ALA Booklist (Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2009)

Seymour Snail hopes to be a great artist someday, but he feels shy about showing his work. He is thrilled to get a job in an art gallery, but he is bullied by his new boss, Mr. Stink Bug. At last, though, Seymour's slimy glitter art is recognized by Mr. Stink Bug's client, Lady CocoLaRoche, and the snail becomes a star. Some of the humor in this early chapter book, illustrated with lively cartoon drawings, may be more for adults who know the pretension of the "creative" world and the meaning of escargot. But young grade-schoolers will enjoy all the talk about slime and goo, as well as the puns about a friendly spider, who is working on something big the World Wide Web. Children will also cheer for small Seymour, who oozes along at a snail's pace but triumphs in the end.

Horn Book (Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Seymour Snail hopes to become a great artist. Though he's shy about his aspiration, his friends' encouragement gives Seymour the confidence to pursue his art. He takes an entry-level job at a fancy gallery, and soon the artist in him begins to bloom. This upbeat story, illustrated with attentive black-and-white drawings, encourages young readers to follow their dreams.

Kirkus Reviews

Budding artist Seymour the Snail gains experience by working at a local gallery. Employed by the demanding Mr. Stink Bug, shy Seymour struggles with mundane tasks and hears rumors that there is an inspiring artist in town. When the artist's identity is revealed, Seymour's world changes dramatically. The brief chapters assist readers transitioning from beginning fiction to longer selections. Detailed, shaded drawings fill each page and provide emotional depth. Seymour Snail is an endearing artist; with his tilted beret and paintbrush in mouth, he paints with passion. Cushman's anthropomorphized bugs from the art gallery are a hoot; their sunglasses, beaded necklaces and high heels portray their fast-paced lifestyle. Creative wordplay abounds: Slow Seymour works as the Speedy Art Gallery, and jokes often serve the older reader. The spider with the business card shares, "I'm onto something big. It's called the World Wide Web." Engaging characters and winning art create a solid addition to the field of transitional literature. (Fantasy. 5-8)

School Library Journal (Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Gr 1-3 Shy Seymour is a closet artist, specializing in puddle paintings, leaf prints, and mud sculptures. After his friends discover his talents, they encourage him to make a career of his art. A few phone calls later, Seymour lands a job at the Speedy Arts Gallery. "I'd better get going," he says. "I start tomorrow. And it's a whole block away!" But Seymour finds his duties disappointing: sealing envelopes and delivering packages are not what he had in mind, and his new boss, Mr. Stink Bug, seems impossible to please. Even worse, Seymour is working so hard that he can't find time to look at the work created by a mysterious new artist. With only a few sentences and at least one illustration per page, this title is perfect for students transitioning to chapter books. Some of the story's humor seems aimed more at adults than kids (a spider tells Seymour he's onto something bigthe World Wide Weband an earwig tells him, "the job market is sluggish"). However, Cushman's black-and-white cartoons delineate the characters and add humor and perspective. Readers will enjoy seeing how Seymour uses the phone and understand why a flight of stairs is such an obstacle for him. Suggest this for readers not quite ready for Katie Speck's Maybelle in the Soup (Holt, 2007). Jackie Partch, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR