Parcel for Turtle by Shelley Knoll-Miller

Another in this funny series of books about receiving a parcel will have kids joining in with the humour on each page, anticipating what might be inside. With the advent of shopping on line, many more parcels are being delivered and the expression on Turtle’s face on the title page reflects the anticipation people feel when opening a parcel, particularly one that is unexpected.

The end pages show a group pf sea creatures besieged by pelicans hungry for turtle or octopus or crab. So a parcel for Turtle has them all excited. There may be something to help them get past the pelicans. Could it be a trampoline one asks, only to be told that the parcel is not the right size. Could it be a a remote controlled car to get them across the sand and into the sea, but it's not big enough. A beach umbrella is the next suggestion. All the while the reader will be offering suggestions about how to get to the sea without being spied by the pelicans, and so be reassured when the parcel is finally opened to reveal something they can use to outsmart the pelicans.

A neat rounded story of solving a problem, opening the parcel adds a whiff of adventure for the group. Tension mounts with the pelicans flying overhead, but the puzzle is solved in the end. Colourful, detailed illustrations will delight younger readers anxious to want to know what is in the parcel, hoping that it will help them all get away.

Themes: Turtle, Sea creatures, Pelicans, Parcel, Problem solving.

Fran Knight