Description: Gertrude the goat and her best friend Toby the tortoise are adventurers. No sitting around on the boring farm for them! They love to explore, and every Friday they sneak off the farm for some extra fun. One Friday, Gertrude and Toby decide to visit the local candy store in town. They soon find that the treats are not free. Uh oh!
Brief description: Jim Heath is a professional illustrator and graphic designer who lives with his family in Southern California. He is originally from Huntington Beach, California, and continues to be an avid surfer.
Review Quotes:
Midwest Book Review, June 2016:
"All the more impressive, as 'Gertrude and Toby's Friday Adventure' is Shari Tharp's debut as a children's picture book author, this delightful and entertaining volume is Book 1 in the Gertrude and Toby fairy tale adventure book series and will leave its young readers ages 6 to 9 looking eagerly toward the next installment of the daring duo's adventures. While very highly recommended for elementary school and community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that 'Gertrude and Toby's Friday Adventure' is also available in a paperback edition (9780996967914) and in a Kindle format."
Judge, 24th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards, December 2016:
"Adorable illustrations. I loved the detail paid to creating a sense of texture in many of the images, providing so much depth and whimsy. Their journey is described logically and engagingly, evoking a sense of excitement for the characters we know and like early on, thanks to the smart descriptions and fabulous dialogue. Settings stand out especially well; author has a great talent for bringing settings to life, and the popping up of fairy tale characters was amusing and enjoyable, good touchstones to advance the reader through the book. Very imaginative and fun, and I could tell that the author loved writing those scenes. A sort of sparkle exists there. I'm impressed by the author s stellar structuring of the book, crisp cadence, and wonderful characterization throughout. The story is fresh and fun, Gertrude and Toby are characters I'd definitely look for in additional books to a series, which I thought early in reading this book, and then delighted at finding out about Book 2. One of the details that impressed me so much here is the sense of movement in scenes, excitement with the right touch of potential danger to draw the reader in. Age-appropriate language completes the terrific detailing of this book. Very well done. A true standout, encouraging the reader to hope for another adventure from this author/illustrator pair."
Rose Garrett, Librarian at Cliff Valley School, Atlanta, GA; blogger at www.thespiritedlibrarian.com, and professional reviewer for multiple print publications:
"First of all, I love the illustrations. They are simple and clean, yet pair with the text beautifully. I am equally pleased with the rest of the book as well. This Gertrude and Toby story is the first installment of the series and introduces the two protagonists. The story is straightforward and unique - this is not just another fairy-tale riff. Readers will become engaged with the adorable, titular pair and will enjoy meeting familiar storybook characters along the way! Recommended for Pre-K to Second Grades."