BOB THE VAMPIRE SNAIL

An existence of pleasingly dull normality is upended when a gastropod becomes a creature of the night.

Bob lives an uneventful snail life until one evening, after a series of sounds—a scream, three stomps, a crack, a drip, and a “POOF!”—he finds himself utterly changed. Bob is now a vampire! He’s also an outcast among the other snails (“He seems so complicated”), and he must figure out all the things a vampire can and cannot do. When he finally realizes that sucking tomatoes dry is his wont (a nod to James and Deborah Howe’s Bunnicula, perhaps?) and that he can fly and hypnotize rats into getting him more food, he perks up. Still, he doesn’t really have a friend. Will he ever find one? Zuill’s natural propensity for hilarity shines strong and true, particularly in the artwork—a blend of realism and cartoonish fun. Adding to the visual jokes and snappy text, a small bug offers context on vampires for young readers, the occasional snail fact, and some zippy commentary (“I’m not sure it’s good for anyone to try to eat a bear unless you’re a professional”). Dedicated to “all those kids who, like me, prefer their books a little bit spooky,” it may fill that need, but it will find its true calling in those autumnal storytimes in need of something both funny and surprisingly touching.

A marvelous method for encouraging even the smallest weirdos to find their people.