Talk To The Snail

From the bestselling author of A Year in The Merde, the Ten Commandments for Living with the French Have you been taken to what you've been assured is the perfect house deep in the French countryside, only to find there's no electricity or running water? Gone to the doctor with a nasty cough, and been diagnosed with a rather more personal complaint? Walked into an half-empty restaurant, only to be told that it's complet? If the answer to any of the above is oui, Talk to the Snail is the book for you.Find out how to get served in a restaurant; the best way to deal with French hypochondria; learn the language of love, sex and suppositories (not necessarily in that order); it's all here in this funny, informative, seriously useful guide on how to get what you really want from the French. With advice on essential phrases and bons mots to cover all eventualities, and illustrated with witty real-life anecdotes, Talk to the Snail is a book that no self-respecting Francophile - or Francophobe - can afford to be without. Don't go to France without reading this book. And don't even think of buying a house there.

In a work that beautifully demonstrates the rewards of closely observing nature, Elisabeth Tova Bailey shares an inspiring and intimate story of her encounter with a Neohelix albolabris—a common woodland snail. While an illness keeps her bedridden, Bailey watches a wild snail that has taken up residence on her nightstand. As a result, she discovers the solace and sense of wonder that this mysterious creature brings and comes to a greater understanding of her own place in the world. Intrigued by the snail’s molluscan anatomy, cryptic defenses, clear decision making, hydraulic locomotion, and courtship activities, Bailey becomes an astute and amused observer, offering a candid and engaging look into the curious life of this underappreciated small animal. The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is a remarkable journey of survival and resilience, showing us how a small part of the natural world can illuminate our own human existence, while providing an appreciation of what it means to be fully alive.

The best-selling author of A Year in the Merde offers a tongue-in-cheek guide to understanding the French, in a series of essays, each illustrating a theme, followed by or interspersed with essential French phrases, anecdotes, and advice. 50,000 first printing.

Snail World: Life in the Slimelight is a collection of absorbing snapshots from an alternate universe where snails drink bubble tea at the mall, hit tiny bongs, and get beamed up into flying saucers. Real snails and frogs bring to life miniature scenes meticulously created by artists Aleia Murawski and Sam Copeland, inspired by moody, cinematic moments and nostalgic Americana. These dreamlike and often hilarious images evoke the melodrama of daily life: a snail alone in an apartment with one last box to move; two snails getting slime all over grandma's plastic-covered armchairs; a frog doing karaoke in a heart-shaped hot tub. With hidden details to discover each time you flip through the pages, Snail World is a quirky celebration of the (very) little things in life. By Aleia Murawski and Sam Copeland. Hardcover with debossed image and spot gloss on cover. 80 pages, full color interior. Published by Broccoli. Measures 7" x 9 1⁄4".

The medusa is a tiny jellyfish that lives on the ventral surface of a sea slug found in the Bay of Naples. Readers will find themselves caught up in the fate of the medusa and the snail as a metaphor for eternal issues of life and death as Lewis Thomas further extends the exploration of man and his world begun in The Lives of a Cell. Among the treasures in this magnificent book are essays on the human genius for making mistakes, on disease and natural death, on cloning, on warts, and on Montaigne, as well as an assessment of medical science and health care. In these essays and others, Thomas once again conveys his observations of the scientific world in prose marked by wonder and wit.

Simon the snail is born into a family full of love. He has three beautiful sisters who shower him with praise. His father thinks Simon is the most handsome snail in the world, and he brings his mother nothing but joy. However, it soon becomes apparent to everyone that Simon is unlike other young snails, and his mother starts to worry. The other little snails tease Simon because they think he isnt smart. He struggles early on with almost everything and faces even more difficulties as he tries to deal with the demands of school. His teacher, Mrs. Slugly, is not very understanding or kind and reacts negatively toward Simon's predicament, which only worries his mother all the more. Ultimately, his family's show of support and acceptance win out and Simon realizes that he will overcome his struggles, as he is a most extraordinary snail. Simon the snail faces many challenges, but he triumphs in the end because of his mother's encouragement and unconditional love and his own willingness to do his very best.

Magnet fun with The Snail and the Whale! Explore the deep sea and the wide world in this great magnetic book! Contains over 80 Snail and the Whale magnets, a special mini edition of the bestselling story, plus play scenes and fun activities, including Mixed-up Beasts, Match the Shadows and a Snail and the Whale quiz. With a neat clasp and sturdy carry handle, you can take the fun with you wherever you go! A perfect gift from the creators of The Gruffalo!

Arcturus is the name given to the star system some thirty-seven light-years from our own. It includes at least a half dozen planetary bodies and is many times larger and much older than our own star and its system. Arcturian involvement with our system began over three million years ago when a space colony--a galactic space station--was established on Velatropa 24.4, otherwise known as Mars. With its 40,000-year warm cycles, Mars provided the perfect experimental way station. If anything went wrong, at least those on the Arcturus system would not be affected--or so it was thought. Some of those in command of the Martian project had not considered carefully enough the inexorable efficacy of karma, the law of cause and effect. By the time strange events began to transpire on Mars, little did anyone on Mars or Arcturus reckon the strange consequences of forgetting about each other's mutual existence. Thus unfolds the tale of the Arcturian experimental way station, V.24.4, otherwise kno