Finding a great children’s book can often be a lot like sifting through the racks of a gigantic thrift store. Some days you can brave the harsh buzzing florescent lights with purpose in your eyes. You can jump into a world, thick with fabric and history, sure that when you make it to the other side it will be with unimaginable treasures - only all you manage to bring home is a headache and a t-shirt you bought solely to mark those four futile hours with some sort of victory. Then some days you can be walking down the street, and without even stepping foot inside the store, you see it through the window. The exact make and model of typewriter that your grandmother had on her desk... the one that you spent hours sitting in front of making up stories and planning the adventures of your life... the one that was given away years before you knew how much it meant to you. Some days, you find just what you need. That’s how we felt when we found The Turtle and the Deep Blue Sky.
In this book, stunning illustrations accompany a beautiful text that asks the reader to try the world on for size... literally. One day an uncomfortable little turtle decides he would like to borrow the wings of a flamingo, which leads to a chain of animal bartering transactions that is beautiful, quirky and humorous in the way most truly great things are. Full of curious experimentation, the book moves through the adventures of each animal and their newly acquired traits. As the turtle soars in the sky, a sheep enjoys frolicking in the shimmering scales of a fish, while the usually prickly porcupine rolls in delight with his soft woolly fleece. It's important to see the unique beauty in the world and in all the people, places and things that rumble around inside of it. The Turtle and the Deep Blue Sky does an insightful and poignant job of celebrating this and it also asks the reader to notice something else. That even though we all have those traits we admire in others, ones we might like to try on for size every once in a while, we also have some amazing qualities of our own to share, even if we might have to take a step outside ourselves to see them.
{Although we do appreciate our own unique traits (well at least most of the time...), after reading this amazing book it made us wonder if Phineas were to come back to the farm this summer, would he mind if we borrowed his feathers for the day?}
"... tell me a story" is a new series we are starting where we will share reviews of books we love, unpublished or new children's books in audio or written form, and stories parents or kids have made up themselves and would like to share. If you would like to participate, we would love hear any and all of your tall tales! Simply send submissions to info@imaginechildhood.com We cant wait to hear from you!
