Snippet the Early Riser

by Bethanie Deeney Murguia

Snippet is a typical snail. But unlike other snails, he loves to wake up early. While his family is snoozing the morning away, he is wide awake and ready to race to the flowers, make leaf sculptures, and get piggyback rides. With the help of his bug friends,  he tries and tries to wake his family up—but nothing works. Until Caterpillar gives him an idea. 

Celebrating early birds and late snoozers alike, this story will ring true for the many families with little early risers. It's the perfect tale to fall asleep (or wake up!) to.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Animals, Fiction, Storytime, Humor

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 12, 2013

About the author

Bethanie Deeney Murguia earned an MFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts. Bethanie lives with her family and her forty pound lap dog, Thunder, in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has created numerous picture books and is currently working on the WAGNIFICENT early middle grade graphic novel series and a middle grade graphic novel for Candlewick Press.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute!!! I love snails and they were my favorite bug as a child. This book was cute and had snail facts in the front and back covers.

[Michelle Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snippet the snail's days are busy with drawing (snail tracks), playing ball (with rolly pollies), and piggy back rides on his parents' shell. When he wakes early in the morning, he's ready for action, but the rest of his family is fast asleep. Snippet and his friends try a host of things to wake up the family. Cute and charming!

[Jessie Alexander-East]

Snails with patchwork quilt shells! I LOVE snails and may be one of the few people on earth who do, but aside from that, this is a thoughtful story of an early riser who is trying to entice his family to wake up and play with him!

[Katrina Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

How can snails be so darn adorable? Watercolor illustrations and cute narration make this a sweet story about a young snail waking his family up to play.

[Freddie D · Rating 4 out of 5]

We had a bit of a snail-themed evening last night, reading this and The Snail and the Whale. I feel like there's so much to appreciate about these tiny, slimy creatures: if not the fact that they can pull 200 times their weight(!) then at least that they remind us to slow down and appreciate life. This book is beautifully illustrated and made me want to go out to the garden and look for precious little creatures.

[Melki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Snippet wakes up early, and attempts to rouse the rest of his family so the fun can begin. If thirty pages of that sounds like fun to you, you'll definitely enjoy this book. I was not a fan.

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can totally relate to the little snail who gets up early. Wish I'd had this when I had my own early risers.

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the illustrations and the story is cute

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Snippet tries to wake up the rest of his family after he wakes up early.

[Chadi Raheb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nah... don't like to get up early... so, wouldn't give this to my [fictional] kid neither...

[Aaron Wyckoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Snippet the Early Riser is about a snail who likes to get up early, while the rest of his family does not. When he wakes and wants to play, Snippet tries a number of ways to wake up his family (with the help of a few friends), but does not succeed until he gets an idea from watching Caterpillar munching on a leaf. Murguia's blend of ink and water colors creates a wonderful mixture of sharp lines with soft hues. Most pages contain both large and small illustrations interspersed with text, making the action fast paced and immediate throughout. It is also incredible how expressive the characters can be with just three dots for eyes and a mouth. A fun, creative book and highly recommended both for independent readers and as a read-aloud.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Watercolor, gouache and ink illustrations show the daily activities that Snippet the snail enjoys. Though he's a pretty typical snail he isn't on the same sleep schedule as his family and tries everything he can think of to rouse his loved ones. Enlisting the help of his friends he accomplishes his goal, but before long turns tires and turns in.

Humorous with illustrations that perfectly complement the text. I really liked the unique designs of each snail's shell and the way that Snippet's bug friends volunteered their specialized abilities to help wake his family.

[Mender · Rating 3 out of 5]

Snippet is super cute, although there's not a lot of content in the book. He wants to wake his family up early, but they don't respond to being jumped on or yelled at, so he makes them breakfast in bed then everyone gets up to play.

I'd probably love this book, except in this version Snippet falls asleep early because he got up so early. Whereas my sad reality is that my little guy wakes up before 6 and doesn't get tired. Ever. He needs so much less sleep than me it is a nightmare.

So adorable yes, accurate no.

[Angie Kohout · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot: Snippet is a typical snail. But unlike other snails, he loves to wake up early. While his family is snoozing the morning away, he is wide awake and ready to race to the flowers, make leaf sculptures, and get piggyback rides. With the help of his bug friends, he tries and tries to wake his family up—but nothing works. Until Caterpillar gives him an idea.

Setting: United States

Characters: Snippet, Caterpillar, Bugs.

Point-of view: Third person.

Theme: What to do if you're early to rise.

Style: No particular style.

[Darcie Saunier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute! I love a story about a snail. Why? Why not!?! There aren't that many stories about snails, at least not that I can think of off the top of my head. A little snail named Snippet wakes up early one morning and just wants his family to get up too so they can play with him. His family is much too sleepy, but his bug friends come up with a plan to help Snippet out. If you have an "early riser" or even a snail in your household, this would be a fun book to share! If nothing else, it would be a great reason to bust out a cute snail craft!

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snippet is a very mischeivious little snail that does all he can to get his family involved in playing with him, but they just do not want to get out of bed. Snippet gets many of his friends involved as he tries to spur his family out of bed. This is a fun little story that many young children may be able to relate to as they wait eagerly for their parents and syblings to get out of bed each day. The illustrations do a fantastic job of supporting and adding detail to the plot of the story.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this one up because I love books about snails. Honestly I liked the illustrations more than the story. Snippet is a very energetic snail, pretty much like a normal under 7 year old and likes to play soccer, draw, and get piggyback rides. Like small children, he wakes up way earlier than his parents and sister and does everything in his power to wake them up so they can all play together. Recommended for ages 3-6, 3 stars.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Those are the cutest illustrated snails I've ever seen. And Snippet is fabulous. I love his attempts to wake up his family. I love how the other bugs try to help. And I found the ending to be funny and true-to-life. Could work in a preschool storytime, though a few references would be over their heads. But they might still enjoy it. Worth considering for the summer--garden theme.

[Read Ribbet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snippet is an appealing character whose early rising places him out of step with the rest of his family. This snail starts on a problem solving quest which ends in success. He also reminds all of us about differences. An appealing character who teaches universal themes in a concise story and extending illustrations, Snippet is a fun book to have in the collection.

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darling pen and watercolor illustrations almost make me like snails! Snippet, unlike the rest of his family, is an early riser. He persistently tries to rouse his family with help from friends in hopes of finding someone to play with. Charming, especially if you have your own early riser.

[Cathy Mealey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet and funny story about creative problem solving, snail style.

Snippet is a fresh, cute story with lots of kid appeal and clever illustrations.

One of my top ten favorites from 2013! See full review here: https://bildebok.wordpress.com/2013/0...

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is cute and the story is cute. I'm not sure I would have really liked it for my kids though when they were little since I wouldn't have wanted them to get any ideas about waking me up early and how to do it. :}

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Buglet and I loved this one too.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun details of snail life. Great patchwork shells.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://librarianosnark.blogspot.com/2...

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This snail is no slug. A pleasant tale about a charming family of mollusks.

[Librariansteph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute.

[Melissa Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snippet reminds me that I am not ready for children...the cats wake up early enough. But I do like that he provides breakfast in bed.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations that completely enhance the text; funny even if I couldn't identify with the early riser bit.