The Snakes Race

“The Snakes is many things—a parable and an ancient drama where a father’s greed devours his children, a police procedural, an avid take on tabloid venality, and a bitter comedy, superbly observed, where behind a woman’s eyes she is ‘all movement inside herself, like a wasp in a glass.’ I admit that I’m still shaken by parts of this novel. Sadie Jones writes with pitiless aplomb and corrosive intelligence.”—Louise Erdrich A chilling page-turner and impossible to put down, THE SNAKES is Sadie Jones at her best: breathtakingly powerful, brilliantly incisive, and utterly devastating. The new novel by Sadie Jones tells the tense and violent story of the Adamsons, a dysfunctional English family, with exceptional wealth, whose darkest secrets come back to bite them. Set mostly in rural France during contemporary times, THE SNAKES is an all-consuming read and a devastating portrait of how money corrupts, and how chance can deal a deadly hand. THE SNAKES exposes the damage wreaked by parents on children as observed by a new member of the family, Dan, a mixed-race man from Peckham who marries Bea, the daughter who refuses to take any of her father’s filthy money. But when Bea’s brother Alex (who runs a shabby hotel in Paligny, France) dies suddenly in unexplained circumstances, the confusion and suspicion which arise bring other dark family secrets—and violence—to the surface. And none of the family, even the good members, go untouched.

Snake slithers, and lizard leaps. Turtle swims, and alligator crawls. They will all be winners in this reptile race if they make it home in time for dinner. Discover the characteristics of turtles, snakes, and other reptiles in this fun song paired with beautiful illustrations. This hardcover book comes with CD and online music access.

Related in rhyme how Jake the snake manages to win a race.

Many people have a great fear of snakes. This fear affects their peace of mind, their enjoyment of a holiday in the country, and even their pleasure in their own suburban gardens. It leads to the senseless destruction of one of our valuable natural resources. The morbid fear of snakes can only be dispelled by learning the true facts about these fascinating creatures. This book is addressed to anyone who wishes to learn about the natural history of snakes, or to identify those found in Ontario, but the author speaks particularly to young people, who, unless they have been prejudiced, have a natural interest in all living things. In an easy, conversational manner, the author gives a general account of snakes--what they are, how they travel, their instinct and intelligence, how they feed, their reproduction, hiberation, shedding of the skin, defences usefulness--and discusses popular beliefs and fear of snakes. The separate species are fully described in a simple, non-technical and readable style. The author is also an artist, and the book is illustrated with his own wash drawings and line sketches. There are two beautiful colour plates. Distribution maps show the range of species. For those wishing to pursue the study of snakes more fully, an appendix provides a list of snakes with scientific names, a key for the identification of the snakes, directions for determining their sex, directions for collection and preserving, directions for determining their sex, directions for keeping snakes as pets, diagrams giving anatomical names of parts of snakes, a glossary, and a concise and up-to-date outline of rattlesnake bite and first aid treatment.