Tuesday, March 27, 2012

How Turtle’s Back Was Cracked


Written by: Gayle Ross

First line: This is what the old people told me when I was a child, about the days when the people and the animals still spoke the same language.

Why you should read this book: A retelling of an old Cherokee legend with vibrant painted illustrations, you’ll learn of the partnership of Possum and Turtle in the sharing of persimmons, and how Wolf’s mischief ultimately led to Turtle’s bad behavior and sad fate. Although Possum is the one who thwarts Wolf, Turtle takes credit, brags, and treats himself like a hero, until the other wolves take their revenge on him. Like Brer Rabbit, Turtle talks his way out certain death, but unlike Brer Rabbit, he pays for his braggadocio.

Why you shouldn’t read this book: You expect a hero’s welcome wherever you go.

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