I am delighted to share the cover of my upcoming verse novel with you. Illustrated by Mandy Foot and published by UQP, What Snail Knows will be releasing March 2022 in Australia.
Some of the words that have been used to describe it thus far include; delicate, gorgeous and whimsical, pretty and fairytale. I’m utterly charmed. But don’t be fooled – because there’s toads and things inside! But mostly, there’s a sweet and sensitive little girl called Lucy. And Snail. So much Snail!💕
A moving verse novel for younger readers about a shy girl coming out of her shell with a little help from her pet snail.
Lucy and Dad move a lot, so it’s hard to make friends. Luckily, she has Snail, the perfect pet for a lonely girl. If only she had her own shell to hide in each time she started at a new school.
But this place is different. She likes her teacher, Miss Darling. She likes her classmates, especially Tahnee. She even likes Mei-hui’s van park, where she lives with Dad and Snail. This place feels like home. But can she convince her Dad to stay?
A story about making friends and finding where you belong.
Available for pre-order now, via the UQP website.
Special shout-out to the lovely Linda Mitchell, who messaged me offering to be a beta-reader at a time when I was swirling in doubts. If it wasn’t for you, this manuscript might still be hiding in the snail shell that is my computer. And that’s the truth! 💕
No poem from me today – just this gorgeous cover, and the promise of many more poems inside!
Mary Lee is hosting the Poetry Friday Round-up, which promises many more poems, too. You’ll find it here; https://ayearofreading.org. Thanks, Mary Lee!
Kathryn Apel 
Yes, it is sweet and sounds lovely, Kat. Congratulations on your new publication! Now I understand about those snail posts!
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Well – the snail posts weren’t actually planned, Linda. Though I have always had a fascination for snails. And slugs. (Perhaps because we don’t get them at our house?) I serendipitously stumbled on some snails at the start of edits, and thought to keep one as a pet – to check for authenticity. But I worried one might get lonely… so had four. But they’ve been utterly fascinating, and whilst I hadn’t planned to keep them long-term… they’re still here. I discovered this week that a snail in captivity might live for 25yrs. Wowzers! (Snails in the wild may only live for 3yrs.)
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Oh, your book looks and sounds utterly charming, Kat! Congratulations! I love hearing that the fabulous Linda M. was a supportive spark in this whole process–she’s a treasure! Finally, I think you might want to check out this book: https://nwbooklovers.org/2017/07/07/the-sound-of-a-wild-snail-eating-by-elizabeth-tova-bailey/
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Thank-you, lovely. When I posted my first snail poem a couple of months ago, quite a few people shared it. It is definitely on my list of books to get!
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Oooh, so in love with this cover, Kat! And CANNOT WAIT to read your words. YAY! (I, too, have a snail book coming Feb. 2021…SNAIL’S ARK – how did tiny, blind, deaf, slowslowslow snail get onto the ark?) xo
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I know, I know. I remember you posting about ‘Snail’s Ark’ and knowing we were coming out so close together! That’s pretty special.🐌💕🐌
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Congratulations, Kat! The cover is gorgeous and I look forward to reading it when it comes out next year. And I’m so glad Linda M. helped you clarify your thoughts so that you were able to ‘snail it’! Yay for the PF community! ❤
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Haha! I may have used that line a time or two myself, during writing/edits.😆Yay for the PF community, indeed!
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A snail in a shell is a wonderful gentle metaphor for your character. It’s such a lovely cover! Looking forward to reading this.
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The book cover captures Lucy and Snail and their quiet moments beautifully. I’m so grateful.
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I can’t wait to read your book — the cover is so inviting!
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Isn’t it precious?
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That is just LOVELY!
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I think so, too. And it’s been so heartwarming sharing it with the world.
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It looks wonderful Kat, well done! Lorraine M x
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Thank-you, Lorraine. It will be in good company at UQP.🤗
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You can’t imagine how happy I am to see this book coming into our world. I sincerely don’t know what nudged me to ask about beta reading that night that I did. Perhaps it was something bigger than you or me. This work needed to be published for someone out there that needs to read it. So happy for you, happier for the words! Enjoy all the launch fun.
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I believe it was a God-thing, Linda. And I’m so glad He prompted you. Because I needed you. xx
The book release and launch isn’t until March. So I’ll have lots of time to plan for that fun. (Already tucking ideas away in my shell.) We get to enjoy Irene’s ‘Snail’s Ark’ first – then slide on into ‘What Snail Knows’.🐌💕🐌
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Congratulations on your book, Kat! It looks really lovely. I really like the idea of a snail as a friend. When I was a kid, I counted animals like that as pets. (Example: mussels from the nearby river. Let’s just say they didn’t take to living in a casserole dish with sand & water as much as I thought they would.)
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Oh dear. Your mussels… I can just imagine! Fortunately snails transplant a lot better than that! In fact, they seem to thrive.
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Congratulations Kat, The analogy of the snail and a small girl emerging from her ‘shell’ is a powerful one. The world needs more verse novels. Go you!
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I’ve just been catching up on comments from the bottom up – and you too will be keen to know about the NCACL verse novel resource that I just mentioned to Heidi. More info coming next week – but I’ve already tagged you in a tweet, too. 🙂
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After a whole lot of discussion, some of it amicably contentious, on our NCTE Poetry Notables reading committee about what a verse novel/novel-in-verse should and could be, I will be FASCINATED to see how this one unfolds. In the meantime, if you have not laid eyes on DEAR TREEFROG by Joyce Sidman, do so forthwith! Congrats, Kat!
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We probably had similar discussions, Heidi, in defining verse novels for the resource, Celebrating Australia’s Verse Novels for Young People, a bibliography – in collaboration with the National Council for Australian Children’s Literature. It is finally finished and launches 25th November. It’s a wonderful resource, not just for Australian educators and readers, but for readers around the globe. (I will be sharing the link and information in my post next week.) And I must look for ‘Dear Treefrog’! Thanks. 🙂
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Beautiful cover, Kat! Looking forward to this lovely book! I’ve been toying with trying a novel in verse for younger readers, so this will be a good mentor text for me. (Although I don’t yet even have an idea, just a “maybe I’ll try that some time.”)
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🙃 That’s how I started, Rose. You can read more about my process (and lack of idea/planning) here; https://paperbarkwords.blog/2021/11/09/the-verse-novels-of-kathryn-apel.
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Oooh, Thank you! I’ll be sure to read.
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This sounds so good! I can’t wait to read it! Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
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I hope it finds its way to you, Ruth. 🙂
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Charming sweet cover. I hope to meet Lucy soon. Will we be able to get copies over here in the states?
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Somehow some people have managed in the past. I think Mary Lee might have some pointers? Or Linda Baie? (Because at this stage it is not going into America. But who knows what will happen in the future.)
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Congratulations, Kat! The cover is so warm and appealing! I love that Linda M. offered to beta read for you. I also had a Poetry Friday friend be a beta reader (although my text has stalled at this time). I was so fortunate to find someone so generous with their time! I can tell you feel the same from your post!
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Carol, my self-confidence was such that I don’t now if I’d have stopped going round and round in spirals of self-doubt, if Linda hadn’t popped up with that comment. It was a God-thing, and I was teary grateful, when I responded to her message. So much appreciation, not just for her time, but her prompting.
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So happy for you in the resolution your self-doubt! I think the PF community is made up of some of the kindest, most generous people! Thank you for sharing your experience!
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