Turtle in a Tree

by Neesha Hudson

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

In her author-illustrator debut, Neesha Hudson treats us with Turtle in a Tree. With hints of a mash up between Jory John, Jon Klassen and Liz Climo, this tale is an easy story time favorite that’s re-readable and engaging.

A spare and laugh-out-loud-funny picture book about seeing only half the full picture . . . and admitting when you're not quite all the way right.

A greyhound swears there's a turtle in the tree. A bulldog says it's a squirrel. After all, a turtle in a tree? Who's ever heard of such a thing? But their argument leads to a most surprising discovery . . . that maybe neither one of them is all the way wrong, or all the way right, and friendship is all about listening to someone else's perspective.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593323311
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	06/08/2021
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 1.40(d)
Lexile:	AD330L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Neesha Hudson is a freelance author-illustrator living on the coast of Maine. She is delighted to spend most of her days drawing funny little characters and sipping black tea. She is the illustrator of Walk Your Dog (Putnam 2018), but this is her author-illustrator debut. When not illustrating, Neesha enjoys spending time with her husband, their two children, two dogs, and four chickens.

Editorial Reviews

"A funny and insightful look at perspective-taking . . . The soft art—with spare but colorful details and plenty of white space—adds a dreamlike quality." —Kirkus

"Using sparse text, chuckle-worthy soundeffects, and several absolutely wonderful and expertly placed wordless spreads, Hudson is clearly a storyteller and artist who understands intuitively how to use silence and image to amplify laughs." —Booklist

"The watercolor and colored pencil illustrations give the sparse backgrounds and the dogs interesting textures and gradients . . . . Imbedded in this humorous little tale is a lesson about seeing both sides of a situation before deciding who’s right." —BCCB

From the Publisher

2021-03-31
Two dogs speculate about the unseen creature they hear in a tree—which is right?

A greyhound in a yellow-and-orange sweater hears a “rustle rustle” and stops to investigate. Noticing the larger dog staring at a tree, a French bulldog in a purple necktie asks, “What do you see?” The greyhound responds, matter-of-factly, “A turtle in a tree.” Baffled, the bulldog explains that such a thing would be “impossible” and then opines, “It must be a squirrel.” The two continue to debate, each presenting the other with evidence to support their claim. Soon, the friendly banter turns aggressive—and, consequently, the type grows larger with each page turn—as neither dog budges. Though the surprise ending resolves the mystery once and for all, an Australian shepherd arrives to start a similar conversation all over again. Hudson’s author/illustrator debut is a funny and insightful look at perspective-taking. Readers never see what the dogs see in the tree until the end, smartly inviting them to imagine alongside the characters. Silent bird side characters provide comedic relief throughout. The soft art—with spare but colorful details and plenty of white space—adds a dreamlike quality. Aside from a few sound effects, the narrative is conveyed through dialogue contained in color-coded speech bubbles. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 37% of actual size.)

Worth a look—and a head scratch or two. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews