17 Mar Review: This Is a Tiny Fragile Snake
This Is a Tiny Fragile Snake
Written by Nicholas Ruddock; illustrated by Ashley Barron
Groundwood Books, 2024
ISBN: 9781773067841 (hardcover)
$21.99 CAD
32 pages
Ages: 3 years old and up
Review by Cassandra Ricafort
This Is a Tiny Fragile Snake is a collection of short poems in a picture book format, that tells how humans encounter a wide variety of creatures in their daily lives throughout the year. Each poem is centred around a different creature, and how the humans can try to coexist amongst them, without harming them. The poems culminate into a final poem about winter, featuring each creature mentioned in the previous poems. The illustrations are vividly coloured, with an almost painted-collage type feel that is reminiscent of Eric Carle. This picture book would be a great introduction to poetry for young children, and would serve as a great teaching tool on how we can make space for other living creatures in the world around us. However, the text does have some vocabulary that might be too hard for a younger child to comprehend on their own. In all, it would be an excellent addition for story time at home or any school and public library.