The Box Turtle

An irresistibly cute story about finding the confidence to be yourself, starring a turtle in search of the perfect shell.

Terrance the turtle was born without a shell, so he uses a cardboard box instead. Terrance loves his box. It keeps him dry on soggy days, safe from snooping strangers, and is big enough to cozy up with a friend. But when another turtle points out that Terrance's shell is, well, weird, he begins to wonder whether there might be a better shell out there...

Eventually, and through much trial and error, Terrance learns that there's nothing wrong with being different--especially when it comes to being yourself.

Vanessa Roeder is an author and illustrator whose work has been featured in Highlights magazine and on Apartment Therapy. She lives with her family in Austin, Texas.