I’m delighted that The Snail and the Whale has been made into a play by Tall Stories and into an animation by Magic Light. They sailed to towering icebergs and far off lands, fiery mountains and golden sands and all the while the waves arched and crashed around them but the snail remained safe on the tail of the whale.

Then the tide came in and much to everyone's relief the whale, complete with snail on its tail, took to the water once more.The Magic Light animation of The Snail and the Whale won 2 BAFTAs in 2022 – for best animation and best director. It illustrates to children that even though they may sometimes feel small and ineffectual that they can do some fantastic things (it is after all the children who are central in rescuing the snail) With characteristic Julia Donaldson writing and rhyming, the pace of the book means it is fun to read out loud and creates a strong atmosphere from the first page. This is a story which suggests however small you are and however big the world is you can make a difference.

When the whale loses his way and they both wash up on a beach, there is instant panic as the big whale and the tiny snail both feel utterly helpless.

And the whale and the snail Told their wonderful tale Of shimmering ice and coral caves, And shooting stars and enormous waves, And of how the snail, so small and frail, With her looping, curling, silvery trail, Saved the life of the humpback whale. Age 3-7 A very tiny snail seeking adventuresails around the world balanced on the tail of a huge, humpback whale. Look at pictures of snails and whales and think of words / sentences / paragraphs to describe them (see Resources below). The aquatic duo see many sights along their way until one sunny summer's morning, the humpback whale, confused by the sound of a group of racing speedboats, swims into a bay and is left beached by the retreating tide.

Loved the suggestion that brilliant friendships do not necessarily have to be between two similar individuals. From the creators of the Gruffalo, a wonderful inspirational book with beautiful environmental messages. While I agree that The Gruffalo is undeniably a fantastic children's book, The Snail and the Whale is by far my favourite of Donaldson's.Donaldson has said that it is one of her favourite books, due to its similarity in rhyming style to the works of Edward Lear, of which she was fond of as a child.