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The Dragon and the Turtle, by Donita K. Paul and Evangeline Denmark and illustrated by Vincent Nguyen, is the latest book I've received for free from WaterBrook Multnomah to review for you. It's a fun little book that works well with reading and phonics activities for grandparents and their grandchildren. It is also one of those cute Christian stories with a lesson or "moral" woven through it and I appreciate that.
It tells the story of a lost little turtle named Roger who is found by a very polite and kind red dragon, Padraig. The two set off to find Roger the Turtle's home. It's a blessing for Roger that Padraig, the "kitten-sized, bug-eating dragon" can fly as he can go up above and scout out the locations for them to search.
It is very reminiscent of the Franklin the Turtle books and videos – a series my grandboys loved for years and my younger, long distance grandkids still love. I was very pleased with the Bible verse and talking points at the end of the story, although I have to admit, I wish it had been incorporated into the story as well. While it's quite easy for a grandparent to add it into the story, some savvy grandkids who are reading sometimes pick up on that and don't like having a book "changed."
Overall, though, it's quite a cute little book for our grandchildren to enjoy, teaching good character qualities like "a friend loves at all times" and self-control. I was thrilled when I read the back of the book to discover it was written by a fellow grandparent. Hooray! 🙂 Not only that, Donita K Paul wrote it with her daughter, and I'm sure her grandsons have enjoyed the series immensely. A perfect book for the Sandwich Generation.
I was also pleased to discover that WaterBrook Multnomah has a contest centered on The Dragon and The Turtle and its sequel, The Dragon and The Turtle Go On Safari, along with fun ideas and activities perfect for grandparents and grandchildren to enjoy together. Just click here for details on what's involved, what the prizes are, and how to enter – the deadline is February 11, 2011. And if you win, do let us know. We'd love to hear and share the fun with everyone at SandwichINK. 🙂 In the meantime, when it's time for you and your grandkids to take a break from those fun Wii games for kids and seniors, this could be a lovely way to spend some cuddle time before nap.
P.S. Don't forget, Valentines Day is right around the corner. Christian stories for children, like this, make sweet gifts ideas for our grandchildren that don't give cavities and that do plant seeds for an eternity – always a favorite idea of mine. I'll sometimes write a note inside the book instead of a card, or include one of those cute and inexpensive cards from a classroom Valentine pack with it. 🙂
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Hi Donita, Thanks for stopping by. And you make excellent points. It’s always hard to know how much to add/leave out when sharing books with others and yours is definitely one that we can share more easily with a larger audience. I know my long distance grandkids are going to enjoy it as much as my local grands. 🙂
Thank you for the review. I enjoyed being introduced to your site. We purposely left the “God talk” for the end of the book in order to have it welcomed in public libraries and schools. And you are so right! Grandparents and Parents, aunts and uncles in the know can easily add the lessons while reading the book. The pictures in the book lend themselves to discussions. My favorite is the strawberry in the clous. When the child feels like he/she is exploring the book and not being preached at, he/she gets excited about all the discoveries, whether its images to be seen or ideas to adopt.