Turtle in a Tree by Neesha Hudson (review)

When Greyhound insists that there’s a turtle up a nearby tree, Bulldog is understandably dubious: “Squirrels climb trees. It must be a squirrel.” Even upon closer examination, the two disagree, with Greyhound claiming to see a turtle shell and Bulldog seeing a squirrel tail. Things get heated, with the two screaming TURTLE and SQUIRREL at each other, until a squirrel falls out of the tree . . . followed by a turtle, making each both right and wrong. Bulldog, in a formal blue tie, contrasts with Greyhound in his stylish striped turtleneck; the watercolor and colored pencil illustrations give the sparse backgrounds and the dogs interesting textures and gradients, and the poses are quirky and comical. There are ample funny moments, as Greyhound offers fanciful suggestions that practical Bulldog rejects (an entire spread is dedicated to Bulldog’s disgust at Greyhound’s suggestion that “turtles LOVE acorns”), which makes it more satisfying when it turns out there was indeed a turtle as well as a squirrel up the tree. Imbedded in this humorous little tale is a lesson about seeing both sides of a situation before deciding who’s right.