Tadeo Turtle
Author and Illustrator: Janis Cox
Paperback: 28 pages
Publisher: Word Alive Press (2012)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-1-77069-695-2
SRP: $13.00

Ages 3 – 7

Reviewed by Diane Stortz

Rating:

Editors of Christian children’s books often see manuscripts similar to Tadeo Turtle. A young character wishes to be different in some way, faces an obstacle, and then decides he is happy with the way God made him after all. Because the plot is so common, most of these manuscripts don’t get published.

But in Tadeo Turtle, author and illustrator Janis Cox presents a well-put-together package of text, art, and extra activities that make the familiar plot line worth a look–and garnered the award for best children’s book at the the 2013 Word Awards Gala in Mississauga, Ontario, in a competition sponsored by The Word Guild, an association for Canadian Christian writers.

Tadeo, pronounced TAHD-ay-OH, comes from the name Thaddeus, which means “heart” or “praise.” Tadeo befriends an energetic squirrel and longs to be able to run and climb like his friend. In a dream, Tadeo loses his shell and enjoys his new freedom–until a large hungry cat appears and mistakes Tadeo for a rat. Will Tadeo escape unharmed? When Tadeo awakes from his dream, his response proves he is aptly named.

Psalm 139:13-14 form the theme verse for the story, which Janis says was inspired by her grandchildren:

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous–how well I know it.” (NLT)

I especially like the watercolor illustrations, the overall design of the book, and all the extras the author provides. You’ll find photos and directions for making four different story-related crafts plus a page with fun facts about turtles and links to kid-friendly articles with more information.

On her website, Janis reads Tadeo Turtle aloud at this link. You’ll find additional Tadeo crafts, like this woven Tadeo picture, here and here.

To receive a  PDF curriculum guide full of ideas for using Tadeo Turtle to teach music, math, and more, e-mail Janis Cox.

Janis Cox is a retired elementary school teacher who has learned to love writing and painting during her retirement years. She also takes tap-dancing lessons!

Janis blogs at www.janiscox.com, where she writes about her life and how God speaks to her, and at Under the Cover of Prayer.

DIANE