Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Back to School Tortoise
Illustrator: Merel Eyckerman
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Albert Whitman & Company, 2011 ISBN: 978-0807505106
The summer vacation is over and it is time for Tortoise and the other animal children to go back to school. On the first day of school, Tortoise gets up, he gets dressed, he has breakfast, and he starts to walk to school.
Tortoise doesn’t walk far before he starts imagining all kinds of dreadful things about school. What if the other kids at school are mean to him. What if lunch is horrible. Tortoise imagines so many unpleasant things that he is afraid to walk into the school building, so he sits on the step by the door. Then he starts to imagine what school might be like if everything goes well. What if school is fun, and what if he makes lots of friends. Tortoise is going to have to choose. Should he risk going into school or not?
Many children suffer from back-to-school jitters. They are afraid of the unknown, and at the same time they are hopeful that school will be a fun place. This delightful picture book will help anxious children to see that they are not alone in their fears. Tortoise’s struggles will be familiar, and his courage is inspirational.
