Vincent Nguyen

Cameron is very excited to receive a birthday gift from his grandmother. She always gives him the best gifts, but this time he is deeply disappointed. Inside the box is a handknit sweater striped with green, blue, orange, and yellow. Cameron is mortified and vows to never ever wear it, especially in front of his friends. He tries a series of tricks to get rid of the sweater, but doesn’t succeed.

His mother says, “Grandma Susan would have been heartbroken if anything happened to this show more sweater.” Finally, Cameron begins to think about his grandmother’s feelings, but not enough to wearthe sweater. When grandma comes to visit, Cameron’s mother insists that he put on the sweater.

Grandma explains the significance of each color. Green represents Cameron’s excellent soccer skills, blue represents his success at learning to ride a two wheeled bike, orange represents his favorite fruit, yellow represents how happy his birth made the family, and red represents how he is always in his grandmother’s heart. Cameron’s attitude toward the sweater changes. He vows to wear it for a very long time.

Every child has received a gift that was disappointing. This book will remind them that the thought behind the gift is more important than the present itself. It also stresses the special link between grandmothers and their grandchildren and how different generations show their love in different ways. The story will encourage living life with a sense of gratitude, one of the most important keys to happiness.

Vincent Nguyen uses branch double spread pictures to illustrate the story. That this is a happy, loving family is apparent from the expressions of the characters. show less

Kimmel must've agonized over including an author's note, because he didn't want to draw attention to Little Black Sambo, even though that extremely problematic book has been beloved by so many. I guess he never heard of [b:Story of Little Babaji|392604|Story of Little Babaji|Helen Bannerman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347526825l/392604._SX50_.jpg|870803] which, like this Little Britches story, adapts the story lightly, keeping Bannerman's good show more intentions and sense of what pleases children.

I recommend that you do skip any earlier editions, and read this and [a:Fred Marcellino|284545|Fred Marcellino|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1615912431p2/284545.jpg]'s version.

As I always say, I will continue to read more by Kimmel... I'm so glad he's prolific. And I'm delighted yet again at the illustrator choice, this time it's [a:Vincent Nguyen|2564008|Vincent Nguyen|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] that works so well with the cowgirl and the rattlers. show less

The Dragon and the Turtle is a really nice tale of friendship. It follows the journey of Padraig the dragon, who was looking for snacks, but found Roger the swash-buckling turtle instead. The two journey together as Padraig helps Roger find his way home.

The lessons from this sweet story are many; that friends help each other in times of needs, that friends can have fun together even during trying times, and that friends come in all shapes and sizes. These truths were evident as my son and I show more read the story, but the authors chose to try to hit the message of friendship over the head by placing an odd reference to Proverbs 17:17 at the end of the story. The story tells the beauty of friendship on its own and did not need to tout scripture to try to make its point. Additionally, I feel like the add on of the biblical message limits the audience the book might otherwise appeal to. The switch from the story to the biblical reference was clunky and sort of took away from the sweet ending of the story.

However, the inclusion of the recipe for Roger's favorite Chocolate Chip Snappers was a huge hit, and my son can hardly wait for the weekend when we can make the cookies and re-read The Dragon and the Turtle! show less

I received this adorable book as an Early Reviewers giveaway, and really enjoyed it. It's a sweet story about friendship, imagination, and helping others even if it's an inconvenience for you. Add into that a turtle and a dragon -- two of my favorite animals! -- cookies, and fun illustrations, and you have a book that's fun to read. I thought the Biblical tie-in at the end was interesting, and couldn't wait to try out the cookie recipe also included.

My only minor complaints would be that I show more wasn't sure how to pronounce the name of the dragon, Padraig; and it could be a little long and wordy for some younger preschool listeners. show less