LitPick Review
Heidi the Turtle is on her way to the Sumatran Games, and along the way, she meets Jose the Elephant. They build a good friendship during the games, and Jose being the good friend he is, helps lift Heidi’s spirits each time she begins to feel inferior because of what she sees the other animals do when they compete in the games. But when Heidi sees Jose feeling sad, she turns the tables around and creates the wildest and funnest game that Jose and all the other animals will never forget.
Opinion:
Hooray for Heidi, was an excellent little story. It is fun and exciting seeing all the different animals participating in the games and how Heidi and Jose became the best of friends in such a short time. The illustrations worked well with the story: they were colorful, and they showed the audience everything that was going on, from Heidi and Jose making their way to the games to the different activities each animal was participating in. My daughter loves animals, so I thought that the Turtle and the Elephant were the perfect choice for the characters. Heidi the turtle was slow and self conscious about her abilities, and Jose the elephant was huge and strong, and therefore he was helpful to Heidi when she began to feel unworthy because she was a turtle. They were the perfect pair. The book was well written for the intended ages of 5-8. This would make a perfect afternoon story.
The story also teaches us that we may have days when we feel we are not good at certain things because of what we see others do, as Heidi did while watching the other animals compete, but it's friends like Jose that help us to see that we are good in other areas that maybe others aren’t. I also have seen how two opposites (an elephant and a turtle) can come together and form a lasting friendship, a friendship of love and trust in such a short time. This story has also shown us that many things are possible no matter how big or small we may feel we are.
