EMMA’S TURTLE

Emma’s prized pet discovers a whole world in the backyard. Turtle, who narrates his own story, lives in a backyard pen where Emma gives him healthy snacks and reads adventure books aloud while rocking back and forth in her rope swing. Her stories fill the turtle with dreams and wanderlust, and he digs a hole under his pen and escapes, determined to see the world. He mistakes the tall grass for a jungle and the neighbor’s striped cat for a tiger. Emma is relieved to find him, still in the backyard, and gives him a juicy snail and some strawberry slices. Snug in an overturned clay pot, the turtle reflects on his exciting journey and contemplates a new one tomorrow. Winborn’s warm watercolors make simple scenes look fascinating and even dangerous, and she gives the turtle an impressive range of expressions. Young readers should relate to an odyssey close to home. (Picture book. 3-6)