39 months - A clever tortoise indeed, teaches the brutes of the jungle to get along by teaching them a lesson. ( )

The big idea about this book is about bullying and how it makes others feel around you. For this reason I love this book because in this old folktale it shows what the animals who felt bullied and sad by the hippopotamus and the elephant did. The Clever Tortoise told the animals, “Let’s play a trick on them.” So that is what they did, which lead to “how that quarrel was mended”, which made all the animals happy again. The illustrations in this book were also beautiful and colorful. The pictures were realistic, which makes the book even more engaging. The writing of the plot was also engaging because it continually built suspense while reading the book. The reader didn’t know what to expect when they turned the page, which is the best way to hook in an audience. ( )

Tortoise, a clever little animal, comes up with a plan to trick two big animals, Hippopotamus and Elephant, who bully all the smaller animals. Tortoise arranges a tug-of-war with both, leading each to believe that he will challenge and easily defeat Tortoise himself, but secretly setting them up to tug against each other. In the end, they both tire out and eventually fall over, after which all the smaller animals celebrate into the night. The art is colorful and beautiful and does greatly enhance the African cultural focus. The author lived in East Africa when she was younger and says in her foreword, “making this book…all this time later, the bush came flooding back to me – its different lights and smells, the animals and insects, the colors of the lake water…” Her passion is reflected in her rich illustrations.

Grades K-6; this book was intresting to read. ( )