Turtle with a Toolbox (Turtle with a Toolbox #1)

The title of this series kickoff may suggest a solo portrait, but Ferry (The Wombats Go Wild for Words) and Dudolf (the Piggle the Pig series) offer up a rosy, rhyming ode to teamwork. The creators introduce Turtle, a DIY-savvy reptile with a toolbox shell, engaging in what looks at first like solo play. Verse bounces along with satisfying onomatopoeia (“Here is his hammer./ Bang. Bang. Bang.// Here is his mallet. Clang. Clang. Clang”) as Turtle, tongue stuck out in focus, takes on arrayed tasks. But following the arrival of a friend come to assist, Turtle rallies a crew of forest animals to build an elaborate turreted tree house in a carefully selected oak. Round-headed, with friendly dot eyes and a quiet smile, Turtle appears as the confident foreman of nearly every spread, in which crisply inked, soft-color-fill illustrations document construction from framing to hanging decorative lights. Featuring a cheerful, wholly competent crew who share a goal and a can-do spirit, this sturdy addition to the readaloud pile suggests that good things come to those who collaborate. Ages 4–8. (June)