As the Lunar New Year a few weeks ago ushered in the Year of the Snake, I thought it would be the perfect time to introduce some cute and funny snake characters to you. It is easy to find the scary snake character, but as one of my nieces would love to tell you, snakes can be cool and cute too. (I may not always share her opinion, but I know others do. So this post is for her and her fellow snake enthusiasts.) To see my full review of each book including any content notes/trigger warnings, click on the title.
Cat’s Café (Cat’s Café, #1) by Matt Tarpley
In a nutshell: Cute comics about mental health and supportive friendship.
More info: A collection of comics about Cat who runs a café, provides for the caffeine needs of others, but more importantly provides a safe place where everyone can be real, get emotional support, and connect with others.
Extra thoughts: As you can see in the middle of the cover, one of the regulars at the café is a cute snake.
Target readers: Animal Lovers, Comic Fans, Feel Good Story Fans, Cute Art Fans, Friendship Story Fans, Mental Health Story Fans, Middle Grade/Young Adult/Adult Readers
Crictor by Tomi Ungerer
In a nutshell: An unusual gift of a pet proves to be just what an elderly woman needs.
More info: When Madame Bodot receives a rather unusual gift from her explorer son...a rather large snake to be her pet. She is wary at first, but when thieves break in, Crictor proves his worth and devotion.
Extra thoughts: I may not love snakes, but it is hard not to love and cheer for Crictor. He may be approaching 70 now, but he’s still enchanting readers and has aged very well.
Target readers: Pet Story Fans, Surprising Hero Story Fans, Boa Constrictor Fans, Animal Story Fans, Humorous & Exciting Story Fans, Modern Classic Fans, Historical Fiction Fans, Picture Book Readers
Don’t Take Your Snake for a Stroll by Karin Ireland, ill. by David Catrow
In a nutshell: A humorous picture book about why you shouldn't take your various pets on outings with you.
More info: There are certain pets you shouldn’t take on outings. For example, your skunk might stink up the airplane or the waiter at the restaurant may think your frogs escaped from the chef. And you snake, well, you’ll just have to read to find out.
Extra thoughts: The imaginative situations plus the way the illustrator depicted them makes this a cute and funny read.
Target readers: Humor Fans, Animal Lovers, Imaginative Story Fans, Picture Book Readers
How to Promenade with a Python (And Not Get Eaten) (Polite Predators, #1) by Rachel Poliquin, ill. by Kathryn Durst
In a nutshell: An advisor suggests ways to avoid being eaten by an overly friendly python and dispenses a wealth of python facts in the process.
More info: Celeste the cockroach is here to help a young man who has been invited to go on a moonlight promenade with a python. Celeste knows all about pythons, and has loads of ideas about how to avoid getting eaten by them. But will her ideas work?
Extra thoughts: A goofy book with a hilarious premise (and hilarious illustrations) that ends up being sneakily super educational too. You learn so much about pythons without even realizing it.
Target readers: Humor Fans, Silly Story Fans, Random Fact Sponges, Python Studiers, Animal Lovers, Educational Fiction Fans, Science Nerds, Lower Grade Readers
