Arthur’s Clay Snail

Arthur sees a snail on a leaf outside. Its shell curls round and round. “Can I make one?” he asks Grandma.

Inside, Grandma puts soft clay on a board. Arthur presses it with his palms. It makes a wide, flat shape.

“My snail needs a shell,” he says. He rolls another piece back and forth. The clay grows into a long, thick coil.

Arthur curls the coil. The end breaks off. He stops and looks at it. “It got too thin there,” he says.

Grandma gives him a little more clay. Arthur joins the pieces and rolls gently. This time he keeps the coil thick.

He curls it slowly into a shell. Then he puts it on the flat body. Grandma helps him press the join.

Arthur makes two short feelers. He adds them to the head. “Hello, snail,” he says. Grandma brings a tray for drying.

Arthur sets his snail on the tray. Its shell leans a little. “That is how mine sits,” he says. He likes its curly shape.