his summer sees the launch of a unique partnership between the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), Natural England and Macmillan Children’s Books, celebrating 15 years of The Snail and the Whale, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s classic tale of adventure and friendship.
First published in 2003, The Snail and the Whale tells the story of a tiny snail who hitches a lift around the world on the tail of “a great big, grey-blue humpback whale”.
Together they go on an amazing journey, past icebergs and volcanoes, sharks and penguins. The little snail feels so small in the vastness of the world but when disaster strikes and the whale is beached in a bay, it’s the tiny snail’s big plan that saves the day.
Macmillan Children’s Books, MMO and Natural England want to encourage families to go on their own big adventures this summer, exploring The England Coast Path. While visitors might not see icebergs, sharks and penguins, with the help of their ‘The Snail and the Whale Coastal Adventure’ booklet they will have all the tools and information they need to explore their coast – from matching animals to their coastal homes and learning fun marine animal facts to advice about keeping our coasts free from marine litter.
The booklet is available to download now from the MMO website and also at special events celebrating The Snail and the Whale and this fantastic partnership throughout 2018.
Julia Donaldson said:
“I am delighted that fifteen years after Axel and I created The Snail and the Whale our story continues to encourage young readers to get out and engage with nature and the world around them. I hope that children exploring the England Coast Path can gaze “at the sky, the sea, the land, the waves and the caves and the golden sand” and be just as amazed as the snail.”
