Tortoise’s Gift

Lari Don was born in Chile, brought up in Scotland and now lives in Edinburgh, UK, with her family. Lari is a storyteller and award-winning children's author. She won the Canongate Prize in 2001 for her short stories. Her fiction is inspired by her love of myths, legends, and fables. Other works by Lari include Little Red Riding Hood (Barefoot Books, 2012), The Treasure of the Loch Ness Monster (Kelpies, 2018) and Never Trust a Tiger (Barefoot Books, first published 2012).Melanie Williamson paints her illustrations in a cozy studio in Manchester, UK and loves all things bright and quirky. She doesn't have a pet tiger, but her cat looks just like a snow leopard"¦ and it can swim! She collaborated on a poetry anthology titled My First Oxford Book of Nonsense Poems (Oxford University Press, 2002). Her other published work includes The Wheels on the Bus: Barefoot Books Singalongs (Barefoot Books, 2014), The Great Nursery Rhyme Disaster (Tiger Tales, 2012) and The Great Fairy Tale Disaster (Tiger Tales, 2012).

"This Zambian folktale about a wonderful tree with a very tricky name, and the hungry animals who seek to learn (and remember) that name, has been adapted by Don as a chapter book for early readers. The repetitious nature of the story is well suited to the format, while the colorful and playful illustrations have the appeal of a picture book" — Booklist