The Adventure of Thomas the Turtle by Stuart Samuel

Genre: Children’s

Sunopsis: Thomas the Turtle lives with his mother and sister on Placid Pond. Many years ago his father disappeared when he entered one part of the pond, which is called the “forbidden region.” Thomas the Turtle has been told by his mother not to go to this region, but one day Thomas ventures too close and is swept over a waterfall and downstream. He struggles battling the forces of nature to survive the frightening experience. Far from home, he is determined to reunite with this family, and finally with the help of two children he succeeds.

The Adventure of Thomas the Turtle stresses family values, filial obedience, adversity, curiosity, faith and determination. Parents will enjoy reading this touching story to their 5-to-9-year-old children for its exciting adventure and strong moral messages.




Rating: 1 out of 5 fairies

Review: Although I enjoyed the illustrations, I found this book to be clunky, and unsuitable for children. With forced, choppy dialog and words that I would not expect the intended audience to understand, this book was a poor attempt at a fun story for children. I’m not sure if the underlying moral was meant to be so overt, instead of subtle, like an Aesop’s fables. The book also discourages children from doing things independently and encourages blind obedience. The way Thomas’s father and his disappearance are introduced is both random and unbelievable even for a children’s book. It would be insulting to expect a child to enjoy more than the illustrations of this book.



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