Great book at teaching inclusivity in a light hearted way. I really think it's good for young kids or early elementary aged kids. Illustrations are ok, not as colorful as I like to see in Childrens books.

I requested an ARC of this book to read with my five year old daughter. I had a couple of issues with this book. Firstly I found some of the language used far too advanced for it's intended audience and secondly the artwork on every other page was the exact same picture of flowers with nothing going on. Unsurprisingly my daughter enjoyed this book more than I did and rated it four stars however as a parent who has read a wide variety of these type of books with my daughter I found this one lacking in comparison to it's contemporaries.

A day in the life of a cute-ish snail, witnessing some of the wonders of the greater world, meeting a new friend and having the mildest of mild peril. The story is told in rhymed couplets delivered below the artwork – or it would be if it could always stick to the rhyme, and the line length and rhythm is really awkwardly manhandled. With this not even being the best snail-based book for the same audience so far this year, I really cannot see it at all as being an essential purchase.

This is a nice book written in a style that is easy for young readers to understand. The story is cute, but not very interesting, and I don't imagine it will make much of an impact on readers.

A charming and engaging children's book that teaches important lessons about friendship and acceptance. The story is well-crafted, with relatable characters and exciting adventures that will keep young readers engaged from beginning to end. The illustrations are beautiful and bring the story to life, helping to capture the imagination of children. This is a wonderful book to share with children who love animals and the outdoors.

Ishmail the Snail is a delightful children's book that teaches young readers about the power of friendship and the importance of looking beyond appearances. Ishmail is a curious snail who sets out to explore the garden, meeting a variety of creatures along the way. Through his adventures, children will learn that even the most unlikely friendships can form and that it's important to be open-minded and kind to others. The story is full of excitement and adventure, with Ishmail braving strong weather storms and encountering creepy eight-legged crawlers.

Ishmail the Snail, the title of the book caught my eye! What a clever name for a snail. It's easy for people to remember after finishing the book. Paige Mustafa did a wonderful job of illustrating the pictures! The dedication was so sweet (mom & dad). Randy, with the dandy house, is also a clever name to remember. The mention of a brown recluse spider scared me, because they are very poisonous, so maybe just the mention of a "spider" is all that was needed. That's only my personal opinion. Overall, this is a simple, clever story that any child would enjoy reading. Thank you to Barnes and Noble Press and NetGalley for this ARC. I volunteered to give my honest review. Four out of five stars for me.

The formatting on this book was a bit off- I read it as an ebook ARC via NetGalley, and felt like I was missing something with the photos and there were some text formatting mistakes, too. I'm guessing data got munched in the conversion to Kindle, but it's something to be aware of. The images were of flowers, an empty can, some sort of dark shimmery blob, and I couldn't really tell how they went along with the story. There were no images that I could see of the creatures Ishmail met in the garden.
This was a cute story of Ishmail the snail, out in a garden before a rainstorm, and the other friendly creatures he meets. The rhymes were slightly clunky at times, but nothing too awkward, and I liked how happy and friendly Ishmail the Snail was, no matter what befell him.
Overall a very cute and sweet story.