Bartleby of the Mighty Mississippi - Hardcover

Phyllis Shalant?s books for children and young adults include: Beware of Kissing Lizard Lips, The Great Eye, When Pirates Came to Brooklyn, Bartleby of the Big Bad Bayou, and the series, The Society of Super Secret Heroes. The author lives in White Plains, New York with her husband and a large dog named Ozzie. Visit her website at www.phyllisshalant.com.

Grade 3-6-Bartleby is a red-eared turtle, a pet living in a bowl in a house full of rambunctious brothers. His adventure begins when the youngest boy thoughtlessly throws him into a nearby pond for a swim. He quickly learns which of the other pond dwellers are his friends. The only enigma is the alligator, Seezer, another discarded pet that longs for its natural home, the mighty Mississippi River. "We had many ssscrumptious red-ears near my nest [back home]-" threatens the menacing lizard. Yet, the creature is intrigued when, in order to save himself, Bartleby pretends to know the way to the Mississippi. An unlikely pair, Bartleby and Seezer set out together, and though there are many close calls, the determined little turtle ultimately gets them to a river that leads to their destination. Shalant's novel is a sweet, warm allegory about the pains of growing up. Bartleby struggles with staying away from his humans and feels the pain of heartache when they seem to abandon him. A gentle story with an ethical and likable main character dealing with his own uniqueness.
Judith Everitt, Orchard Hill Elementary School, Skillman, NJ
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