Carrie Finison can't remember a time when she didn't love reading
picture books, and now she writes them as well. Her favorite themes
are friendship, encouragement, and doughnuts! When she's not
writing in her cozy attic office, Carrie loves reading mystery
novels, trying new recipes, and hanging out with her husband, son,
daughter, and cats.
Erin Kraan is a children's book illustrator, woodcutter and
printmaker. She loves the process of carving her characters into
wood and seeing how their quirky and whimsical identities come to
through the ink in the prints. Erin usually walked with her
siblings to get to school wearing her favorite pair of red
sneakers. She made it on time before the bell rang...most days...
Slow and steady wins the day.
Little Tortoise is thrilled about the first day of school. She’s
anxious to be punctual, so she zips along as fast as she can. Might
she arrive first? Kids will likely understand right away that
tortoises aren’t fast, and the humorous, hyperbolic narration
clarifies from the outset that Little Tortoise’s “swiftness” is a
product of her own wishful, overexaggerated
thinking... Onomatopoeic words and words occasionally set in
large capitals enhance the comedic effect. A plus: Kids may learn a
bit about various speedy critters. The colorful illustrations exude
liveliness; animal characters are very expressive, especially
Little Tortoise, who’s an endearing, self-assured
charmer.
Hurry to read this adorable, delightful twist on a very familiar
tale. (Picture book. 4-7) Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2022
Every year I select my favorite Back to School picture book title.
And this year that honor is going to this marvelous work by Finison
and Kraan. I think a fair number of kids will be able to identify
with Little Tortoise and her intentions to get to her first day of
school on time. Trouble is, she is a tortoise and all, and her
initial pep takes a significant hit as more and more animals pass
her on the way. But the true joy of the book is the narrative. It’s
so enthusiastic with lines like, “She is probably setting a new
land speed record for tortoises.” Then you get kooky sounds from
other critters, like a llama for some reason saying, “Wock-a-pa,
wock-a-pa!” (which strikes me as a bit disco). The surprise reveal
of who Little Tortoise’s teacher is makes for a very pleasant
capper as well. So the readaloud aspects are great, but then just
LOOK at Erin Kraan’s art at work here! Woodcuts illustrated with
watercolors? With a gorgeous brown/pink palette? All that and the
racing stripes painted on Little Tortoise’s shell make me extra
happy. Fuse8 School Library Journal, December 2, 2022
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