Emma's Turtle

PreS-Gr 1-A girl reads about faraway lands to her pet turtle. The turtle then decides to do a bit of exploring, digging a hole to get under the wire of his pen. He makes immediate discoveries, such as, "My legs are short and the grass is long. I think this must be the jungle." He sees a tree stump and thinks it must be an elephant leg in Africa. He mistakes a frog at first for a kangaroo leaping in Australia, and fears that the cat from next door is an Indian tiger. Just when the turtle begins to worry that he might be lost, Emma finds him and takes him home. Children will immediately get the joke that despite the turtle's impressions, he never leaves the yard. The nice twist is that he is not disappointed with his adventure. He reflects, "It is exciting to have the whole world here in my backyard." The whimsical watercolor illustrations match the tone of the story well. The turtle's face shows many emotions as he travels and discovers. The pictures are drawn on scale with the small creature himself, echoing a childlike perspective and interpretation of size in a personal world. Humorous, warm, and ultimately reassuring, this story will be appreciated by individual readers but it's also a good choice for group read-alouds.

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.