Summer has come to an end, and Tortoise heads back to school in this charming picture-book. Along the way he begins to envision all the possible ways that things can go wrong. What if he trips? What if he hates lunch? What if the children are mean to him? But then, on the steps of the school itself, he envisions a different set of possibilities, and he finds the courage to go on...

With a simple but engaging text from British author Lucy M. George, and adorable illustrations from Belgian illustrator Merel Eyckerman, Back to School Tortoise offers a sweet new take on a classic childhood experience: namely, the first day of school. Of course, it turns out that Tortoise is the teacher, rather than a student, but I think this surprise will only add to the young child's appreciation, as it highlights that adults too get nervous about new experiences. Recommended to anyone looking for fun picture-books about going back to school. ( )

Review:
This book follows the struggle of young tortoise as summer ends and he gets ready to go back to school in the fall. On the first day of school he worries about all of the things that could go wrong, however he reminds himself of all the things that could go right and walks into welcome his new class of students.
Critique:
"Back to School Tortoise" is a great example of a fantasy because it attributes human qualities, such as talking and going to school to a variety of animals. Additionally, this is an excellent picture book because it utilizes the illustrations and storyline to address topics that young children struggle with.
Uses:
1. This would be a good book to read to a class on the first day of school because it does a good job of addressing that it is okay to be nervous about coming back to school because teachers get that way too.
2. This would also be a good book to read within the first week of school right before the class creates their set of class rules. The book does a great job of highlighting the things that can make someone feel safe and unsafe in a classroom, which can be used to help brainstorm rules.
Age Appropriateness: Primary
Media: watercolor, colored pencil, pen ( )

I liked the illustrations in this book. The Tortoise was the main focus and so there was a lot of white space so the reader focused just on him. I also liked the art because all of the animals presented a diverse classroom. I also liked how simple the text was in this book, “Tortoise got up, got dressed and had breakfast.” This made the book easy to read. The other thing I liked about the text was the logical order the story was presented in. It presents a typical school day that the reader can relate to. The main message of this book was to be yourself at school. ( )

The story Back to School Tortoise, is about a nervous tortoise going to school. He thought that something horrible would happen while he is at school. The story also has a cool surprise ending. I think children of all ages could relate to this book. ( )

This was a fantastic book with a surprise ending! It was a fiction picture book for any younger level of elementary students. Due to the surprise ending, anyone could read this and be surprised by it, I was. Also, it teaches a good lesson for all students. It was about a tortoise who was afraid of going back to school, he was nervous that he might "trip while getting lunch, and all the kids would be mean to him" It is something 1st graders could read alone and kindergarten students could share read. ( )