The Turtle and the Moon [Hardcover]

Charles Turner (Author), Melissa Bay Mathis (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

The luminous pastels of Melissa Bay Mathis, from nightwater blues to predawn pinks, are the perfect accompaniment to this gentle story about a wistful turtle and the mysteries of moonlight. Even the youngest listeners will respond to the themes of nighttime and friendship in this quiet, soothing picture book. Full-color illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-- Everyday, Turtle goes about his usual activities alone, but he longs for a playmate. One night he wakes up to find something very big, very round, and very different from anything he has ever seen--the moon. It doesn't speak to him, but together they go swimming, play hide-and-seek, tag, and diving games. Turtle eventually falls asleep and his friend disappears with the rising sun, only to return the following evening. Mathis's deep-toned pastel drawings successfully capture the yellow-orange of the setting sun as well as the purple-pink as it rises the next day. They work hand in hand with Turner's warm, simple text. --Rachel Fox, Port Washington Pub . Lib . , NY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A solitary turtle observes a daily round of sunning, swimming, and withdrawing into his shell for the night--until one evening he finds an unusual companion: the moon. At first, it slips behind a cloud; the turtle supposes that it is shy. Then, the moon seems to join him in the water, the turtle's playful attentions making it ever more various and lovely. Like the turtle's sport, Turner's first picture book plays imaginatively with appearance and reality. Mathis's vibrant illustrations glow with rich blues and greens that deepen from sunlit water to darker tones; her turtle is both handsome and charming. A lovely idyll, with just enough story to hold attention. (Picture book. 4-7) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1st edition (May 2, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525446591
• ISBN-13: 978-0525446590
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,566,075 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finding Comfort When Alone, April 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Turtle and the Moon (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)

This is a beautiful tale about finding comfort and a sense of well-being when one feels alone. Parents tell me that this book is a favorite of all the children I have given it to as gifts. The narrative style and the simple water-colors lend a sense of poignancy to this story of a turtle and his new-found, reliable friend. This is sensitive story-telling at its best in children's literature.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Such a wonderful, wonderful picture book!, January 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Turtle and the Moon (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)

This book is so lovely! Incredibly simple, and appropriate for any age, but spell-binding and beautiful. The illustrations are spectacular, and the story is gentle and quietly sweet.

I only wish it were more readily available, so I could give it as gifts to every new baby I know...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a gorgeous tapestry of words and color, peace and ecstasty, August 5, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Turtle and the Moon (Hardcover)

One of the most beautiful children's books around, "The Turtle and the Moon" is such a quiet, gentle offering among recent children's literature, that it seems to have been largely unnoticed. A shame, because the splendidly lyric paintings and mellifluous prose blend together in a such dreamlike, languidly lifelike story that both parents and children, the storytellers and the story-rapt, find themselves utterly intrigued.

Discovery, friendship, creativity, providence, nature, imagination, loyalty and joy shine gloriously through on every page, while the simplicity of the story of a solitary turtle finding new worlds in his every day is one that any child can understand and love.

So read this story just before bed, and hope that we all have half so beautiful dreams...