Children's book cover titled 'Sorry, Snail' by Tracy Subisak. The illustration features a young girl with dark hair holding a blue snail with a brown body in her hand, looking at it closely.

Written & Illustrated by Tracy Subisak

Sorry, Snail

This zany, charming story shows that sometimes we get mad and helps teach the importance of a real apology!

The Cooperative Children’s Book Center Best Picture Book of 2023

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About this book

"Look at that slimy body.
That silly shell.
Those tentacle eyes!
I just can’t look at you anymore, snail."

Ari is feeling angry. When she takes that anger out on an innocent snail, the snail demands an apology! Which Ari gives, half-heartedly. And that's that. Until Ms. Snail and her friends appear in every corner of Ari’s life, determined to elicit the most genuine apology from an increasingly regretful girl.

The details

RELEASE DATE: May 16, 2023

AGES: 3–6

PAGES: 32

FORMAT: Hardcover

PUBLISHER: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

ISBN-13: 9780316537728

Look Inside

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Close-up of a white, wavy line pattern on a black background.
Close-up of a white, wavy line pattern on a black background.

Praise

  • "Shots of electric orange and deep purple, bold ink lines, and big speech balloons help deliver the message that angry words cause real and lasting harm—even when the insulter hasn’t intended it—and that half-hearted apologies and defensiveness compound the problem."

    — Publishers Weekly

  • "Exaggerated perspectives and proportions, as well as enlarged type, effectively invoke both humor and hyperbole. Subisak’s vivid palette of deep blues, greens, and oranges draws readers into both Ari’s and Ms. Snail’s dynamic emotional journeys."

    — Kirkus Reviews

Multiple beige-colored twisted cords or ropes on a dark background.
Multiple beige-colored twisted cords or ropes on a dark background.

Resources For Educators & Readers

A black and white instructional diagram for creating a shadow puppet snail, with labeled steps and illustrations.

Snail Shadow Puppet Craft

Use this printable activity to create your own snail shadow puppet for storytime or imaginative play.

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A humorous and playful worksheet titled "Snails Say Sorry" with fill-in-the-blank sentences to be read aloud, featuring illustrations of snails and space for writing responses.

Snails Say Sorry Worksheet

Practice giving a thoughtful apology with this fill-in-the-blank worksheet inspired by Sorry, Snail.

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Line drawing of a snail shell with text reading 'Color Ms. Snail' and 'Color Ms. Snail and her shell!'

Color Ms. Snail

Add your own colorful touch to Ms. Snail and her shell with this printable coloring sheet.

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Black and white coloring sheet featuring three snails with large shells and smiling faces, accompanied by text about snails and a prompt to write what they think snails can say.

Snail Pals Coloring Sheet

Color Ms. Snail’s friends and imagine what they might say to show their support.

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Tracy Subisak smiling and holding books and papers with a sign that reads "Jenny Mei Is Sad." She is standing outdoors on a grassy area with trees and a bridge in the background, under an overcast sky.

About Tracy

Tracy Subisak is the mixed-Taiwanese American author and illustrator of Sorry, Snail and award-winning Jenny Mei Is Sad. She has also illustrated many picture books including The Inactivity Book, written by Kyo Maclear and Amah Faraway, written by Margaret Chiu Greanias. Her books have been featured in publications such as the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and PBS Books. Tracy currently resides in Portland, Oregon with her family and copious amounts of plants.

MORE ABOUT TRACY