Lost in a Good Book

Published: 15th August 2023
Publisher: Magination Press
Illustrator: Erica Salcedo
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

For years, the little turtles climbed on top of the big turtles to eat the freshest fruit from the top of the bushes. The big turtles ate the fallen berries–sour and rotten. Littlest Turtle follows along with this tradition until she hears the feelings of the big turtles. Littlest Turtle sees how unfair this all is and thinks about the important question: would it be so hard to share?

Follow along as Littlest Turtle joins together with the big turtles, speaks up for change, and comes up with a new tradition that works for all turtles, no matter the size!

When I find picture books I love I immediately go around and shove it in the faces of co-workers and make them read it. My little socialist turtles is one I made people read one, because they are adorable, and two, because it’s a great message about one little voice making a difference.

From the outside it seems like a good system, working together to get the same goal: food. But the quality of the food is different for different turtles. Mullady shows how this system of inequality with the turtles is unfair. By listening to the bigger turtle, the little turtle learns the system is unfair, something they never realised before, never had to think about before. But now their little eyes are open they can’t keep quiet and start to make change.

The most dangerous phrase is “This is the way things have always been done” and Mullady mimics this twice with “That’s just the way it’s always been” and “There’s no reason to change what works.” But works for whom? Those benefiting can see no reason to change, and those without live with less.

It is a lot to put a whole message about balance and inequity on a book about a tiny turtle, but it is a great way to show readers that unfair comes in a lot of different ways. And listening to those who are at the worse end can benefit everyone in the end.

There’s a lot of great symbolism if you want to get into it. The small turtles literally standing on the backs of the suffering turtles to gain their sweeter reward. But Mullady brings none of that heavy handed messaging over. It’s simple, it’s about berries. It’s about cooperation and listening. But as an adult you can use it as so many teaching tools and ways to explain larger concepts.

There is a wonderful teaching tool in the back about all the lessons kids (and adults) can learn from this. About empathy, about embracing difference and accepting change. There’s a great story wrapped up in a wonderful lesson coupled by absolutely adorable illustrations.

I am a sucker for a cute illustration and Salcedo gets you from the cover. One small thing surrounded by the bigger versions of the thing is peak book cover and one I have never been disappointed by before. The different sized turtles are shown well with perspective and you see how the tiny turtles need the larger turtles whether they understand that or not. Their little faces are cute and joyful, and having them be so cartoony helps make this a fun light-hearted story about cooperation and not a nasty us vs. them type story which it so easily could become.

It really is a great book about showing how one individual, who listens, and works with a community, can make change better for everyone. What isn’t to love about a little socialist turtle?

You can purchase The Littlest Turtle via the following

QBD | Blackwell’s

Dymocks | Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust