“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 ca...