Emma's Turtle

Caldecott Medal winning author Eve Bunting is a natural born storyteller. Whether or not her birth in Ireland has anything to do with that is immaterial as to date she has penned over 200 books for young readers. Many parents today may well remember having Bunting's books in their libraries as children and eagerly buy them for their own youngsters. Here's one more to enchant young eyes and ears. The author might well have titled this story The Traveling Turtle because this small reptile lives in a pen in Emma's backyard yet he longs to see the world. He's very fond of Emma as she visits him often, rubs his head, and brings him treats. However, the tales she has read to him about faraway places - India, Africa - have whetted his appetite to see for himself. So, one morning he digs a hole under the wire of his pen and begins his journey. He's amazed at what he sees but as turtles move very, very slowly, how far did he go? Marsha Winborn's gentle watercolor illustrations are a perfect companion for this story of a globe trotting pet. - Gail Cooke

Kids ages 4-7 will relish this fun picturebook story of a pet turtle who lives to listen to Emma talk about far-away places, and longs to see them. Trouble begins when he decides to embark on his own exciting journey away from home, only to find that adventure isn't quite as exciting as he'd imagined - and a lot more scary.