Synopsis
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. Turtle thinks he’d like to be a penguin every day. But, that night, his dad has a new book to read—and this one is all about monkeys!
This delightful picture book from Valeri Gorbachev celebrates both the power of books, and the joys of imaginative play in all its dress-up-box glory. And, with the extra penguin facts at the end of the book, this is a perfect blueprint for teachers planning penguin days of their own.
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 Miller