john stadler

This was the first of two "I Can Read" books I did for Harper. Arnold Lobel''s and Maurice Sendak's titles in this series had always been lodestars to me, so it was compelling and interesting to work in that format. It was a very constrained format, but the constraints, while frustrating in one sense, ended up being very helpful in other ways.

*PARENTING'S READING-MAGIC AWARD, Certificate of Excellence for distinguished achievement in children's literature
*LIBRARY OF CONGRESS: List of Noteworthy Books for Children
*LIBRARY OF VIRGINIA NOTABLE BOOK
*An "I CAN READ BOOK"


"Young Snail delights in being the class messenger and running important errands for his teacher... A genuinely funny read with just the right amount of repitition to make beginning readers feel at home."
*Children's Literature Reviews*

"Beginning readers will delight in the unexpected events... Stadler's brightly colored illustrations stand out against the large white backgrounds and complement the action. A good addition for beginning-to-read collections."
*School Library Journal*

"The simple line drawings washed with delicate pastels have character enough to complement the story's understated humor. Skating a fine line between fantasy and reality, Stadler creates an amusing trio of stories for beginning readers."
*Booklist*

"Kids who are reading on their own are "first-day" veteran's by now, but they'll still get a kick out of "The Adventures of Snail at School" by John Stadler."
*Newsday*