The Snail and the King Book Review

Review of the book The Snail and the King by Fr. Peregrine Fletcher, O. PRAEM.

The Snail and the King Book Review

Review of the Book The Snail and the King by Fr. Peregrine Fletcher, O. PRAEM.

I have the joy of sharing with you the book The Snail and the King by Fr. Peregrine Fletcher, O. PRAEM. The Snail and the King follows the travels of a little, persistent snail in his travels to the king. (If you are wondering, O. PRAEM. means that Fr. Peregrine is a Norbertine priest.)

Who is the snail?

The snail is one of the creatures whom the King’s son invites, to “come and live in our home where you will be safe and sound.” It would take three days of travel to get to the ship that will then take the animals to the King.

As various animals decide to go, the little snail asks to travel with them. He knows the King would want him to be there, too. However, the other animals scoff at the snail and refuse to let him come along. Undeterred, the snail sets off by himself.

What is the story about?

The story reminds me a bit of the tale of the tortoise and the hare. The little snail sets off despite opposition from the other animals and the obstacles he finds along his way. He does not give up or let the negativity of others dissuade him from his goal. He persists, passing some of the animals along the route that decide to take a break or even quit altogether.

The tale also reminds me of the parable of the seed falling on a path or on different kinds of soil. The snail meets various creatures on his way that started out as he did, full of determination, but then failed to follow through and quit somewhere along the way. You can read this parable in Matthew 13: 1-9, 18-23.

What happened to the snail?

Through trials and difficulties, the Holy Spirit helps the snail traverse both the barren and dangerous landscapes on his way to the ship. Initially, He watches over the snail, but then helps him when the snail meets with any obstacles he cannot conquer by himself.

At first, the snail does not know the Holy Spirit is watching out for him. Later, he realizes that the Holy Spirit has been with him the entire time.

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How strong is the snail’s faith?

The snail’s faith is undeterred. No matter what he encountered or what negativity he dealt with from others, he stood fast to what he believed and he did not give up.

In the Bible, we read St. Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 4: 7, “I have fought the good fight. I have completed the course. I have preserved the faith.” This verse explains very well the snail’s fortitude. He persevered in faith and fought hard to accomplish his task. He had the help of the Holy Spirit to be successful.

We can learn from the story of the little snail to persevere in faith and know that God will help us. God wants us to accomplish the course of life and then to be with Him in Heaven. He will do what He can to help us to succeed. Like the snail, we need to do our part in persevering and relying on God’s help.

The Snail and the King is a great book for all ages.

Though an illustrated book written at a level for kids, Fr. Peregrine Fletcher, O. PRAEM.’s The Snail and the King contains lessons for everyone to learn and take to heart. May each of us at the end of our lives be able to say, like St. Paul, “I have fought the good fight. I have completed the course. I have preserved the faith.”

You can find The Snail and the King by Fr. Peregrine Fletcher, O. PRAEM at:

Joannes Press: The Snail and the King

Amazon: The Snail and the King