The Turtle and the Flood by Jackie French and Danny Snell

Title: The Turtle and the Flood

Author: Jackie French and Danny Snell

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: HarperCollins Australia

Published:

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 24

Price: $24.99

Synopsis: A companion title to the best-selling The Fire Wombat, this is the story of Myrtle, a small turtle who, by heading uphill, tells the other animals that a flood is coming.

Myrtle the turtle knows everything about the waterhole where she lives in the creek. She can also sense the giant flood that is coming, long before other animals or humans.

And when Myrtle begins her long, slow climb up the mountain to safety, who will follow her?

From the award-winning duo of The Fire Wombat, Jackie French and Danny Snell have now created a fascinating and beautifully illustrated story about Myrtle, a Common Long-necked Turtle; reptiles that can predict the weather very accurately.

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One of Australia’s picture dream teams is back – Jackie French and Danny Snell, who created Fire Wombat have created a new story about a Common Long-necked Turtle called Myrtle, and her ability to predict the weather – and how the other animals around her react when they see her heading up a mountain – she can see a big flood coming and is eager to get to safety. As the story moves on, each animal from kangaroos, to koalas, birds of all kinds, and wombats follow Myrtle to safety ten days before the flood hits. 

This story celebrates animals and their amazing ability to sense what is going on in the world around them, and the way they respond to their environment. Jackie’s words are evocative, telling a story that is matter of fact, but also one that is insightful, invigorating and that communicates the wonders of nature and the native animals that thrive in the bush. And Myrtle knows everything about the waterhole and creek she lives in.

This story is a tribute to the amazing intuition of turtles like Myrtle, whose intuition is what will save the other animals, who notice what Myrtle’s instincts do for them. The story is mostly about Myrtle’s journey, and how she copes with the incoming flood. Jackie’s informative and creative words are straightforward, teaching readers something new – if they didn’t know already and showing that there are wonders in nature. 

Her words are accompanied by Danny Snell’s wonderful illustrations filled with colour, that evoke what nature is with his bush toned colour palette, and showing that the landscape is ever changing, something that nobody can control. It is a special book that is hopeful and educational, and one that I hope readers of all ages will enjoy, and one that could be used in a range of settings with students of all ages, and one that I think stands as a testament for what it nature and animals are capable of. And a story that shows even when a flood comes, it won’t last forever, and things will be okay at some stage. Another wonderful Jackie French book.