pages are more sophisticated.

The Campbells write "State agricultural officials in Hawaii imported wolfsnails in 1955 to try to control another invader, the giant African snail [imported illegally for starting a food snail industry], which was eating farmers' crops. But the wolfsnails ate native Hawaiian snails instead. Wolfsnails have wiped out many of the native snail species" (p. 31).

The native snail species on Oahu (genus Achatinella) are all listed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) as endangered. The FWS states "The most serious threats to the survival of O`ahu tree snails are predation by the introduced carnivorous snail (Euglandina rosea), predation by rats, and loss of habitat due to the spread of nonnative vegetation into higher elevation forests." Half the species are now extinct.

One of my relatives introduced Euglandia rosea to Oahu from Florida, and received accolades from all for combatting the giant African snail. Sadly, Achatinella snails were not on the radar screen as a concern at the time. We should be wary of all current relocations and introductions for all species, since what seems to make sense today may be a model of folly tomorrow.

I usually read mysteries and Garfield comics, so I wasn't sure if I would like this book. When I looked at the cover, I thought it was going to be just boring facts about snails. But it turned out it was an exciting story and I learned cool things about wolfsnails. The pictures show just what wolfsnails do, and they get right up in the wolfsnail's face. I think the photos were excellent. I recommend this book for anybody who wants to read a neat story about wolfsnails.

The photos and text are amazing. A wonderful introduction to the delights of careful observation.

I am a teacher in a child development center and bought a copy of 'Wolfsnail' for each of the preschool classrooms to enhance our science curriculum. The photographs do a great job of holding the children's attention from start to finish! At the end of the book, the children are asking questions about snails and other things that might be prowling around in the backyard. Great book to get kids thinking!!

My grandkids love the realisic closeup pics of the snails. They make you feel like you can reach out and touch it, or the slimy trail it leaves behind. The book is very informative, but easy to understand. It doesn't talk down to its readers. I'd recommend this book for any children who like to learn about animals.

Whoever thought that a snail could be a backyard predator? In Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator, the Campbells enlighten young readers (and older alike!) about this predator who stalks its prey, uses its tentacles to search for food, then grabs its victims and eats them, leaving their empty shells behind. The Wolfsnail then finds a safe hiding place to rest until tomorrow.

This is a wonderful book to teach young readers about predators. The photos follow a wolfsnail's entire day and we learn that the wolfsnail eats meat--meaning other snails and slugs. Learn how the wolfsnail was brought into Hawaii to control the population of the giant African snail, but instead ended up eating native Hawaiian snails instead. Because of it, wolfsnails have wiped out many of Hawaii's native snail species.

The back matter includes a photo of the tiny wolfsnail true to size and has a list of amazing facts to fill you in on even more details of the Wolfsnail. There's also a glossary to fulfill your need for everything 'snail.'

Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator is a children's picturebook about the fascinating wolfsnail, a carnivorous mollusk that hunts and eats snails and slugs. Striking, full-color photographs of an actual wolfsnail on the hunt illustrate this amazing and educational story. The final three pages include more snail facts (including the tragic tale of how the wolfsnail was imported to Hawaii to combat another invading snail, but ate native Hawaiian snails instead) and a glossary of snail words. An excellent introduction to the wonders of natural life that can be found in an ordinary backyard.

I usually read mysteries and Garfield comics, so I wasn't sure I would like this book. The cover made me think it would be just boring facts about snails, but it turned out to be an exciting story and I learned lots of cool things about wolfsnails. The photos were excellent and got right up in the wolfsnail's face so you could really see everything. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about wolfsnails.