Myrtle the Turtle
Jo Wright
language
(Cyril the Squirrel Books, Oct. 1, 2014)
Children's illustrated story in rhyming verse. Myrtle is a baby turtle who hatches out by herself on a beach and sets out to sea all alone to look for other turtles, meeting a whole host of colourful creatures along the way. She braves dangers, finds new friends and swims far, ultimately reuniting with her family. This is a story of courage, hope and joy, with bold, vibrant illustrations throughout.Myrtle the Turtle is the fourth title in the series, Cyril the Squirrel and Friends. Other books available include Cyril the Squirrel, Brian the Lion and Lola Clare the Polar Bear. The books are set in varied contexts around the world.Suitable to be read aloud to toddlers and preschool children, but also for older children (up to age 8) as they are learning to read, this series of books deliberately includes a few longer or slightly less common words (like "plucky" and "glisten") in order to encourage early absorption of a wider English vocabulary, as this has been proved to benefit literacy and development later on. The rhyming character names also teach children about the idiosyncrasies of English pronunciation. Besides this, the books remain funny, happy animal stories for all children to enjoy.