Prince of Peace Catholic School’s (POP) second and third grade classes were thrilled to have children’s author Barbara Barcellona Smith of Enterprise, AL visit and read aloud her new book Let’s Eat Snails! The book, according to Smith, “is a culinary adventure and a metaphor for life. It’s about trying things in life you are scared to try and then try and find you love!” In the story, a young Smith brings a school friend home for dinner and snails are on the menu. It’s a fun and engaging story about understanding the culinary traditions of other cultures and the importance of being open-minded. Our students loved hearing the story with its descriptive language and colorful illustrations in the school library.

POP students were excited to share their heritages, experiences with foods from other countries, as well as their knowledge of foreign language phrases with Smith in a question-and-answer session.

The students also enjoyed a mini course on how to write a book. The author’s childhood provided her with a lifetime supply of stories as she grew up in a family that prepared ethnic foods and kept their cultural traditions. She encouraged the students to embrace the differences in their friends and families because that is what makes everyone unique.