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The Curious Little Snail

Exploring the world one slime trail at a time. 

The Curious Little snail explores the magical world of snails and fosters curiosity for our natural world.

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Serena’s Secret #1

3/19/2016

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This week was an awfully big week for Ashley. She started a new job! Exhausted from a week of Spring Break camp at the Gardens on Spring Creek, she asked if I would write the blog this week! I said, ‘Of course!” Sorry it is a day late. I work at a snail's pace.
 
If you have been lucky enough to see a sneak peak of our upcoming book you know that snails are the keepers of the secrets to the universe. We move so slowly we notice things that everyone else misses as they rush about as they do. Since you have taken the time to slow down and follow our blog I wanted to share some of my secrets with you.
 
This week I spent some time with Ashley as she was working with 25 wonderful campers. Most of the time the students were eager, excited to learn and full of joy. Sometimes, they were lost in their dreams, disruptive or uninterested in what the teachers asked them to do. Then, every once in a while, a student would dissolve into tears of frustration, loss, insecurity or pain. While watching each unique young spirit deal with the day’s circumstances in different ways, I realized that children have many different emotions that do not always make sense to adults. However, these emotions and behaviors did not define the child. There was no ‘bad’ child in the room. In actuality, each child and adult had both smooth and rocky moments. The beauty was in how everyone dealt with the emotions. It was inspiring see teachers and children reach out to those who were struggling and offer love. In those moments one spirit recognized and honored the experience of another spirit and from it grew only good things.
 
So I think that there are no bad people, just difficult behaviors and the first step to understanding why someone is struggling is to love them, even if it is from afar. Our worth is not defined by our behavior. 

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​The big Pacific North West reveal.

3/9/2016

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Phew, traveling with snails is hard work! Imagine trying to explain to TSA that Serena cannot remove her shell before entering the metal detector.  After clearing that up, we finally made it to Seattle and ferried over to Bainbridge Island to share her story with the IslandWood alumni community.  She was a HUGE hit with all her two legged friends!  One lucky guest took own their very own copy and will be reading it in a Seattle preschool this month. Also, as we creeped through the forest, we looked for some of Serena's wild snail friends but had to settle for chatting with her close and distant cousins instead!
 
All the hidden forest snails around Mac’s Pond and IslandWood alumni listened to Serena’s story as it was read out loud for the first time in front of an audience. Afterwards, we all slowed down and observed our beautiful surroundings by capturing our ideas on watercolor postcards. 
 
The world seems very eager to have their very own copy of The Curious Little Snail! Serena and I are very excited and humbled by all the attention. We are thrilled to let you know that you will not have to wait much longer! We are putting on the finishing touches and plan to release the story to the world around the end of the month. Stay tuned for dates, ordering information and a release party! 

Want to be the first to hear about all the news? Send us you email address on the right side of the page and we will add you to the VIP list. 
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    Author & Illustrator

    Ashley M. Young

    Bringing her passion for animal conservation and science, Ashley's stories strive to be powerful teaching tools for the parent or teacher. Her characters are often unexpected animals drawn from her experiences as a zoo keeper and environmental educator.

    Learn more about her work in art and education here.

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