Turtle walk. Nice and slow. Here we go! Explore all four seasons with this charming—and patient!—turtle family. Award-winning author-artist Matt Phelan guides the youngest readers from the first blooms of spring and the scorching sun of summer to the crisp leaves of fall and fat snowflakes of winter. Fans of Anna Dewdney and Tad Hills will want to go on this journey again and again. Spring blooms, and a turtle family is on the move. Slow and steady, they travel up, up, up, the gentle hill through all four seasons. Where are they going? To the top of the sledding hill, of course! But how will they get back down the hill to a well-deserved winter’s rest? Matt Phelan’s simple, rhythmic text is filled with repetition that shines in read-alouds, and his soft, colorful watercolor artwork bring the seasons to vivid life. The joyful journey and gentle, rewarding surprise make Turtle Walk a timeless choice for every home and classroom. PreS-Gr 2—Phelan places the walk of a family of turtles at the center of this picture book, which becomes a journey through the seasons. This small bale, or family of turtles, contains two large ones and two smaller ones. The turtles have a few mostly repetitive sentences for every walk: "Turtle walk, here we go. Are we there yet? No." Preschoolers will snuggle in close and soon learn to "read" the lines. And then, as a snowy slope appears, "Are we there yet?" brings a much different answer, with sledding and a quiet scene of winter hibernation to follow. The loose, glowing watercolor provide direction and a clear color story that ties the story together, as bits of orange on one page become more prominent on the next as the story moves into, for example, autumn. The transitions connect colors, seasons, and story to nudge young readers to identify seasonal elements. This book has so much to offer for readers, from the simple story that could be sung, to the exploration of seasons, to the repetition of text to engage budding readers. VERDICT An excellent example of simple storytelling matched with inky watercolor drawings to create a story of family, and a story of seasons. This is a perfect book, and an instant classic for story hours.—Katie Llera, Brunner Elem. Sch., Scotch Plains, NJ “Turtle kids experience extremely delayed gratification when their parents announce a local adventure in this winning picture book. . . . Phelan . . . makes the trip more than worthwhile . . . with luscious scenes of flowers and showers, a busy playground and brilliant firefly display, and a ripe orchard and a glowing pumpkin field. . . . It’s every memorable family trip in a nutshell, filled with moments of tedium, thrills, and, best of all, togetherness.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) “A family of turtles celebrates four seasons with a long walk around its small world. . . . Simple, rhyming text . . . accompanies the little group of four on its journey . . . Phelan’s artwork is lively and visually bright, with rich colors and impressionistic lines . . . Playful and lighthearted.” - Kirkus Reviews “A family of turtles slowly wends its way through various landscapes in this gentle rhyming walk through the seasons. . . .  Phelan manages both simplicity and lushness in the loose, charcoal-smudged watercolor art . . . while compositions make clear the breadth of the larger world . . . . This is an easy pick for a seasonal storytime, or as a primer for a family road trip and a reminder that the journey can be more entertaining than the destination." - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review) “This slow-burn picture book follows a family of four turtles as they lumber toward . . . [an] unnamed destination. . . . Phelan’s . . . watercolors [fill] the natural landscapes with life . . . with spreads that also—among other hints—reflect the changing seasons. . . . Simple, poetic, and wonderfully joyous.” - Booklist “Join four turtles . . . on a slow walk through the seasons of the year. . . . The chanting text keeps a gentle rhythm throughout and invites participation . . . Paired with the inviting visuals, the . . . text has just the right mix of pace and repetition to capture the attention of the very youngest listeners.” - Horn Book Magazine "This book has so much to offer for readers, from the simple story that could be sung, to the exploration of seasons, to the repetition of text to engage budding readers. An excellent example of simple storytelling matched with inky watercolor drawings to create a story of family, and a story of seasons. This is a perfect book, and an instant classic for story hours.” - School Library Journal (starred review) Matt Phelan is the author and illustrator of several novels for young readers, including the five books in the acclaimed Plum series and Knights vs. Dinosaurs and its two sequels. Matt Phelan’s picture books include Sweater Weather , Turtle Walk , Pignic , and Druthers . He is also the creator of the graph