Slow Moe

by Deborah Kerbel, Marianne Ferrer (Illustrator)

Overview

Life moves oh-so-slow when your little brother is a snail. It takes forever to do anything! Really, it’s enough to test the patience of even the most understanding big sister. But is Moe just slow or is there something else going on? With charming illustrations by Marianne Ferrer, award-winning author Deborah Kerbel has written a delightful story about love, support and the struggle for tolerance within the often tumultuous sibling relationship.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459823525
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	10/13/2020
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.32(d)
Lexile:	AD550L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Deborah Kerbel is the critically acclaimed, award-winning author of several books for young people of all ages. Her books include Under the Moon which was shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award and Sun Dog (Pajama Press) which won the 2019 IODE Ontario Jean Throop Book Award and the Forest of Reading Blue Spruce Award. Deborah was born in London, England, and raised in Toronto where she now lives with her family.

Marianne Ferrer was born in Venezuela and immigrated to Canada in 1998. After attending Dawson College in Montreal, Quebec, for illustration and design, she completed her education in graphic design at the Université du Québec à Montréal. Marianne has illustrated many books including Toucania (Monsier Ed), Mel and Mo's Marvelous Balancing Act (Annick Press) and The Invisible Garden (Orca). Her style is characterized by its charm, delicacy and depth. Marianne lives in Montreal.

Editorial Reviews

Both validates the individuality of difference and the role of others in appreciating this difference and in practicing empathy. Highly Recommended.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

This book is a great book for anyone who has a sibling or has to deal with a different personality. It would be a fun tale to have in an elementary school or home library.

Must Read Literature

2020-06-16
A sweet harangue against the failings of little siblings everywhere.

They are too slow; they are too messy; they take away too much attention from everyone, especially parents. As the protagonist lists little brother Moe’s failings, he appears as a giant snail placidly spooning Cheerios one by one into his mouth and leaving an impressive trail of slime and discarded items in his wake. However, when adults are not around, younger siblings can be fun. It is when the protagonist is alone with Moe that his joyful, exuberant, human-self emerges. Kid Moe runs fast, and his favorite game is tag. He also plays basketball and hopscotch, jumps rope, and climbs the monkey bars. The book is filled with wonderful details: Mom’s raised eyebrows, Dad’s striped socks and no shoes, and the protagonist’s fiercely crossed arms. Slow Moe the snail takes up at least a quarter of the couch, and the stairway carpet drips through the railings (or is that more slime?). Lent Roland, the French edition, publishes simultaneously, and Rachel Martinez’s translation offers some delights absent from the original, such as the title character’s contrast with his 11th-century literary forebear. In either language, the title character reminds readers that we are different people depending upon whom we are with and that familial relationships are complex and simple at the same time.Characters appear to be white.

Young readers will love the moment when Moe turns from snail to human child. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews

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