World Snake Day is Friday, July 16 – here are some books about the ssslithery creatures to add to your lisssts.
How to Promenade with a Python (and Not Get Eaten)
By Rachel Poliquin
Illustrated by Kathryn Durst
84 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735266582 | Tundra Books
Celeste is a cockroach, and everyone knows that cockroaches are survivors, so who better to give advice on surviving an encounter with a polite predator? Everyone also knows that taking a moonlit promenade with a deadly reticulated python (named Frank) is a very bad idea. But Celeste loves very bad ideas, and she is willing to put your life on the line to prove herself right! Need to stop a python from swallowing you head-first? Wear a lamp shade as a hat! Want to speed up a three-hundred-pound snake? Try roller skates! What’s the perfect light snack for a python? A chicken! Using her superior pythonine knowledge, Celeste comes up with various strategies and solutions – many dangerous, most absurd, but all based on the biology of pythons. Meanwhile, Frank is hatching his own plans.
I (Don’t) Like Snakes
By Nicola Davies
Illustrated by Luciano Lozano
32 Pages | Ages 5-9 | Paperback
ISBN 9781536203233 | Candlewick
This little girl has a problem. Her family doesn’t have dogs, or cats, or birds — they have snakes! And she really, really, really really doesn’t like snakes. Her family can’t understand her dislike, but they can help her understand why snakes do the things they do and look the way they look. And maybe once she knows more, she will start to like snakes a little . . . or even a lot. Packed with snake trivia, this clever story includes realistic illustrations and simple explanations of snake behavior sure to make even slither-phobic readers shed their misconceptions about these fascinating reptiles. Back matter includes a note about snakes, a bibliography, and an index.
Knot Cannot
By Tiffany Stone
Illustrated by Mike Lowery
32 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735230804 | Dial Books
A pun-packed look at friendship, jealousy, and being yourself. Knot is a piece of rope who longs to do the same things as Snake. Snake can slither and swim and hiss. Sadly, Knot cannot! But when Snake finds herself in a pickle, Knot discovers there’s one thing he can do that Snake cannot. Knot can knot — a lot! With wordplay a-plenty, this uproarious read-a-loud encourages readers to find — and celebrate! — whatever it is they do best.
Python
By Christopher Cheng
Illustrated by Mark Jackson
32 Pages | Ages 5-8 | Paperback
ISBN 9780763687731 | Candlewick
Python stirs and slithers out from her shelter, smelling the air with her forked tongue. It’s time to molt her dull scales and reveal the glistening snake underneath. Gliding along a tree, the hungry python stalks her prey. Combining informative facts, expressive illustrations, and a lyrical, mesmerizing narrative, this book will captivate anyone fascinated by this iconic creature.
Predator and Prey: A Conversation in Verse
By Susannah Buhrman-Deever
Illustrated by Bert Kitchen
32 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780763695330 | Candlewick Studio
Who wins, the assassin bug or the spider? The bat or the frog? The ant or the honey bee? The male firefly . . . or the female? The battle for survival between predator and prey is sometimes a fight, sometimes a dance, and often involves spying, lying, or even telling the truth to get ahead. Biologist and debut author Susannah Buhrman-Deever explores these clashes in poems and prose explanations that offer both sides of the story. With beautiful, realistic illustrations that are charged with drama, Bert Kitchen captures the breathtaking moments when predator meets prey. Readers who hunger for more about the art of survival will find an extensive list of references in the back.