Back to School Tortoise

PreS-Gr 1—Summer ends, and Tortoise must go back to school. Wearing a red cap and a purple scarf, his apple and notebook securely in his backpack, he sets off through the woods. As he walks, he worries about tripping and falling, about a lunch he might not like, and about kids who might be mean to him. When he arrives, he sits down on the steps, unable to go inside. Then his face brightens as he imagines eating his favorite lunch and making new friends. Taking a deep breath, he opens the door and bravely greets the other animals, who shout back "Good morning, Mr. Tortoise." While back-to-school jitters are certainly not limited to children, the problem here is that Tortoise is much the same size as Rabbit, Bird, Cat, Frog, and Pig, and nothing about his appearance suggests that he is an adult. The cartoon illustrations are done in pastels and enlarge the brief text. Tortoise's sweet face is expressive, and his worries are the same that many children feel on that first day. Still, a more reassuring story for the faint of heart might be Kevin Henkes's Wemberly Worried (Greenwillow, 2000).—Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN