Tortoise and the Sticky Statue

The villagers of an old African village pride themselves on having the largest and most beautiful open-door market in the land. They prosper and feel financially secure until suddenly, they are faced with the prospect of losing it all. Someone is stealing goods from the market at night. After several unsuccessful attempts to get help to catch the thief, the village people get a break. The animals, led by the tortoise, promise to assist in catching the thief. However, in a twist that no one sees coming, that promise fell through. The village people's increased desperation to catch the culprit leads them to an unlikely person. Will this person be able to help catch the thief? This fast-paced and suspense-driven book leaves readers on edge throughout. The tortoise's antics are intriguing and humorous. The colorful and visually appealing illustrations of the setting and characters tell the story vividly and promise to be memorable to readers. The illustrations connect emotionally to young readers and evoke mixed feelings of empathy and laughter. This captivating read-aloud book promises to be highly amusing entertainment for children!

Goretti Rerri, Ed.D. taught special education for twenty-two years before retiring. Over the span of her career, she taught reading, writing, and math to students with various forms of disabilities, including autism, Down's syndrome, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, ADHD, emotional disturbance, and learning disabilities. She also mentored several new teachers in the field of special education. In addition to working as a classroom teacher and teacher mentor, Rerri trained many parents on strategies for working with children with developmental disabilities at home. An avid writer, Rerri's first children's book is titled, Tortoise and the Sticky Statue. This read-aloud book was inspired by stories she was told as a young child growing up in Africa. She is also the author of Ceremonies and Festivals: Marriage, Burial, Chieftaincy, and Annual Festivals in Uvwie-Urhobo, Nigeria. The book documents some key rites and practices in the Uvwie-Urhobo culture of Nigeria. In addition to writing, Rerri, a mother of three adult children (one of which has autism), spends time in advocacy work for people with developmental disabilities. As part of her efforts to increase autism awareness, Rerri published her memoir about raising her child with autism, titled, My Box of Chocolates: How My Child With Autism Learned to Read, Write and More. In her free time, Rerri likes to travel, read, watch movies, and spend time with family.