Marylou loves everything about Herbie—how his slime trail glistens in
the dark, how he can stretch himself thin to squeeze inside the cellar
window, and how he always finds the juiciest tomatoes. But Marylou is a
shy slug. How can she get Herbie to notice her? Find out how Marylou
woos her beloved in this must-have love story that’s perfect for
Valentine’s Day.
With its irresistible illustrations and comical plot, this story of two
slime-crossed lovers is bound to delight sweethearts young and old.
"Marylou loved everything about Herbie—how his slime trail glistened in
the dark, how he could stretch himself thin to squeeze inside the cellar
window...." Herbie keeps finding Marylou's poems, etched in slug slime
and full of devotion, but Marylou keeps missing the longing letters he
writes in return. While she watches his every move, he can't find anyone
who knows where she is so he can meet her.
Herbie finally decides to
leave a note where Marylou just can't miss it ("All slugs like
tomatoes!" he thinks). When Marylou realizes at last that her affections
are returned, Pearson doesn't stint on the happiness that ensues—"What
joy! What gladness!" Both the book's title and the heart that encloses
the happy pair on the jacket seem to be defined in shiny red slug slime.
O'Malley makes the most of the diverse poems—they appear on a
watermelon, a garden hoe, a scarecrow's hat—and he endows the community
of slugs with a variety of expressions both whimsical and witty.