"Snailsworth" Format

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The Format

What’s different about this picture book?

Author / illustrator Tina Field Howe has created Snailsworth, a slow little story for children in preschool to age 8. She has created a story with two formats: more detailed prose flanking the artwork is intended for older readers, and rhyme appearing on the artwork is geared more toward beginners. The rhyme’s lesser volume may appear less intimidating to beginners compared to the prose, and therefore more achievable; yet it remains challenging and fun.

In becoming familiar with the story by reading and re-reading the rhyme, while having the prose read to him or her, the beginning reader gradually grows confident and transitions to the prose when ready. The goal of being able to read the prose begins with mastery of the rhyme. Advanced readers will find the rhymes a fun companion to the story and gain reinforcement for what they already know about the English language.

What do the pages look like?

This is the right half of a spread. The prose version of the story flanks the left and right margins of each spread.

The verses of rhyming poetry distilled from the story are placed on the artwork.

This format takes readers at all levels into consideration. When the author was researching children's books, no structure of this type was encountered.

Click image for full view of spread.

Samples of the poetry

Down on the ground
the ivy jiggled.
On top of a snail’s head
some tentacles wiggled.
Snailsworth peeked out,
all alone.

This brown garden snail,
with eyes perched up high
and spots on her soft
brown body slid by.
The spiral shell on her
back was her home.

You could see her round mouth
when you looked very near,
and her tiny round chewing
was very clear
as she munched some
green goo off a stone.

How was the artwork created?

The artwork is digital. However, the artist strives to achieve a "painterly" look so that it does not appear to be digital. With a background in fine arts, she finds that a digital canvas allows her to be much more creative than a traditional one. She begins by sketching an idea, then moves to a blank screen, just as a traditional painter makes a sketch and then faces a bare canvas. And as a painter puts a brush to canvas, she uses a cordless pen and tablet to transfer her vision to the screen. The same artistic theory is applied as far as determining colors, shapes, textures, moods and so on. The artist makes all the decisions. The computer is "just a tool." Tina feels that digital art is her medium.

Book Size: 8 1/2" tall x 8 1/2" wide (closed)

Sample Spread
Sample Artwork

Publishers: Please contact the author for layout and artwork details.

Page last updated on February 24, 2010