A Home for Little Turtle: Little Animal Turtle

ISBN 0895774208 - No one, child or adult, can go wrong with Reader's Digest and A Home For Little Turtle is no exception. RD has a knack that's undeniable. Best of all, perhaps, this is one of a series of books and you (and your child!) will want them all. Little Turtle feels confined by her heavy shell and envies the cat, who can run through the woods, while she is forced to walk slowly. On her travels, she meets many other animals with many different homes and envies them all because she doesn't have a home - or so she thinks. When she and the cat meet up again, after their separate walks through the woods, they head back to the garden. Little Turtle arrives, feeling depressed and sighs aloud. A small snail hears her sighs and asks what is wrong. Hearing Little Turtle's complaint, the snail begs to differ, pointing out that they share something special. They both carry their homes on their backs and therefore always have them along for protection, wherever they go! The last two pages of the book contain real turtle facts, making the book educational as well as entertaining, a bonus for all parents and an extra attraction for homeschooling families. The text, by author Ariane Chottin (and adapter Deborah Kovacs), is easy enough for young readers, and the message of self-acceptance is a great one for everyone. Pascale Wirth's illustrations, many of them full pages, are a bit on the pastel side for me, but still very attractive - and kids aren't going to mind pastel, anyway! If you enjoy this book, be sure to get yourself a copy of Little Bear's New Friend (Little Animal Adventures)and start building your collection. - AnnaLovesBooks

And there is a lesson here too. This delightful Reader's Digest for Kid's book opens with the little turtle meeting a cat. She can't play in the woods with the heavy shell on her back. She wishes it wasn't there as she goes on a slow walk by herself, looking for a home. She meets a fox who lives in burrow and is jealous of her home. She meets a dove who lives in a nest and is jealous of her as well. Likewise she is jealous of the mole who lives underground and the mouse who lives among the wheat stalks, but finally she meets a snail who sets our little turtle straight. She, like the snail, has her home on her back, so she can go wherever she wants and she is always home. So really, the little turtle is better off than all those animals she's been jealous of. Pascale Wirth's illustrations are very good and my son just loves them. We've read this book a lot and we're going to get quite a bit more reading mileage out of it, before we pack it away to save for a grandchild someday.

A small turtle decides she wants a nice home like other animals have. So she goes around interviewing other animals about their homes. The homes of the other animals all sound snug and cozy, but when the turtle goes to try them out herself, she can't because her shell gets in the way. Finally, she meets a snail, who reminds her of the advantages of carrying your home with you wherever you go. The story is quite pleasant and somewhat informative, and not scary. The back cover has some interesting descriptive facts about turtles, for kids who want to learn more. The book has about 320 words.