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A bunny named Celerina finds a lovely empty house and moves into it. Little does she know that Gluey the snail already lives there! Gluey is so small and soft-spoken that Celerina neither sees nor hears him. Indeed, when she does finally come across him, she flicks him into the field behind the house, slightly damaging Gluey’s shell in the process.
When Celerina accidentally breaks a vase one day, Gluey, a carpenter snail who loves to fix things, puts it back together. Celerina sees the fixed vase and becomes convinced that the house must be magical. She throws a party for all her skeptical friends to demonstrate the magical properties of the house.
Celerina and her friends proceed to destroy Gluey’s house during the party. For kids aghast at Celerina’s cruel and callous treatment of Gluey and his house, the story provides a redeeming end in the new friendship that finally develops between Celerina and Gluey.
Walsh and Siebold’s illustrations are charming and the storyline whimsical. Young readers (and old ones) may not be able to identify with Gluey’s willingness to share his home with a stranger, especially one who treats him so callously, but will appreciate Gluey: A Snail Tale’s happy ending.
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Gluey: A Snail Tale