“Learning by Doing”: A Review of Turtle Crossing by Malve von Hassell, illustrated by Marie Amelie Marquaire

 (www.malvevonhassell.com, 2020). ISBN: 978-1-73710-110-9

With a classic beginning—"Once upon a time, there was a young turtle called Oliver”—this book for young listeners and readers is a journey of discovery and self-confidence written with a subtle energy that sets it squarely in the realm of the Coming of Age story. Illustrated by Marie Amelie Marquaire in soft pastels that perfectly complement the tone of the text, Turtle Crossing tells a tale of changes, challenges, and triumphs as our hero, Oliver, navigates his life with his mother and father.

Inquisitive and adventurous, Oliver is happy to learn what his parents, Ma and Pa Turtle, have to teach him, while finding simple pleasures in activities like his daily search for strawberries.

As many children face—often numerous times—Ma and Pa one day decide that what is best for the family is for them to move. As any of us are when faced with the uncertainty of change, Oliver is upset, despite his parents’ best efforts to calm him. They tell him of the venerable old turtle, great-great-great-grandfather the Scaly, whom they will now be living near and how much better their lives will be.

As one can imagine, Oliver, rather than thinking of the New, laments the loss of the Familiar, such as the strawberry patch.

Moving day comes, and the adventure at the core of the story begins. I do not want to spoil a bit of it for you, so suffice it to say that Oliver winds up getting separated from his parents during the journey, leading him to new opportunities to learn about the world between his former home and his new one and to discover his inner strength.

I highly recommend reading this book outside, in nature—a park or forest or any place with plenty of space, trees, flowers, and the like. If you can find a space with a stream or creek, so much the better. It will be fun to take the journey as Oliver does, allowing for your own spontaneous encounters and moments of discovery with your young listeners and readers.

Because of its parable-like tone, it will also make an excellent bedtime story.

As cued by the title, Turtle Crossing is both a physical object and a metaphor for Oliver’s Rite of Passage. Modern society has gotten away from many rites of passage, to its detriment, so this book provides a way to introduce the idea to young people early on.

As he reaches the end of his journey, Oliver has the opportunity to reflect on what he has experienced with great-great-great-grandfather the Scaly and to contemplate that ever-important question, no matter your age: What is the true definition of hom

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