Tyler Goes to the Olympics: The Adventures of Tyler the Turtle, Book 1 is an animal adventure picture book for children written by Tommy Arthur. Tyler loves playing games, but it bothers him that he’s always the last kid to get picked by the team captains. His mom, Mary Turtle, noticed that he seemed unhappy after he played with his friends, and she asked him about it. Mary explained that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Tyler could use his intelligence to plan it so that he would decide who was selected for games. Tyler liked the idea a lot. After giving it some thought, he came up with a plan to host a Wacky Olympics. He invited all his friends as well as his cousins. Tyler’s friends would be on one team, and Tyler and his cousins on the other. Everyone was excited about the Olympics and couldn’t wait to see who would be the winners.

The message of Tyler Goes to the Olympics will resonate with any youngster who’s experienced the humiliation and rejection of being one of the last to be picked for a team. In this fun, interactive storybook, kids see Mary’s wise words in action, and they are a part of the selection process themselves. Along the way, they’re also able to learn about some of the different turtles and tortoises, and where they can be found. I love the challenge that’s implicit in this book, both to kids and their often less tech-savvy parents and caregivers. This is one of those books where kids will be able to not only pick team members but may show off their tech skills to adults. The illustrations are brightly colored and cheerful. I especially enjoyed the ocean scenes from Cousin Aloha’s Hawaiian home and the way the artist differentiated between the different types of turtles. Tyler Goes to the Olympics: The Adventures of Tyler the Turtle, Book 1 is most highly recommended.

Tyler Goes To The Olympics is a children's picture book packed full of fun and frolics and was penned by author Tommy Arthur. Beyond the picture book element, however, is an interactive game style event on certain pages, where parents and children can utilize QR codes to interact with the story and guess who they think would be most suited to each Olympic event. What results is an informative story with plenty of educational content as different breeds of turtles are compared for their very different skill sets. There is also a very sweet moral about finding what you’re best suited to and celebrating individual talents.

Author Tommy Arthur has created an adorable and innovative way to engage kids in both books and technology, bringing their relevance together in an educational setting. The storyline itself is charming and simple, confining itself more to the factual information about each type of animal and leaving the fun in the ‘live-action’ contests themselves via the mobile phone extension. The illustrations work better on the screen than they do on the page, but overall the book gives cohesion with its interactive elements, though I’d have liked to see some more color and attention given to backgrounds rather than just characters. Nevertheless, the message of the story is truly excellent and provides an interesting new crossover potential for young readers to examine the evidence, draw conclusions and be entertained, all at once. Overall, Tyler Goes To The Olympics is a true innovation and the start of what promises to be an excellent new series.

REALLY LIKE THE BOOK. TOOK ME AWHILE TO FIGURE IT OUT, BUT ONCE I DID I THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT. I'M NOT THAT TECH SAVVY AT 90 BUT THE YOUNG FOLKS WILL FIGURE IT OUT EASILY.
LOOK FORWARD TO FUTURE BOOKS. I DO THINK THE HARD BOOK IS EASIER TO HANDLE.