Emma's Turtle

Bunting, E., & Winborn, M. (2007). Emma's turtle. Honesdale, Pa: Boyds Mills Press. 

Genre: fiction children's literature


Age: K-4th grade


Summary: Emma's turtle is written from the turtle's point-of view.  Emma's turtle tells a story of adventure and discovery when it escapes its' pen to explore the world outside.  The turtle is intrigued with the world outside its' pen because Emma reads books to the turtle and tells it stories.  When the turtle leaves the pen, it thinks that it has traveled the world, when, in the end, it realizes that it has not even left the backyard.

Reflection:  I enjoyed this story; it is a very "light read."  I like that it was written in the point-of-view of the turtle because I think that makes it more interesting to students.  I think that the turtle's response to the outside world is the same as children's.  I was thinking back to my childhood, when I would play in an "imaginary world" all day.  I liked how Bunting prefaced the beginning of the story with Emma reading a story to the turtle.  I think this would be a good way to discuss the power of reading to students; the idea that books can take you to far away places and on adventures that you may never go on.  The illustrations in the story are very detailed; each page shows a different scene that allows you to put the imagination of the turtle into a visual.  When the “striped cat next door” is approaching Emma’s turtle you can really tell the size of the turtle to the cat by the exaggeration of the drawling.