cover image Back to School Tortoise

Back to School Tortoise

Lucy M. George, illus. by Merel Eyckerman. Albert Whitman, $15.99 (24p) ISBN 978-0-8075-0510-6

In a story that shows that back-to-school anxieties aren't just child's play, Tortoise quietly contemplates what could go wrong at school. "What if he tripped while getting lunch, and all the kids were mean to him?" Each scenario features gentle-looking animals, while the use of white space emphasizes Tortoise's feelings of isolation as he sits outside school, shoulders hunched. But Tortoise's thoughts soon turn to the positive: "What if... it was fun? Or lunch was his favorite? Or he made lots of new friends?" Readers approaching school with trepidation will be doubly reassured by the clever and tender twist at the end. Ages 4%E2%80%937. (July)