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Summary
Summary
An NPR Favorite Book of 2019
A New York Times Best Children' s book of 2019
A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2019
A School Library Journal Best Picture Book of 2019
"An enchanting tale of bravery, heroism, and undying devotion." -- The New York Times Book Review
After his best friend Sarah leaves for her first day of school, a tortoise named Truman goes on an adventure across the living room and learns to be brave in this thoughtful and heartwarming twist on a first experience story.
Truman the tortoise lives with his Sarah, high above the taxis and the trash trucks and the number eleven bus, which travels south. He never worries about the world below...until one day, when Sarah straps on a big backpack and does something Truman has never seen before. She boards the bus!
Truman waits for her to return.
He waits.
And waits.
And waits .
And when he can wait no longer, he knows what he must do.
Even if it seems... impossible !
Author Notes
Jean Reidy once lived high above honking taxis, growling trash trucks, shrieking cars, and, of course, buses traveling in every direction. And she might like to again someday. But for now, she writes from her home in Colorado, right across the street from her neighborhood library, which she loves. Her fun, lively, and award-winning picture books have earned their spots as favorites among readers and listeners of all ages. Admittedly, she's never had a tortoise...but over the years she has resided with a not-so-well-behaved assortment of turtles, parakeets, lizards, goldfish, hamsters, and even one feisty fire-bellied toad. Visit Jean online at JeanReidy.com.
Lucy Ruth Cummins is an author, an illustrator, and an art director of children's books. Her debut picture book, A Hungry Lion, or A Dwindling Assortment of Animals , was a finalist for the Governor General's Award, an Irma Black Honor Book, and an ALA Notable Book. She is also the author-illustrator of Stumpkin . As a little girl, she had a turtle for a pet, but he ran away. Really. She lives with her little family in Brooklyn, New York.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1--"Truman was small, the size of a donut--a small donut--and every bit as sweet" accurately describes a turtle who has a very close relationship with his Sarah. The tiny reptile knows something's up when Sarah gives him extra green beans, buttons up a brand new sweater, takes a large backpack and leaves the apartment. Though she's left him before, he's unsettled by the activities of the morning, especially when he sees her through the window boarding a city bus. After waiting "a thousand hours," and she still hasn't returned, he makes the decision to go after her. His plans on how to get out of his aquarium, leave the apartment and board a bus make for an entertaining tale of love and (temporary) loss. Charming and humorous illustrations were created using gouache, colored pencil, charcoal and brush marker and finished digitally. Tiny Truman is endearing and his adoration, concern, and determination are reflected on his little face. VERDICT A heartwarming tale of devotion that will be enjoyed by children and their adults.--Maryann H. Owen, Oak Creek Public Library, WI
Publisher's Weekly Review
Truman's a tortoise; he's "small, the size of a donut-a small donut-and every bit as sweet." A perceptive fellow, he senses change one morning as his owner Sarah eats "a big banana with her breakfast" and "strapped on a backpack SOOOOOO big, thirty-two small tortoises could ride along." Specific quantities confer verisimilitude to this tale by Reidy (Pup 681): "Sarah placed seven green beans in Truman's dish-two more than usual!" Then Sarah "kissed her finger and touched it to his shell and whispered, 'Be brave,''" and boards the number 11 bus. Readers know she's probably not gone forever, but Truman doesn't, and he resolves to find his way down to the bus to retrieve her. Cummins (Stumpkin) contributes expressive, thick-lined drawings that delineate cozy scenes inside and out of Sarah's city residence. The smallness of Truman's world makes his expedition appropriately daunting-and funny-as he makes his way out of his tank and toward the door. Fortunately for Truman and his new fans, he doesn't have to go too far to find his person. Observational humor, clear affection between Truman and Sarah, and bold adventure make this a memorable pet-owner love story. Ages 4-8. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Most picture books chronicling the first day of school focus on the small humans experiencing that rite of passage, but here the star is one such childs intrepid pet tortoise. Truman lives in the big city with his Sarah, who leaves one day with a backpack. She also places two extra green beans (uh-oh) in his tank and tells him to be brave. When, from the window, Truman sees her board the #11 bus going south, he knows he will have to go after her. Thus begins his slow-moving journeyacross the living room, the pink floor rug being the most daunting obstacle: Without Sarah, their home seemed vast and uncharted and unsettling. Just as hes about to slip under the front door, Sarah returns, touched by his bravery and determination. At the heart of this story, paralleling a childs own first journey into the unknown that is school, is the affectionate relationship between Sarah and Truman (Sarah regularly kisses her finger and touches it to his shell), and theres much humor and drama in Trumans exertions. Cumminss relaxed-line, mixed-media illustrations bring the familys cozy world to life, and the occasional use of a larger, bolder font emphasizes the heroics needed for Trumans journey. This little creature has big courage, something to which small humans can relate. julie Danielson September/October 2019 p.69(c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A tiny tortoise discovers just how brave he is when his girl unexpectedly takes a bus headed away from home.Truman, like his girl, Sarah, is quiet, "peaceful and pensive," unlike the busy, noisy city outside their building's window. In just the first few spreads, Reidy and Cummins manage to capture the close relationship between the girl and her pet, so it's understandable that Truman should worry when he adds up the day's mysterious clues: a big backpack, a large banana, a bow in Sarah's hair, extra green beans in Truman's dish, and, especially, Sarah boarding the No. 11 bus. He's so worried that he decides to go after her, a daunting feat for a tortoise the size of a small doughnut. Cummins' gouache, brush marker, charcoal, colored pencil, and digital illustrations marvelously convey both the big picture of Truman's navigation of the house and his tortoise's-eye view of things. And the ending, when Sarah arrives home in time to scoop him up before he slips under the front door, stuttering her amazement at his brave feats, is just right. Sarah and her mother have pale skin and straight, black hair; other city dwellers are diverse. Peaceful and pensive like Truman himself, this book charms; there's just something uplifting and wonderful about the whole package. Never underestimate the feats an animal will brave in order to be reunited with their loved ones. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Truman was small, the size of a donut a small donut and every bit as sweet. So begins the utterly heartwarming story of a tortoise and his girl, Sarah. Truman lives on a windowsill overlooking the big, loud city. When, one day, Sarah packs up her bag and boards a bus, Truman decides to do the impossible and go after her. He manages to escape his tank, journeying out over the couch and across the endless rug, but he finds that the world is much bigger and scarier without Sarah. Just as he prepares to go outside and board the bus, the front door opens, and Sarah returns! Children will be eager to hear what their pets go through while they're away at school, and the uplifting story of friendship and bravery will satisfy widely. Using gouache, brush marker, charcoal, and colored pencil, Cummins has rendered in Truman a character so indisputably adorable that, coupled with Reidy's soulful characterization, he will have readers of all ages falling in love.--Ronny Khuri Copyright 2019 Booklist
