So Tortoise Dug

Description: After creating a new burrow for herself and her best friend Mouse, Tortoise eagerly waits for Mouse's return, but as more animals request their own rooms, Tortoise grows increasingly tired and frustrated with Mouse's absence.

Brief description: Emmy Kastner is an author and illustrator of children's books, including While You're Asleep, So Tortoise Dug, and All the Ice Cream in the Land. A former high school teacher, Emmy taught English and science in San Francisco. Upon moving back to Michigan, she cofounded the youth writing center Read and Write Kalamazoo (RAWK). RAWK is devoted to celebrating and amplifying youth voices through the cultivation of reading and writing skills via joy, creativity, equity, and access. Emmy lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with her husband and three kids, their dog, and two cats. She spends most days writing and making art in her studio above her family's coffee shop.

Review Quotes: "Kastner's art utilizes multiple techniques well: splotchy watercolors make up Tortoise's colorful shell, colored pencil details the animals' tufts of fur, and unblended pastels lend texture and depth to the dirt surrounding the burrow...The text repeats a refrain of "So Tortoise dug" with the successive list of rooms Tortoise has made for the animals, giving this plenty of storytime potential that would allow kiddos to pick up on the pattern and jump in."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books