Overview
Turtle is so excited by the book about penguins that his dad reads him at bedtime that he decides he wants to be a penguin. So the next morning, he creates a penguin costume, grabs his book, and heads for the schoolbus. His kindergarten classmates are thrilled. They all want to be penguins too! Turtle shows his book to his teacher, and all day long he and his classmates do as the penguins do—they slide down the slide on their bellies during recess, form a waddling conga line at music time, and snack on goldfish crackers. It's a super-cool penguin day! This delightful picture book from Valeri Gorbachev is a perfect blueprint for teachers (and kids) to plan penguin days of their own.
Editorials
From the Publisher
Starred Review, School Library Journal, August 2008:"This nurturing tale celebrates the inspiration and information found in books."
Children's Literature -
Little turtle is read a bedtime story about penguins by his father. That night he dreams he is a penguin, doing all sorts of penguin-like things. When he wakes up, he dresses like a penguin and goes to school. All of his friends love his idea, and they have a penguin day at school. He comes home and continues his adventures at dinner. That night, his father reads him a bedtime story about monkeys, and he dreams about monkeys. The author leaves the reader guessing about what might happen the next day. This adorable story about the little turtle's adventures shows the reader how exciting it is to use your imagination to make your own fun. The reader learns some facts about penguins while reading this fictional story. The hilarious pictures add to the excitement of the story and give the characters in the story personality. The author gives penguin facts at the end of the story, which would add to any science curriculum about habitats. This story is a must-read for young children, and it may spark ideas in children on ways to be creative. Reviewer: Rachel MillerSchool Library Journal
PreS-Gr 1
This endearing tale traces the activities of a young turtle through a 24-hour period. His father reads a bedtime story about penguins, and Little Turtle takes it all in, the transformation beginning in his dreams. The next morning, he puts his grandfather's black jacket over his head and waddles off to school, book in tow. His friends are delighted. The teacher, who clearly understands the value of a teachable moment, encourages the class of critters to pass balls to each other using just their feet (as penguins do with their eggs) and to slip down the slide on their bellies (again imitating their role models). The fantasy continues through the youngster's evening routines-until his dad opens a volume on monkeys. Cheerful watercolors and expressive line art imbue the matter-of-fact narrative with personality. Gorbachev's compositions range from cameos isolated against expansive white backgrounds to detailed dream sequences bleeding off spreads. This nurturing tale celebrates the inspiration and information found in books, the invention bubbling up from a child who is read to, and the quality of learning that is possible when a teacher seizes the moment. From the cover art mimicking a tuxedo to the penguin facts at the conclusion, the design and content are one.-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library