TORTOISE SOLVES A PROBLEM

In a whimsical ``why'' story by an Israeli author, published in Hebrew in 1979, early tortoises (not yet equipped with shells) come up with a unique solution to their homelessness. Taunted by the other animals, who enjoy their own snug homes, and weary of enduring the weather, the tortoises agree that they need a house. The Three Wisest Tortoises appoint a likely young tortoise to build one, sending him abroad to study in preparation. On his return, however, ``he had so many ideas he didn't know where to begin''; still, he comes up with a series of fantastical, if unsuitable, constructions. Disgusted, the Wisest Tortoises tell him that ``we're tired of traveling to and fro to see your ridiculous contraptions. If you want to show us a new tortoise house, you must bring it to us.'' Aha! Though the outcome is foreseeable, the means of getting there are not only entertaining but an amusing analog to some well-known human behavior (at least, when this project is complete, the results serve their purpose). The author's cartoon-style illustrations are unassuming, but appropriately satirical and expressive. (Picture book. 4-8)