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Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
The Turtle Who Imagined is a children’s picture book by Mary Esparza-Vela. Kevin Collier provides illustrations alongside the tale, which centers on a young turtle who compares himself to the other animals he sees in the woods around him. At first, the turtle is envious of the other animals, wishing that he could get out of his shell and experience their traits, such as big feet for leaping and wings for flying. But, when the turtle later falls asleep, he has a dream that shows him that having what the other animals have might not be as much fun as he first thought. Eventually, he becomes content with his shell, deciding it’s not so bad to be a turtle after all.
This delightfully illustrated book tells a short and simple story of being content with oneself, in a highly accessible form that young children would certainly enjoy. Mary Esparza-Vela employs a repetitive but enjoyable format to the turtle’s speech which helps the overall message to sink in, thereby delivering a very positive and important message for young children. The Turtle Who Imagined combines beautiful illustrations with age-appropriate text and I definitely recommend it to the lower-boundary of the recommended age range of 4 to 5-year-olds. I’m not sure how much the suggested upper boundary of age 8 readers would get from it, but it could be a sweet little family bedtime book, or one that older readers could read to their younger siblings. Overall, it’s a delightful story and a high quality, professional-looking picture book.
