This is the kind of debut that leaves you excited to see what they'll publish next.
—Rocky Mountain News
Rocky Mountain News 10/5/07 Pick of the Week:
"'Charming' is how the publisher describes this book, and charming is exactly what it is—a delightfully silly debut by a Denver wife-and-husband team... Final word: Elizabeth's writing rolls along in a playful way, while Eric's watercolors capture just how silly these animals might look if they swapped parts. This is the kind of debut that leaves you excited to see what they'll publish next."
The Well Read Child 2/9/08
"It all starts when a turtle who is feeling rather bored and uncomfortably hot in his bulky shell longs to "feel the cool breeze that was moving the clouds above." He borrows wings from a flamingo who begins to feel vulnerable without her wings and borrows quills from a porcupine. So begins a series of trades between animals who enjoy their new features until they see their old features on other animals and develop an appreciation for what they were born with.
Kids will be sure to laugh out loud at the silliness of a fish wearing peacock feathers, a porcupine wearing wool, and more. This charming story would make a great read aloud for younger kids and allows for many discussion opportunities, from animal features to feeling comfortable in your own skin."
Imagine Childhood Book Reviews: Tell Me a Story: Borrowing from Friends
"It's important to see the unique beauty in the world and in all the people, places and things that rumble around inside of it. The Turtle and the Deep Blue Sky does an insightful and poignant job of celebrating this and it also asks the reader to notice something else. That even though we all have those traits we admire in others, ones we might like to try on for size every once in a while, we also have some amazing qualities of our own to share, even if we might have to take a step outside ourselves to see them."
Midwest Book Review: Children's Bookwatch 12/2007
"Minimalist critter-mix-and-match illustrations add just the right touch to this charming story of the ups and downs of personal fantasies made real."
Story Share Project: Part 1
Handmade book sales provide new books for Children's Hospital
Praise from the Tattered Cover:
"Though I worked with a number of teachers and schools during my time as Business and Education Accounts Coordinator at Tattered Cover, I am recalling that Elizabeth's project stood out as providing an opportunity for the kids to actively engage the full spectrum of their creative-learning process, as it were, by shepherding their book projects from conception through production and then on to the market, with the thoughtful follow-through of donating the proceeds. (The Tattered Cover matched the kids' donation with a generous selection of new books for the local children's hospital).
To my mind, this kind of real-world experience encourages a deeper sense of perspective for the learner. Keeping things real is something that does not get nearly enough attention in this day and age of the virtual. The fruits of their labor were tangible throughout. Also, keeping things real in this case, means keeping the kids engaged in the real-world social context in which the project unfolds, again, not simply through social media."
—Matthew Cowles
