If used for TFAA, must be edited for length.

Who can resist a story that begins “Once, long, long ago … yet somehow, not so very long …”? Would it not be wonderful if “… all the beings of the world could speak … and understand one another …”?

Beautiful, peaceful … until the argument.

It is the quiet one who speaks the wisest words. Old Turtle, the quiet one, who knows how to stop the argument.

We need a quiet one today.

A perfect melding of story and art, for all ages and all people. Do not miss this one. ( )

This book is incredibly amazing because of both the author and illustrator. This wise old turtle ends a debate among the earth and its' habitats. He is painted out to be a wise, old turtle who rarely speaks. The oceans, animals, and wind all accept the old turtle's beliefs that all of nature is to be treasured and loved. He also states that everything in existence is a part of God. He asks the Earth to prepare for humans who will trash and treat them unkind. Eventually the humans learn to appreciate all the wonders of the Earth. This book sends a message to children about religion and war. Most wars revolved around religions and difference. It matters not our differences because we share one Earth.

The artwork is simply amazing. Cheng-Khee Chee painted all the images in watercolor. She painted one big picture and cut out squares from the original painting to showcase all the different elements to the earth. When you put all the pieces together, it creates one picture - almost like a puzzle. It is genius because although we are different, we are all a part of something much bigger. ( )

A beautifully illustrated book about nature and interconnections between all living things. A gentle way to talk about what God means to different individuals. The book can be enjoyed for the watercolor art if the philosophy isn't your cup of tea. ( )

I found this book very interesting; it was about the concept of God without being any specific religion. In the story, all of nature is arguing about the forces of God, so they are sent a reminder that “God” is all of nature. I appreciated the sentiment of the story and the nature-based spirituality, though I did wonder about applications of this kind of book in a classroom setting. ( )