“The End of the Beginning: Being the Adventures of a Small Snail (and an Even Smaller Ant)” by Avi is a children’s book that captures a journey of a small snail named Avon and even smaller ant named Edward that are on the lookout for the “end of the beginning”. The journey is filled with detours that highlight valuable life lessons and feel-good moments of friendship, fun and curiosity.

 

My favourite part of the book is when Avon noticed their environment looked almost the same as where they started, even though they’re more than halfway through their journey and Edward the ant responds with, “It all depends on you. If you want it to be different, it will be different. Don’t look at the world with your eyes but with your heart.” This instantly sparked the life lesson of cherishing the journey rather than strictly focusing on the destination. When making a connection to my own experience, having already retired from my first career, I am grateful for the attention I had given to my daily encounters through achieving my goals and cherish the moments along the way just the same (if not, more) as my achieved goals.

 

I recommend this book to anyone who appreciates the will to persevere, the importance of friendship, and the joy of adventure. After finishing this book, I was filled with reminders on the little life lessons I had forgotten and the positive effects of noticing the beauty in every day.