Clever Tortoise

Clever Tortoise cuts a couple of bullies down to size in this traditional African folktale.

Elephant and Hippo are bullies. Big, strong, and selfish, the two friends boss and frighten all the other animals in the jungle, making life in their formerly harmonious community unbearable. But one day, Clever Tortoise calmly declares that size and strength aren't everything. Soon he proves it, hatching a plan to outwit the two tyrants with the tug-of-war to end all tugs-of-war. Who will be left standing when Tortoise's ingenious contest is over? Francesca Martin's spirited adaptation of a traditional African folk story-complete with a glossary of African words-and her rich illustrations will have kids cheering as wit and quiet wisdom triumph over brute strength.

Francesca Martin found CLEVER TORTOISE a real pleasure to illustrate because, she says, "It was like painting the happy memory of my childhood in East Africa, where the ground was always busy with small insects and animals, elephants roamed the plains, and hippos soaked in the river."