Some of These Are Snails

by Carter Higgins

Press Here meets Eric Carle in a concept book that makes familiar ideas exciting and surprising. From the creative mind behind Circle Under Berry comes this deceptively simple concept book that explores sorting, classification, and patterns as it teases the brain in unusual ways. With an elegant and simple approach, this thought-provoking book shows young readers that even the most familiar things can be seen from infinite perspectives. As with the best classic children's books, you read it once, read it ten times—and see something new every time. MULTIPLE WAYS TO The author has provided creative and helpful suggestions for different ways in which to read this book for varying reading levels and age ranges, making it truly versatile. PACKED LEARNING The unusual approach to colors, shapes, and animals intelligently introduces young readers to patterns, classification, and problem solving. The imaginative language, rich with rhythmic phrasing and playfulness, begs to be read aloud. WIDE APPEAL FOR SCHOOL AND LIBRARY Carter Higgins presents engaging learning with a variety of concepts. With its clear read-aloud qualities, this is ideal for teachers and librarians who organize reading events in their classrooms and communities. UNIQUE The art style for this book, with playful nods to Eric Carle and Hervé Tullet, stands out from the pack in ways that will resonate with children as well as adults. It sits beautifully on any shelf—from classroom to home libraries. TALENTED Carter Higgins has many successful titles across multiple age groups, including Circle Under Berry, Everything You Need for a Treehouse, This is Not a Valentine, Bikes for Sale, Big and Small and In-Between, and Audrey L and Audrey W. Circle Under Berry [star]​ "[V]isually striking . . . positively begging to be read aloud." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review [star]​ "[D]rawing readers" attention while achieving real grace . . ." —Publishers Weekly, starred review "[S]parkling and ingenious . . . positively tingles." —The Wall Street Journal  "A triumph of design and a beacon of possibility." —The Horn Book Magazine "[A] striking exploration of shapes, colors, and patterns . . ." —Booklist Reviews Everything You Need for a Treehouse "Get ready for your imagination to explode!" —NPR Best Books of the Year "[A] feast for the imagination." —Book Page "This book urges adventure and creativity." —School Library Journal This is Not a Valentine "An enduring message of friendship." —School Library Journal "A perfect book for kids who find the whole Valentine's Day holiday icky and overrated." —Book Riot "Recognizes that you can don't need sugary hearts and mushy sentiment to show you care." & "Heartwarmingly funny."  —Entertainment Weekly Bikes for Sale "Celebrates the ways in which serendipity can lead to friendship and sharing." —Booklist "A sweet, quiet, different take on new-friendship." —Kirkus Reviews Big and Small and In-Between [star]​ "[V]isually stunning and emotionally rich . . ." —School Library Journal, starred review "[A] profoundly moving, charmingly crafted picture book." —The New York Times "[A]n abstract journey with many turns and surprises." —Publishers Weekly  Audrey L and Audrey W "Funny and engaging." —Kirkus Reviews "This sweet series-starter holds plenty of promise." —Booklist "[S]ensitive and gently humorous." —Shelf Awareness "A great addition to libraries where memorable girls like Ivy + Bean and Judy Moody are popular.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Storytime, Childrens, Mathematics, Art, Juvenile

Kindle Edition

First published May 2, 2023

About the author

Carter Higgins is the author of the middle grade novel A Rambler Steals Home (HMH) and three picture books from Chronicle Books: This Is Not a Valentine (illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins), Everything You Need for a Treehouse (illustrated by Emily Hughes), and Bikes for Sale (illustrated by Zachariah Ohora).

Her first picture book as both author and illustrator, Circle Under Berry, releases in 2021 from Chronicle Books. Also releasing in 2021 is Audrey L and Audrey W: Best Friends-ish, a chapter book illustrated by Jennifer K. Mann. Big and Small and In Between, a picture book illustrated by Daniel Miyares, releases in 2022.

She is an Emmy-winning visual effects and motion graphics artist and spent a decade as an elementary school librarian. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @carterhiggins. She lives in Nevada.

Reviews

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carter Higgins is brilliant at teaching young children concepts in a fun and unique way. Her book CIRCLE UNDER BERRY won a Publisher’s Weekly award in 2021 and teaches colors, shapes, and location/arrangement of objects in such a unique way. SOME OF THESE ARE SNAILS is a similar type of book.

In this larger board book, kids will find shapes that also look like an animal with Eric Carle-like illustrations. Kids will see colors and shapes and how those shapes can also be animals or the shapes together can also make another shape.

Your child can also choose the biggest or the smallest shape on the page or which tiger has the most stripes or which item is the wiggliest on the page. Babies and toddlers will love the clean pages with just the brightly colored item and older toddlers and preschoolers will love learning the concepts on the pages. Kids who are ready to start reading can start with the simple words on the pages and the repetitive text.

This board book is appropriate for babies through preschoolers and will stand up to numerous readings due to the heavy pages and board book style. Don’t miss this new addition to Carter Higgins’ books!

[Brigitte Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute! We loved it! My toddler and my big kid enjoyed every page.

[Dawn Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, colorful, but I had a few issues with the text.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

People who have littles in their lives need this book! Like Circle Under Berry, this has great song like rhymes perfect for storytimes and read alouds. Having an animal representation of each shape is brilliant, and will captivate little, and big, readers. Carter’s artwork is reminiscent of Eric Carle, with the painted paper cut into shapes. Some of these are snails will be a great mentor text for learning about shapes, art concepts, poetry, and so much more. I’m so glad this book and Circle Under Berry, are in the world while I’m a kindergarten librarian.
🐌🐢🐯🐞❤️

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored the first book by this author, and this one was another win! A little patron even sat at the library desk with me and we read it together, and after she wanted it right away to check out. Adorable sorting of colors, shapes, and animals with a playful sometimes-rhyme. Also good comparison words like biggest, biggest, squigglier, squiggliest, etc. Simple and darling.

[Heather Stigall · Rating 5 out of 5]

As brilliant as the first! Love it!

[Stacy S. Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprises abound in this deceptively simple text and illustrations. Fun read aloud. Children will love finding the animals, shapes, and colors throughout the book.

[Elayne Crain · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many things to love about Some of These Are Snails by Carter Higgins (hmm...I probably shouldn't have written the title in sentence case, but I just can't help it; I'm no e. e. cummings, alas).

Here are some:
* bold, visually engaging art and color
* fabulous read-aloudability
* interactive aspects
* oodles of animals
* the physicality of the book is a delight--it's like a "light" board book--sturdy but still sleek?
* BUT, best of all, is the playful critical thinking this book promotes.

I don't know if this is common, but I actually remember the time I realized, as a youngster, that LMNO were *different* letters. It blew my mind!

Similarly, I can imagine similar epiphanies sprouting for kiddos, as the book asks them questions like...

can you sort by color? [Illo: blue and yellow circles of all sizes]
can you sort by size? [Illo: orange and green squares of all sizes]
can you sort by shape or find the animals with eyes? [Illo: mix of colors, shapes, and animals]

In short, this book contains all SORTS (ba-dum-tsss!) of brain-teasers for your littlest (but big) thinker.

I think they will love it.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sizes and shapes and colors, oh my, and patterns too, oh my!
Preschool teachers and caregivers along with those who are fans of Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Michael Hall's Perfect Square or books on design like Mark Gonyea's A Book About Design: Complicated Doesn't Make It Good and Another Book About Design: Complicated Doesn't Make It Bad will like this.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

GR member Elayne Crain says it better, but I'll try. This is so much more than a concept book. It's not just colors, or shapes, or animals, etc.... but all of the above! And puzzles. And thinking, for example about attributes.

If you ever liked 'three of these go together but one is different' puzzles, you'll see the appeal. One spread asks the reader direct questions, and I had a lot of fun stopping to think of all the possible 'right' answers, and even caught myself coming up with a couple of wrong answers!

Metaphorically, it could even be about people, as in, just because someone is big & strong doesn't mean they can't be tender & sweet, for example.

I love that it's going on twice as long as a 32 p. picture-book. It also works very well as an ebook (from Overdrive/Libby). It's just beautiful. Another reviewer says it's on that heavy paper that's so good for toddlers, so yay for that choice, too.

I read it because of an article in, um, Book Pages? I'll find my clipping and say more in the comments below a little later.

[Thompson McLeod · Rating 5 out of 5]

This seemingly simple concept book has unlimited possibilities. Not only creative and artistic, Some of These Are Snails will encourage readers to see shapes, colors, spatial design, and patterns in nature and in their normal environment.



A circle can become a turtle or a snail; a square can become an elephant. The first reading seems simple enough, but as a child reads it numerous times, patterns emerge and/or no patterns emerge. Their mind is the only limit.



Carter Higgins has an artistic masterpiece here. Furthermore, entire semesters of art and design classes could revolve around this one picture book.

Some of These Are Snals is award worthy this year. One of the best of the year!

A must-have for creative minds.

young readers of all ages!

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much in the vein of Circle Under Berry -- the same kind of rhythm, the same mix of shapes and animals and color in a collage style.

The most featured triangles are all equilateral, though the animals made of triangles include some non-equilateral ones. All the octagons are regular.

There are prompts to sort by color and size and questions about none vs one vs some vs many. Lots of relative size language.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you need a book about sorting by color, shape, or pattern, this is a great book for you. The text guides very young readers to note and notice shapes, colors, and patterns in a very engaging way.

I am thinking it won't work for circulation in my school library. The cover is board book like, but the pages feel very different from regular book pages. I know nothing about publishing, but this book feels like one I cannot circulate heavily, so I will recommend it to my art teachers who will likely love it for class projects!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is ingenious!! You think it’s a simple board book teaching colors and shapes, but it’s so much more! Matching, sorting, animals, tongue-in-cheekiness! The simple yet vibrant illustrations are so perfect! My 5 1/2 year old nephew loved it even more than my 2 year old niece whom I got it for! He caught on to the silliness and had fun tricking me with the different shapes! This is a delightful book and I’ll be purchasing my own copy!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recognize the style from the previous book, Circle Under Berry and I liked that better, maybe because the idea was new. I like the bright colors against the white background and the way this will grow with the kid from baby to preschool, and how the text helps the parent see how to do that without thumping anyone on the head.

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you kidding me? This book is absolutely perfect for littles! With text and illustrations reminiscent of Eric Carle, it also incorporates rhyme and a lovely conversation of colors, animals, shapes + some humor.

Themes: shapes, colors, animals, books that rhyme
Ages: toddler-1st grade
Pub year: 2023

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

The right format, color palette, and thoughtful word choices make for a great overall package. The concepts introduced and then emphasized, and delved into, are done with care. Each object or animal is thoughtfully placed on each page alongside the words in a clear font. The youngest readers will want to return to this book over and over. An easy five stars.

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super clever, artistically inspiring picture book perfect for a storytime activity. My art teachers will drool over this one! One note is the format- almost like a large board book. I wish it were a full-sized picture book.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

With colorful collages made from hand-painted paper and a gentle rhyming text, this is an engaging preschool concept picture book that asks little ones to categorize by size, color, and shape. A future preschool classic that will be fun to share and reread!

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Killer as expected. The white space offsets the colors in this book perfectly in a way that follows the tradition of Eric Carle and Herve Tullet. Like the others, this book is a playful approach to concepts like color, pattern, size, and shape. A knockout for the preschool and toddler crowd.

[Roben · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy books by Carter Higgins!
Size, shape, color and sorting -- all concepts that are super important to child development. And done very creatively so that the lessons are easy to extend into every day life.
If you need a gift for a toddler, put this at the top of your list!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really thought this was a brilliantly executed picture book filled with opportunities to develop math concepts with toddler and preschoolers. It can be used for color, shape, patterns, sorting, and classification. Highly engaging and interactive! I love a well-done math concept book!

[Laura Giessler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! This is a book that could spark myriad conversations and explorations about color, shape, and animals; about all, some, one, none; about stripes, spots--so many conversations and possibilities! Awesome gift book for a preschooler learning to sort.

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful look at colors, animals, and shapes in nature, some realistic, some more imaginative. Came up on catalog search for animal classification
Bold bright colors, minimal text
Companion book to circle under berry

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant concept book that charmingly combines shapes, colors, classifications and critical thinking with lyrical language and vibrant and playful art. Makes me want to break out the art supplies and explore more ways that shapes and colors can transform into patterns and creatures.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book is amazing! It’s a color, shape, size, animal, and perspective book. The perfect read aloud with awesome, bright and bold illustrations. Highly recommended.

[AGMaynard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bright colors, shapes, patterns. Excellent lap book. Long picture book, but that won't stop me from using for toddler storytime

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great art and a great book that can work in different ways for different ages. Definitely begging to be read over and over (and wouldn't get monotonous)

[Patricia J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderfully creative book about sorting. Perfect for Pre-K, K-2, and ADULTS!