Hurry, Little Tortoise, Time for School!

by Carrie Finison, Erub Kraan (Illustrator)

Overview

It's the first day of school and Little Tortoise is worried. Can she get there on time?

It's the first day of school and Little Tortoise is ready with a backpack filled with new school supplies. Little Tortoise can't wait to get to school and tries very hard not to be the last student there.

But soon Cheetah, Llama, and even a snail on a scooter, overtake her.
And then when she gets stuck in the gutter of the book, she's sure she'll be the last pupil to arrive! But the timely arrival of Mr. Sloth, her new teacher, changes everything.

Gentle reassuring language full of wordplay, and bold and bright art by an up and coming artist offer students a comforting story about this new experience. Here's a fresh way to encourage reluctant students to be on their way.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593305669
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	07/19/2022
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	238,794
Product dimensions:	10.38(w) x 9.31(h) x 0.43(d)
Lexile:	AD430L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Carrie Finison can’t remember a time when she didn’t love reading picture books, and now she writes them as well. Her favorite themes are friendship, encouragement, and doughnuts! When she’s not writing in her cozy attic office, Carrie loves reading mystery novels, trying new recipes, and hanging out with her husband, son, daughter, and cats.


Erin Kraan is a children’s book illustrator, woodcutter and printmaker. She loves the process of carving her characters into wood and seeing how their quirky and whimsical identities come to through the ink in the prints. Erin usually walked with her siblings to get to school wearing her favorite pair of red sneakers. She made it on time before the bell rang...most days...

Editorial Reviews

2022-05-25
Slow and steady wins the day.

Little Tortoise is thrilled about the first day of school. She’s anxious to be punctual, so she zips along as fast as she can. Might she arrive first? Kids will likely understand right away that tortoises aren’t fast, and the humorous, hyperbolic narration clarifies from the outset that Little Tortoise’s “swiftness” is a product of her own wishful, overexaggerated thinking. Her ambition to be first is dashed quickly when, one by one, various other, genuinely fast animal schoolmates overtake her, leaving her less confident about her place in the school-arrival pecking order. She plods on nevertheless, hoping not to be last. When even Snail outpaces her (albeit on a scooter), Little Tortoise is glum. Then, a very special teacher, who fully empathizes with Little Tortoise’s leisureliness, solves a mutual problem and imparts wisdom. But wait—in a riotous ending, a most unexpected student arrives…late! Children will giggle at this funny story about persistence and trying to do one’s best; they’ll definitely root for Little Tortoise. The humor is amplified by swift pacing, abetted by brisk page turns and snappy, exclamatory sentences. Onomatopoeic words and words occasionally set in large capitals enhance the comedic effect. A plus: Kids may learn a bit about various speedy critters. The colorful illustrations exude liveliness; animal characters are very expressive, especially Little Tortoise, who’s an endearing, self-assured charmer. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Hurry to read this adorable, delightful twist on a very familiar tale. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews

Slow and steady wins the day.
Little Tortoise is thrilled about the first day of school. She’s anxious to be punctual, so she zips along as fast as she can. Might she arrive first? Kids will likely understand right away that tortoises aren’t fast, and the humorous, hyperbolic narration clarifies from the outset that Little Tortoise’s “swiftness” is a product of her own wishful, overexaggerated thinking... Onomatopoeic words and words occasionally set in large capitals enhance the comedic effect. A plus: Kids may learn a bit about various speedy critters. The colorful illustrations exude liveliness; animal characters are very expressive, especially Little Tortoise, who’s an endearing, self-assured charmer. 
Hurry to read this adorable, delightful twist on a very familiar tale. (Picture book. 4-7) Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2022


Every year I select my favorite Back to School picture book title. And this year that honor is going to this marvelous work by Finison and Kraan. I think a fair number of kids will be able to identify with Little Tortoise and her intentions to get to her first day of school on time. Trouble is, she is a tortoise and all, and her initial pep takes a significant hit as more and more animals pass her on the way. But the true joy of the book is the narrative. It’s so enthusiastic with lines like, “She is probably setting a new land speed record for tortoises.” Then you get kooky sounds from other critters, like a llama for some reason saying, “Wock-a-pa, wock-a-pa!” (which strikes me as a bit disco). The surprise reveal of who Little Tortoise’s teacher is makes for a very pleasant capper as well. So the readaloud aspects are great, but then just LOOK at Erin Kraan’s art at work here! Woodcuts illustrated with watercolors? With a gorgeous brown/pink palette? All that and the racing stripes painted on Little Tortoise’s shell make me extra happy. Fuse8 School Library Journal, December 2, 2022

From the Publisher