The Flying Tortoise
- Author: Tololwa M Mollel
- Illustrator: Barbara Spurll
- Publisher: Clarion Books, New York, Oxford University Press, Don Mills
- ISBN-10: 0-1954-0990-6
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Description of The Flying Tortoise
Mbeku the tortoise is proud of his magnificent, shiny shell -- maybe too proud. Because he is so handsome, the greedy tortoise feels he can demand the biggest share of everything, especially food. When the birds are invited to a feast in Skyland, Mbeku is determined to go with them. But tortoises, even clever ones, cannot fly. Mbeku convinces the birds to help him and soon he has magnificent wings of his own. When Mbeku repays the birds with treachery, helearns he is not the only one who can play tricks. Tololwa Mollel re tells with verve this spirited traditional tale of the Igbo people of Nigeria, bringing the crafty tortoise's schemes to a satisfying and lighthearted comeuppance. The Flying Tortoise has been translated into Korean. Mollel has adapted the story into a play in a production that the critic Liz Nichols of The Edmonton Journal described as “irresistible.” To see details of Mollel’’s play adaptation, see The Flying Tortoise – the Play.
The Flying Tortoise begins:
Long, long ago, Mbeku the tortoise had a magnificent shell. It was so smooth and clear and shiny, it even glowed in the dark. And because Mbeku was so handsome, he thought he deserved the lion’s share of everything, especially food. Mbeku had a bottomless hole for a stomach and would stop at nothing to fill it.
Reviews of The Flying Tortoise:
“…affable.”
—Publishers’ Weekly
“...a delicious feast”
—The Calgary Herald
“The combination of a lively narrative and vibrant illustrations result in a vivacious read-aloud choice.”
—School Library Journal
“Energetically paced… [i]ts language… concrete and immediate.”
—Booklist
“A broad, spirited rendition.”
—Kirkus
Awards and Honours for The Flying Tortoise:
- American Booksellers Association Pick of the Lists
- A Bank Street College Children's Book of the Year
- Nominated for the Ontario's Silver Birch Award
- Canadian Children Book Centre Our Choice List (of the year’s best 30 books)