How Old Is Mr. Tortoise?

Starred review from April 25, 2022
All Mr. Tortoise wants for his birthday is to celebrate “a good life with good friends... and good cake”—the latter being a scrumptious, three-tier confectionery covered in pink icing. But these plans are derailed when his animal friends discover that Mr. Tortoise doesn’t know his age. “Then how will we know how many candles to put on your cake?” one asks earnestly. While Mr. Tortoise patiently waits—tying on a polka-dotted napkin and suggesting that candle accuracy doesn’t matter—the animals cogitate. They count the sections of his shell, they extrapolate based on their own experience (a smaller tortoise figures that Mr. Tortoise must be twice as old because he’s twice as big), and they attempt to deduce a birth year from cultural references. Finally, a possible answer emerges; “HOORAY, CAKE!” says Mr. Tortoise. And hooray for Petty (Don’t Eat Bees) and Chan (Thank You, Neighbor!), whose comic hearts beat as one in this impeccably paced story told in graphic novel panels. With deadpan dialogue and endearingly goofy character-focused art, they’ve created a funny and loving salute to friendship, critical thinking, longevity, and cake. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House.

July 1, 2022
In this comic in picture-book form, Mr. Tortoise is so old that he's forgotten how old he is, prompting his friends to become preoccupied with trying to figure out how many candles to put on his cake. Walrus suggests that Mr. Tortoise must be seven (just like him!), and Pig suggests he must be twelve because he has twelve sections on his shell. The partygoers start to quiz him on what people wore when he was young, whether he'd owned a television, etc. Chan's depictions of the characters are full of expression. Mr. Tortoise's emotions, which range from excited to thoughtful to confused to triumphant, dance across his face from panel to panel, and his friends are vibrant with enthusiasm. The book alternates between pages of panels and double-page spreads, varying the pace to the story's advantage, lingering on humorous moments and adding to a sense of things spiraling a bit out of control. Mr. Tortoise doesn't care how old he is or how many candles he has: "I'm the birthday tortoise and I would really like to have cake!" Anyone who's ever had to wait for a treat will empathize. Adrienne L. Pettinelli

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2022
In this comic in picture-book form, Mr. Tortoise is so old that he's forgotten how old he is, prompting his friends to become preoccupied with trying to figure out how many candles to put on his cake. Walrus suggests that Mr. Tortoise must be seven (just like him!), and Pig suggests he must be twelve because he has twelve sections on his shell. The partygoers start to quiz him on what people wore when he was young, whether he'd owned a television, etc. Chan's depictions of the characters are full of expression. Mr. Tortoise's emotions, which range from excited to thoughtful to confused to triumphant, dance across his face from panel to panel, and his friends are vibrant with enthusiasm. The book alternates between pages of panels and double-page spreads, varying the pace to the story's advantage, lingering on humorous moments and adding to a sense of things spiraling a bit out of control. Mr. Tortoise doesn't care how old he is or how many candles he has: "I'm the birthday tortoise and I would really like to have cake!" Anyone who's ever had to wait for a treat will empathize.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)